Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons (8 page)

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Authors: Colleen Rush,Gary Wiviott

BOOK: Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons
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SOUND:
The crackling sound of lump charcoal burning is normal. It usually happens when smaller pieces and the dust from the bottom of the bag ignite in the chimney starter. You’ll also hear the occasional pop in the cooker. What don’t you want to hear? The hissing sound of water hitting hot charcoal. It could be an accidental sloshing of the water pan, or it might mean water is bubbling out—a sign that the fire is too hot, the water level is too high, or the water has seeped under the foil (if you foiled the WSM water pan).
 
SMELL:
You know when it smells good. That’s easy enough. So pay attention when it smells bad, like right after you light a chimney starter or pour charcoal in the firebox or on the grate. That smell shouldn’t last long. When the cooker is closed, waft your hand up from the top vent and take a sniff. Does it smell warm, lightly smoky, and meaty? Or is there a sooty, dark quality to the aroma? If you smell something off mid-cook, there’s a problem with the fire.
 
TOUCH:
Your hand is a good tool for gauging how high the cooker is running. Please do not put your hand directly on a hot cooker or grate. When you open the lid to check the water pan or restock the charcoal, hold your hand about five inches above the cooking grate. If you can only hold your hand over the grate for two to four seconds, the fire is in the 450°F to 550°F range and far too hot. If you can hold it there for five to seven seconds, it’s about 350°F to 450°F. The ideal range is 250°F to 300°F, and you should be able to hold your hand near the grate for eight to ten seconds at that temperature.
3.
 
LESSON N°1 CHICKEN MOJO CRIOLLO
 
DEAR STUDENT,
 
NATURALLY, YOU WANT TO MAKE RIBS, NOT CHICKEN. POULTRY ISN’T WHAT MOST of us are hungry for when we fire up the smoker, but this first cook isn’t about the meat. It’s about learning how to operate your equipment as a low and slow cooker and, more importantly, starting to trust what these cookers can do when you leave them alone. Besides, do you know how many chickens a chucklehead like me had to cook to begin to know what I’m teaching you? Hundreds of chickens have been sacrificed so you can do it perfectly the first time. You shouldn’t be able to screw up this lesson no matter how hard you try, but just in case, that’s why you’re cooking eight dollars worth of chicken instead of fifty dollars worth of ribs.
You’ll notice this program is not structured like most cookbooks. Following the list of ingredients for each dinner, the instructions are laid out in a timeline based on when you want to eat. For example, if dinner is at 6:00 p.m., the instructions are to prep the chicken and marinate it about eight to ten hours before dinnertime, or around 8:00 a.m. This allows for four to six hours of marinating time and two hours of cooking time. If there’s one idea I want to get across with this format, it’s that you can’t rely on exact times for low and slow. Times will vary. Be flexible. You’ll also find that this format helps you stay organized and serve on time when you’re feeding a crowd. But before you even think of risking embarrassment and inviting all of your friends over to celebrate your mastery of low and slow, you need to do each lesson at least two or three times to get the hang of it.
Sincerely,
Gary Wiviott
CHICKEN MOJO CRIOLLO
 
 
 
Mojo criollo [MOH-hoh kree-OH-yoh] is a simple Cuban marinade made with garlic, onion, and citrus. As simple as it is to make, you’re buying a bottle of it from the store for the first cook. Purists might balk at using a commercial marinade, but I’m telling you to use it for the same reason we’re using chicken for your first lesson. It’s cheap, predictable, and readily available. (You’ll find mojo criollo in the ethnic foods section of most supermarkets and in grocery stores catering to a Latino population.) After your first cook, feel free to use any of the other marinades (including my recipe for homemade mojo criollo) included at the end of the chapter.
WSM AND OFFSET
 
SERVES 4 TO 6
 
 
2 whole fryers (3- to 4-pound chickens), split in half, legs disjointed (page 50)
1 (32-ounce) bottle
mojo criollo
, Goya or other brand
½ cup olive oil
1 lemon, cut in half
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
KETTLE
 
SERVES 2 TO 4
 
 
1 whole fryer (3- to 4-pound chicken), split in half, legs disjointed (page 50)
2 cups mojo criollo, Goya or other brand
¼ cup olive oil
½ lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 TO 8 HOURS BEFORE DINNER
Divide the chicken halves between two one-gallon zip-top bags so that there are two chicken halves per bag (Use one zip-top bag if using the kettle cooker.) Vigorously shake the bottle of mojo criollo, and pour two cups of the marinade into each bag. Pour ¼ cup of the olive oil into each bag and squeeze half a lemon into each bag. Place the bags in a large bowl or on a rimmed baking sheet to catch drips. Put the bags in the refrigerator and allow the chicken to marinate for 4 to 6 hours, turning the bags once or twice to redistribute the marinade.
 
2 HOURS BEFORE DINNER
Start a KISS method fire according to the instructions for your WSM (page 32), offset (page34), or kettle (page 36). While you’re waiting for the charcoal in the chimney to engage, remove the chicken halves from the bags and pat them dry with paper towels. Brush the chicken with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. When the lit charcoal and wood are ready for cooking, arrange the chicken on the grate.
HOW
TO
SPLIT
A
CHICKEN
 
Ask the butcher in your grocery store to remove the backbone and split a whole chicken in half, or do it yourself. Here’s how.
 
 
1. Lay the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board. Using heavy-duty kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut down both sides of the backbone. You’re cutting through skin, flesh, and small bones, so it’ll take some effort.
2. Flip the chicken over. With the palm of your hands, push against the breast to crack open the chicken. Using kitchen shears or a knife, cut through the middle of the breasts to split the chicken completely in half.
3. Grip the thigh firmly, then bend or twist the legs on both halves to bust the joint between the thigh and leg. (For atmosphere, I recommend shouting “You’re two weeks behind on the vig!” while snapping the leg joints.)
WSM
 
PLACE THE CHICKEN HALVES IN A circle, breast-side in, on the top grate, as close to the middle as possible without crowding. Use your tongs to nudge the thigh/leg portion higher onto the breast. (If you must know why, see sidebar on page 54.) Place the lid on the cooker, with the top vent positioned on the side of the cooker opposite the side door.
 
 
TOP/BOTTOM VENTS:
Open. Don’t touch the lid for 1½ hours. Seriously No peeking.
1½ HOURS INTO THE COOK
Open the lid of the cooker and puncture the thickest part of the breast with a fork. If the juice running out of the chicken is clear, it’s done. Most food types tell you to stick an instant-read thermometer into the chicken at this point. I don’t recommend using a meat or oven thermometer the first few cooks because you learn to rely on numbers instead of trusting your instincts. However, if you must, the meat is done when the breast reads 155°F and the thigh reads 165°F.
If the juice is still pinkish, or the meat isn’t registering the correct doneness, leave the chicken on the cooker. To improve the likelihood of crisping the skin, squirt the chicken skin with cooking spray or olive oil and flip the chicken over, skin-side down.
Check the water level in the water pan. Refill it if it’s low.
Replace the lid and fork-test the chicken every 10 to 15 minutes until the juices run clear.

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