Monument Grills Makes Accommodating Food-Sensitive Foodies Easy

By John White

When it comes to a daily household menu, most families have a diversity of needs, wants and plain-old “I don’t like that” sensitivities. For example, I don’t like baked potatoes, but I’ll go out of my way for French fries.

Sometimes, personal likes and dislikes don’t factor into the equation, but actual sensitivities do. In my family’s case, it’s gluten, as my wife and daughter can’t tolerate it. But that doesn’t mean we don’t eat well (we do!), nor does it mean we can’t celebrate National Quesadilla Day, even though flour tortillas would be considered a necessary ingredient.

Delicious Food-Sensitive Quesadillas Without Sacrificing Flavor

Once again, my graciously provided Monument Mesa II propane-fired grill made preparing this multi-step, Mexican-inspired treat easy, using the grill, a griddle and side-mounted burner for an accompaniment of refried beans.

And…what would a Mexican feast be without salsa (in this case, Pico de Gallo), Guacamole and Margaritas!

The Menu

Gluten and gluten-free chipotle chile-marinated quesadillas with refried beans, guacamole, pico de gallo and margaritas, traditional or made with non-alcoholic spirits.

The Recipes

Finally, what would a delicious quesadilla be without a tasty Margarita?

Remember…

It doesn’t have to be a holiday to enjoy quesadillas. Cook a few extra, let them cool, seal in sandwich bags and reheat for a treat anytime. Happy National Quesadilla Day from the entire team at BarbecueBible!

The post Now Everyone Can Celebrate <br />National Quesadilla Day! appeared first on Barbecuebible.com.

Steak may be the choice of champions, and no cookout would be complete without ribs. But when it comes to comfort food, nothing beats a roast chicken.

You know the bird I’m talking about. Skin bronzed and crisp, the meat tender and juicy, the aromas intense and mouthwatering. A properly roasted chicken is the very embodiment of lusciousness and well-being. Brisket may be a once-a-month luxury. A roast chicken you feast on once a week.

And the secret to achieving that great roast chicken? Fire up your grill.

So how do you grill the perfect roast chicken? Let me count the ways.

• You indirect grill it, adding wood chunks to the coals to lay on a smoke flavor.
• You spit-roast it on the rotisserie, using the gentle rotation to baste the meat with chicken juices as it cooks.
• You prop it on a beer can (open, of course) and roast it upright to make the infamous beer can chicken.
• You smoke it low and slow (at a low heat for 3 to 4 hours) to make barbecued chicken, which you top with Alabama white sauce: 2 parts mayonnaise, 1 part cider vinegar, with as much black pepper as you can bear.

  

• You can even direct grill a whole chicken by cutting out the backbone and opening the bird like a book—a process known as spatchcocking. When using this method, start the chicken bone side down and grill it over a moderate fire.

For indirect grilling or beer can chicken, set up the grill with the heat to the sides and a drip pan beneath the bird; medium heat, around 350°F, is a good starting point. For rotisserie roasting, position the coals or lit burners to either side of the spit and place a drip pan underneath. For low-and-slow smoking, maintain a temperature between 225° and 275°F and add wood chunks or wood chips for smoke. For spatchcocking, grill directly over a moderate fire, starting bone side down.

Six Essential Steps for an Even Better Roast Chicken

1. Leave the bird uncovered in the refrigerator. Refrigerate it uncovered for 24 to 48 hours before roasting. This dries out the skin, making it extra crisp when you roast it.
2. Remove the wishbone. Cut it out of the front cavity with a paring knife. This makes it easier to carve the breast meat.
3. Add flavor inside and out. Rub the outside of the bird with a cut lemon and a cut head of garlic. Then place these ingredients in the cavity to perfume the chicken from the inside-out.

   

4. To truss or not to truss. I always truss a chicken to give it a handsome ovoid shape—a holdover from my French cooking school days, when appearance was paramount. But if you roast the chicken untrussed, the smoke and fire flavor can penetrate the inside of the bird. Your choice.
5. Cook the thigh to 175° to 180°F. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone. Yeah, I know that’s higher than the USDA minimum of 165°F, but the dark meat will be more tender.
6. Give it a short rest. Once cooked, rest your chicken on a wire rack over a sheet pan for 2 minutes before carving. This “relaxes” the meat, making it juicier. But don’t rest it too long or the skin will get soggy and the chicken will get cold.

However you choose to cook it, the grill gives roast chicken something the oven can’t: the flavor of smoke and fire. Get the skin crisp and the dark meat tender, and you may find that once-a-week roast chicken becoming a habit.

Whole Chicken Recipes to Try

For more ways to grill a whole chicken, try these BarbecueBible.com recipes:

• Barbecued Chicken — A classic whole chicken cooked by indirect grilling.
• Rotisserie Chicken — Spit-roasted chicken with the self-basting action of the rotisserie.
• Basic Beer-Can Chicken — The infamous upright-roasted chicken.
• Spatchcock Chicken with a Curry Mustard Crust — A flattened whole chicken with a mustard-and-breadcrumb crust.

