Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons (37 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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In a medium bowl, whisk together the oils, vinegar, green onions, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the shredded chicken and toss. Refrigerate overnight.
Add the almonds and sesame seeds to the bowl, and toss just before serving. Serve the salad on a bed of shredded lettuce with sides of sweet and sour sauce and Chinese hot mustard, and garnish heavily with won tons.
ELLEN’S CHICKEN
SANDWICH
 
There is no bigger fan of my barbecue endeavors than my lovely, sweet bride, but after years of ribs, chicken, and pulled pork, she often prefers a slightly sideways adaptation of traditional barbecue. This sandwich is a tip of the bonnet to her dear Aunt Toni’s favorite breakfast—a melty, open-faced sandwich.
 
MAKES 2 SANDWICHES
 
½ smoked chicken, shredded
4 slices multigrain bread
4 slices Swiss cheese
Strawberry jelly
 
Layer the bread with slices of cheese. Broil or bake in a 350°F oven until the cheese is bubbling and the bread is toasty, 5 to 10 minutes. Slather toasted bread with jelly and top each slice with a heap of smoked chicken. Serve warm, open-faced.
CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
 
Enchilada
means “in chile,” a reference to the piquant tomatillo sauce used to smother the tortilla-wrapped shredded chicken. Enchiladas suizas refers to enchiladas garnished with sour cream or cheese.
Enchiladas montadas
, topped with a fried egg, make an excellent brunch dish. Substitute pulled pork for the chicken if you so desire.
 
MAKES 16 ENCHILADAS
 
Vegetable oil for brushing
16 stale corn tortillas
2 cups shredded smoked chicken
2 tablespoons water
⅓ cup Mexican
crema
or sour cream
1½ tablespoons minced onion
2 cups Tomatillo Sauce (recipe follows)
Rings of onion and sliced radish, for garnish
½ cup crumbled
queso añejo
or shredded
Monterey Jack cheese, for garnish
 
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Brush the griddle with a light coat of vegetable oil. Place the tortillas on the griddle and heat until softened, about 1 minute per side.
Warm the shredded smoked chicken with 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the crema and onion. Remove the chicken filling from the heat and cover.
Spread 1 cup tomatillo sauce in a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Dredge both sides of a tortilla in the sauce. Spoon 2 tablespoons of chicken filling into the tortilla and roll it into a tight tube. Set the enchilada in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Bake, covered tightly with foil, for 15 minutes.
Garnish the enchiladas with onion, radish, and crumbled cheese, and serve.
TIP:
Stale tortillas do a better job of absorbing the tomatillo sauce. Leave the bag of tortillas open, on the counter, over-night to dry out.
 
INGREDIENT FINDER: QUESO AÑEJO
 
This crumbly Mexican cheese has a sharp, salty flavor and a subtle smokiness that comes from rolling the finished cheese in paprika before aging. It can be found in any Mexican grocery and in some specialty stores.
 
TOMATILLO SAUCE
 
MAKES 2 CUPS
 
1 pound (about 8) tomatillos, husked and rinsed well
1 jalapeño, stemmed, halved, and seeded
¼ cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 small white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
 
Cook the tomatillos in salted boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the tomatillos and pour them into a blender or food processor. Add the jalapeño, cilantro, onion, garlic, and salt and purée.
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Pour in the tomatillo mixture. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce darkens slightly. Add the stock and bring the sauce to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, until thickened.
KIT ANDERSON’S CHICKEN DIP
 
Describing Kit Anderson as multifaceted barely scratches the surface. An accomplished musician, he and his wife, Janel, opened for mega acts back in the day. He’s now a dentist with an altruistic bent and a thriving practice. Kit is also known in serious barbecue circles as the go-to man for food science–related matters, and he is one of the resources I tap for matters of test tubes and lab coats.
 
MAKES 4 CUPS
 
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups diced smoked chicken
1 cup Parmesan cheese
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 canned chipotles, minced
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts,
drained and minced
 
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Stir together all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Scrape the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm with tortilla chips.
ASIAN CHICKEN WRAPS
 
You can use whatever smoked chicken you have on hand for these light and simple wraps, but if you have the choice, choose a chicken smoked with one of the excellent Asian brines or marinades (chapters 3 and 4).
 
