Smokin' and grillin' in the snow!
My family just loves a good barbecue and now that spring is, mostly, here we can FULLY enjoy the grill and the newest addition to my hubby's "backyard kitchen", the smoker, again - yes, we are those crazy people who still barbecue a few times during the winter, and usually once during a snow storm! Did I mention my family loves barbecue? My darling hubby just needed a smoker and this past Christmas, Santa finally brought him one. He's already taken it on its maiden voyage where he made the most amazing pulled pork, topped with my homemade barbecue sauce, oh yum! But, that's another story for a different time...so he asked me this last weekend what was the next thing for him to smoke and after a little thought I decided on chicken quarters. He was game and our first barbecue of the season was planned - he handles all the meat outside and I stay inside and handle all the sides. Too bad nobody told mother nature our plans and, just in typical Colorado fashion, it was snowing. Nonetheless, dinner must go on and it was well worth it! Make our BBQ for your next barbecue and it will be a big hit!
What's cooking in my kitchen this week:
Smoked BBQ chicken with homemade potato salad and Caite's famous pasta salad
What you'll need:
Smoked BBQ chicken
2 packages chicken quarters
2 bottles (18 oz) brown sugar BBQ sauce
2 packages chicken quarters
2 bottles (18 oz) brown sugar BBQ sauce
2 cups Hickory chips
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup oil
1 cup water
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Homemade potato salad
6 russet potaotes
6 eggs
1/2 cup dill pickles, finely diced
1 1/2 cup mayo
1 cup mustard
1/2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Caite's famous pasta salad
1 box (1 lb) shell pasta
1 cucumber
1 package grape tomatoes
1 can (4 oz) sliced black olives
1 package (8 oz) colby jack cheese
1 package (6oz) pepperoni*
3/4 cup Italian dressing
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
*Note: if you have a little more to spend, substitute pepperoni for Genoa salami. It's totally worth it! That's how it's my famous pasta salad. :)
How to make it:
This meal does take some time as you need to marinade the chicken before smoking it - don't worry if you don't have a smoker, I'll let you know what to do instead. First, make the marinade for the chicken by combining the vinegar, oil, water, salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder in a large container and whisk together. Take chicken quarters and get marinade on all sides - you may need two containers to make sure each quarter gets the marinade. Place covered containers in fridge and let marinate for 3-4 hours.
Get smoker ready by putting water in the water plate and placing 1 cup of the Hickory chips in the chip holder.
After chicken is done marinating, put on cookie sheets to place in smoker. Set temperature on smoker to 235° F, put chicken in smoker, and set time to 2 1/4 hours. After about an hour, place remaining cup of Hickory chips in chip holder.
Once it is going, don't open it up - we did, just to get the picture of what it looks like when it's smoking. If you don't have a smoker, you can put the chicken in the oven at the same temp and bake for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
While chicken is smoking, or baking, make the sides. Boil the potatoes whole until fork tender, about 20-30 mins. Hard boil eggs by putting in pot with cold water and 1 Tbsp baking soda; bring water to boil and let eggs boil for 10 mins, then let eggs sit for 10 mins in hot water. Drain and rinse with cold water - they should be easy peasy to peel! Boil shell noodles according to directions on box, about 10 minutes.
Once noodles are done, drain and place back into pot cooked in, and put a little of the Italian dressing in pot, this will keep noodles from sticking to each other. Dice up cucumber and cheese and cut grape tomatoes and pepperoni in half. Put in pot with noodles along with sliced black olives.
Put remaining Italian dressing, salt, and ground black pepper in pot and stir until mix well. Put in container, cover, and put in fridge until ready to eat.
By this time the potatoes should be done cooking. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let them cool down until they are cool enough to handle and not burn your fingers. Now is a good time to go smell the chicken smoking, lol.
Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, dice up and place in pot cooked in. Peel cooled hard boiled eggs, dice up, and place in pot with potatoes. Finely dice pickles and place on top of eggs and potatoes. Put the mayo, - get the real thing! - mustard, salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder in pot and stir until all mixed. Place in container, cover, and put in fridge until ready to eat.
Once chicken is done smoking, or baking, remove and get ready to finish on the grill.
The grill should be medium heat and grill chicken on each side, after covering with BBQ sauce, for about 5-8 minutes per side.
Once done, pull from grill and let chicken rest about 10 minutes before serving with the potato and pasta salads. Enjoy!
Oh and in case you were wondering, "did we really do all of this in the snow?", here are some pictures to prove we did!
Did you know?
On this day in 1828, Casparus van Wooden of Amsterdam, patented chocolate milk powder.
How to make it:
This meal does take some time as you need to marinade the chicken before smoking it - don't worry if you don't have a smoker, I'll let you know what to do instead. First, make the marinade for the chicken by combining the vinegar, oil, water, salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder in a large container and whisk together. Take chicken quarters and get marinade on all sides - you may need two containers to make sure each quarter gets the marinade. Place covered containers in fridge and let marinate for 3-4 hours.
Get smoker ready by putting water in the water plate and placing 1 cup of the Hickory chips in the chip holder.
After chicken is done marinating, put on cookie sheets to place in smoker. Set temperature on smoker to 235° F, put chicken in smoker, and set time to 2 1/4 hours. After about an hour, place remaining cup of Hickory chips in chip holder.
Once it is going, don't open it up - we did, just to get the picture of what it looks like when it's smoking. If you don't have a smoker, you can put the chicken in the oven at the same temp and bake for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
While chicken is smoking, or baking, make the sides. Boil the potatoes whole until fork tender, about 20-30 mins. Hard boil eggs by putting in pot with cold water and 1 Tbsp baking soda; bring water to boil and let eggs boil for 10 mins, then let eggs sit for 10 mins in hot water. Drain and rinse with cold water - they should be easy peasy to peel! Boil shell noodles according to directions on box, about 10 minutes.
Once noodles are done, drain and place back into pot cooked in, and put a little of the Italian dressing in pot, this will keep noodles from sticking to each other. Dice up cucumber and cheese and cut grape tomatoes and pepperoni in half. Put in pot with noodles along with sliced black olives.
Put remaining Italian dressing, salt, and ground black pepper in pot and stir until mix well. Put in container, cover, and put in fridge until ready to eat.
By this time the potatoes should be done cooking. Drain and rinse with cold water. Let them cool down until they are cool enough to handle and not burn your fingers. Now is a good time to go smell the chicken smoking, lol.
Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, dice up and place in pot cooked in. Peel cooled hard boiled eggs, dice up, and place in pot with potatoes. Finely dice pickles and place on top of eggs and potatoes. Put the mayo, - get the real thing! - mustard, salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder in pot and stir until all mixed. Place in container, cover, and put in fridge until ready to eat.
Once chicken is done smoking, or baking, remove and get ready to finish on the grill.
The grill should be medium heat and grill chicken on each side, after covering with BBQ sauce, for about 5-8 minutes per side.
Once done, pull from grill and let chicken rest about 10 minutes before serving with the potato and pasta salads. Enjoy!
Oh and in case you were wondering, "did we really do all of this in the snow?", here are some pictures to prove we did!
Did you know?
On this day in 1828, Casparus van Wooden of Amsterdam, patented chocolate milk powder.
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