The post Back to Basics—How to Grill the Perfect Roast Chicken appeared first on Barbecuebible.com.

Chicken thighs haven’t always received the respect they deserve. For years, many of us reached for boneless, skinless breasts, treating dark meat as a second-class citizen. My, how times have changed!

Today, we Americans have caught on to what grill masters around the world have long known: chicken thighs deliver deeper flavor, stay juicy over the fire, and represent one of the few remaining bargains at the supermarket.

Talk about versatile! Chicken thighs turn up in everything from Jamaican-inspired dishes to Japanese yakitori. A boneless chicken thigh is great for stuffing with herbs, ham, cheese, sausage, and more.

Bone-in chicken thighs take longer to cook than boneless, skinless breasts. They’re also fattier, so you need to be mindful of flare-ups. Yes, you can direct-grill bone-in, skin-on thighs (work over moderate heat), but our preferred method is to indirect-grill them at a high enough temperature (that would be 400°F) to render the fat and crisp the skin.

Here’s how to grill bone-in, boneless, skin-on, and skinless chicken thighs, including the best cooking times and temperatures—and a few of our secrets for keeping the meat juicy and the skin crisp.

Choosing Your Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs are sold bone-in or boneless and with or without the skin. For classic grilled chicken thighs, we prefer skin-on—preferably bone-in. Among bone-in chicken pieces, thighs give you a generous portion of meat for the money, while the skin turns crisp and flavorful when grilled properly.

Boneless, skinless thighs cook more quickly and are a good choice for satays, yakitori, kebabs or other preparations where the chicken will be cut into smaller pieces.

The important thing is to match the grilling method to the type of thigh. Cook bone-in, skin-on thighs with indirect heat. Smaller pieces of boneless, skinless thigh should be direct-grilled over a hot fire.

Preparing the Thighs and the Grill

Brining the chicken before grilling will make the thighs even more succulent. For a wet brine, combine 2 tablespoons of coarse salt with 1 cup of warm water, then add a tray of ice cubes. Once the brine is cold, submerge the thighs and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For skin-on thighs, we prefer a dry brine. Sprinkle the thighs on both sides with about 1 teaspoon of coarse salt per pound of chicken, then refrigerate them uncovered for at least 4 hours. This seasons the meat while helping the skin dry out for a crisper finish.

Before grilling, trim off any large pieces of loose skin or excess fat, but leave enough skin to cover and protect the meat. Pat the thighs thoroughly dry. If you haven’t brined the thighs, now’s the time to apply your favorite barbecue rub or seasonings. Of course, we’re partial to one of Steven Raichlen’s barbecue rubs or seasoning blends.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat it to 375^° to 400^°F. On a charcoal grill, arrange the coals on opposite sides of the firebox and leave the center free of direct heat. On a gas grill, light the outside burners and set them to medium, leaving the center burner off. Close the lid and adjust the burners as needed to maintain a temperature of 375^° to 400^°F. Clean and oil the grill grate before adding the chicken.

How to Grill Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs

Arrange the thighs skin side up in the center of the grill grate, away from the heat. Replace the lid and grill for about 45 minutes. There is no need to turn the thighs while they cook.

Begin checking for doneness after 35 minutes. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone. Chicken is safe to eat at 165^°F, but we prefer to cook thighs to 175^° to 185^°F. At this higher temperature, the connective tissue breaks down, and the dark meat becomes especially tender.

If the chicken is done but the skin needs additional crisping, move the thighs briefly over direct heat, skin side down. Watch them closely and return them to the indirect zone at the first sign of flare-ups.

Transfer the thighs to a platter and let them rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

How to Grill Boneless Chicken Thighs

Boneless, skinless thighs cook much faster than bone-in thighs. Open them flat and grill over medium-high direct heat for 5 to 7 minutes per side, until nicely browned and the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F. Because their thickness can vary, check each thigh individually with an instant-read thermometer.

Smaller pieces cook even faster. Steven’s Moroccan Chicken Kebabs, for example, use 1/2-inch cubes of boneless thigh grilled over high heat for about 3 minutes per side.

Stuffed or rolled boneless thighs are the exception. Their greater thickness makes them better suited to indirect grilling with the lid closed.

Saucing Chicken Thighs and Avoiding Common Mistakes

If you’re using a barbecue sauce—especially one containing sugar—brush it on during the final few minutes of grilling. Applying it too early can cause the sauce to burn before the chicken is cooked through. Brush the thighs lightly, give the sauce a minute or two to set, and serve additional sauce on the side.

A few other mistakes can stand between you and great grilled chicken thighs:

Starting with wet skin: Pat the thighs dry so the skin can brown and crisp.

Cooking skin-on thighs entirely over direct heat: Dripping fat can cause flare-ups and scorch the chicken before the inside is done.

Walking away during the final crisping: If you move the thighs over direct heat, stay close. The skin can go from crisp to burned quickly.

Relying on time or color alone: Grills and chicken thighs vary. Use an instant-read thermometer to determine when they’re done rather than cutting into the meat.