MAKES 8 WRAPS
 
1 ounce vermicelli rice stick noodles (optional)
2 cups shredded smoked chicken
4 green onions, chopped
½ cup bean sprouts
¼ cup shredded carrot
¼ cup julienned cucumber
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted
8 round rice paper wraps (plus extras)
Dipping Sauce, for serving (recipe follows)
 
If using the rice noodles, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain off the hot water and hold the noodles in a pan of cool water. Drain and dry the noodles when ready to use.
For the filling, combine the chicken, vegetables, oils, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Toss until blended.
To assemble the wraps, lay a double thickness of paper towel on a work surface. Fill a shallow baking pan with warm water. Check the rice paper wraps for holes. Soak one wrap in warm water until pliable, 30 seconds to 1 minute, and then carefully transfer it to the paper towels.
Arrange about ¼ cup of the filling across the bottom third of the soaked rice paper. If using, lay a few strands of noodles over the filling. Fold the bottom over the filling and roll tightly. Transfer the wrap, seam-side down, to a plate, and cover with dampened paper towels. Repeat to fill remaining wraps and serve them, whole or halved diagonally, with dipping sauce.
 
 
DIPPING SAUCE
MAKES ABOUT
½
CUP
 
¼ cup hoisin sauce
1 green onion, chopped
½ tablespoon crushed peanuts
½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Sriracha
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
 
 
Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with Asian Chicken Wraps.
JERK CHICKEN
 
Do not serve this to anyone who whimpers at the sight of a pepper mill. This is serious business. For the best flavor combination, use chicken cooked in Caribbean Marinade (page 66).
 
SERVES 4 TO 6
 
4 smoked chicken halves
Jerk Gravy
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
3 green onions, chopped
2 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and chopped, or 1
habañero (a hotter, traditional jerk substitute),
stemmed, seeded, and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
 
Quarter the chicken halves and set aside.
To make jerk gravy: In a medium saucepan, simmer all of the ingredients, except the cornstarch and cold water, in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove the gravy from the heat and use a pair of tongs to fish out the bay leaves. Purée the mixture with an immersion blender or allow the mixture to cool, pour it into a blender, and purée. Return the gravy to the saucepan and warm over medium heat.
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water. Slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency. Ladle jerk gravy over each serving.
PULLED JERK CHICKEN SANDWICH
 
More proof that there is no limit—other than your imagination—to what you can do with leftover smoked chicken.
 
SERVES 6
 
½ tablespoon canola or olive oil
½ medium onion, diced
¼ cup diced green bell pepper
¼ cup diced red bell pepper
¼ cup canned, whole-kernel corn, or cut from a cob
2 cups shredded smoked chicken
1 cup Jerk Gravy (see Jerk Chicken)
6 hamburger buns
 
In a sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion in oil until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the green and red pepper and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the corn and shredded smoked chicken. Cook over medium heat until slightly warm. Add the jerk gravy and heat through. Serve on toasted hamburger buns.
SMOKED CHICKEN AND CORN CHOWDER
 
Smoky chicken is the perfect complement to the rich, elemental goodness of corn chowder. Choose corn picked at peak freshness and freeze it on the cob in preparation for chowder-friendly weather. The corncob and corn “milk”—released when the corncob is scraped with the back of a knife—are excellent natural thickeners for the soup.
 
SERVES 6 TO 8
 
2 strips bacon
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup diced sweet onion (such as Vidalia,
Maui, or Texas 1015)
½ cup peeled and diced carrot
⅓ cup diced celery
4 cups chicken stock
6 cups whole milk
2 bay leaves
2 cups fresh corn, cut from the cob, corncobs
reserved
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
⅓ cup diced red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons
reserved for garnish
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon turmeric
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups shredded smoked chicken
1 sprig fresh thyme
Render the bacon in a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium heat. Add the butter and onion; sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and celery; sauté 4 to 5 minutes. Add the stock and milk and bay leaves. Scrape the corncobs over the stockpot with the back of a knife to release the corn “milk.” Break the corncobs in half and add them to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the corncobs, bay leaves and bacon from the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add potatoes, red pepper, salt, pepper, turmeric, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken, corn, and thyme sprig. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the thyme.
Serve the soup warm, garnished with diced red bell pepper.
CHICKEN
TORTILLA SOUP
 
This soup is labor-intensive, but it’s a dish that’s highly worthy of your world-class smoked chicken. Bonus points if you can score fresh epazote [eh-pah-ZOH-teh], a fragrant herb that’s vaguely reminiscent of cilantro—but also quite distinct. Typically, you’ll find it dried (sometimes sold as “wormseed”) in Latin markets.
 
SERVES 6 TO 8
 
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into narrow strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons kosher salt
8 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 medium white onions (about 1 pound), peeled
and quartered, divided
4 garlic cloves, peeled, divided
2 tablespoons dried epazote or 2 fresh sprigs, or
5 sprigs cilantro plus 1 sprig oregano
3 medium tomatoes, cored and quartered
½ medium jalapeño, stemmed and seeded
1 chipotle chile in adobo, plus up to 1 tablespoon
adobo sauce, divided
1 smoked chicken (about 2 pounds), skinned, boned,
and shredded
Garnishes: lime wedges, cilantro leaves, minced
jalapeño, diced Hass avocado, crumbled Cotija
cheese, Mexican crema, or sour cream

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