Chicken Thigh Recipes to Try

More Chicken Grilling Guides

• How to Grill Perfect Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts
• Your Guide to Grilling Crispy Chicken Wings
• Smoke-Roasted Chicken Drumsticks: Tips and Recipe

The post Crispy, Juicy, and Flame-Kissed: The Secrets to Grilled Chicken Thighs appeared first on Barbecuebible.com.

By Daniel Hale

I first came across this Tuscan-style chicken under a brick recipe in Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue. It is one of those old-school grilling techniques that looks unusual at first, but makes perfect sense once you try it. In Tuscany, pollo al mattone is traditionally cooked under the weight of a brick over wood embers or charcoal.

For this version, I adapted Steven’s recipe for the Wildfire Ranch Pro 30″ Griddle. The idea is simple: flatten the chicken, season it well, press it under a brick, and let the heat and pressure create crisp skin and juicy meat.

Why I Used a Griddle

I chose the Wildfire 30” Ranch Pro griddle for this cook because chicken under a brick is all about contact. The weight of a brick presses the chicken down, and I liked the idea of putting that pressure against a flat, hot cooking surface instead of grill grates.

That direct contact helps the skin brown and crisp while the chicken cooks. The griddle also gave me enough room to work around the bird and manage the heat.

Prepping and Cooking

For pollo al mattone, the first step is spatchcocking the bird. This simply means removing the backbone so the chicken can be opened and pressed flat. You can do this with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Once the backbone is removed, turn the chicken over and press firmly on the breastbone to flatten it.

Flattening the chicken is what makes this technique work. The bird cooks more evenly, and the skin has better contact with the hot griddle once the brick goes on top. Since I was using one whole chicken, I wanted it as flat as possible so the brick could press it evenly against the griddle surface.

The seasoning was simple: garlic, rosemary, sage, black pepper, and coarse salt. I seasoned the chicken on both sides with the Tuscan-style herbed salt, making sure to get some into the crevices.

Once the griddle was hot, I lightly oiled the surface and placed the chicken skin-side down. Then I set a foil-wrapped brick on top to press the bird against the griddle. Almost right away, you could hear the skin start to sizzle as it made contact with the hot surface. You could also use any type of grill press, but where is the fun in that?

While cooking, I kept an eye on the color, adjusted as needed, and flipped the chicken once the skin had browned. From there, I continued until the chicken reached the proper internal temperature.

Use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness, especially with a whole chicken. The breast should reach 165^°F, and the thighs can go a little higher and still stay juicy.

The Results

The chicken came off the griddle with crisp, browned skin and a lot of flavor from the garlic, rosemary, sage, and salt. The brick did exactly what it was supposed to do. It kept the chicken pressed against the hot surface, which helped build that color and texture while the meat stayed juicy.

I finished the chicken with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. That little bit of lemon really helped cut through the richness of the skin and brightened up the herbs.

This was a fun way to take a great recipe from Planet Barbecue and adapt it for the griddle.

What I liked most was how well the griddle handled the technique. Chicken under a brick can feel like an old-school charcoal recipe, but the griddle made it easy to manage the heat and get steady contact with the cooking surface.

A big thank you to Wildfire Outdoor Living for sponsoring this cook.

Wildfire Outdoor Living is an Arizona-based company specializing in high-performance gas grills and premium outdoor kitchen solutions. Wildfire brings a commitment to cutting-edge technology and industry-leading innovation. Their 304 stainless steel design and illuminated LED knobs, cast stainless steel burners, and laser-cut stainless steel cooking grates create products that will provide peak performance. They also allow you to customize your outdoor kitchen with designer finish knobs and handles to meet the growing demand for designer outdoor kitchens.

Frequently Asked Questions

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By Daniel Hale

International Chicken Wing Day is tomorrow. (Yes, that’s a thing.) And honestly, I don’t need much of an excuse to fire up the grill for chicken wings. This time, I went with Steven Raichlen’s Honey-Glazed Hong Kong Wings from The Barbecue Bible. Not even an out-of-nowhere rainstorm was going to stop me.

Why These Wings Work

I like these wings because they are simple. You get a lot of flavor from just garlic, salt, pepper, and honey—ingredients you probably already have on hand.

The prep is simple, too. You cut a few slashes into the meaty part of each wing so the seasoning can get in deeper, then season the wings and let them chill for a couple of hours. After some time in the fridge, I threaded them onto metal skewers, which made them much easier to flip and move around on the grill.

Setting Up the Grill

For this cook, I set up the Monument Eminence 605 for direct grilling over medium-high heat. Since the wings were skewered whole, they took up more room than separated flats and drumettes, so the wide cooking surface was a big help.

I also liked having plenty of heat control. With honey-glazed wings, you want enough heat to crisp the skin, but not so much that the honey burns the second it hits the grill. The Eminence 605 gave me the room and control I needed to keep the wings moving and finish them with that sweet glaze at the end.

Cooking the Wings

Once the grill was hot, I arranged the skewered wings on the grill grates over direct heat. The skewers helped hold the wings in the extended position and made them easier to flip, which came in handy.

Of course, right when I started flipping the wings, an out-of-nowhere rainstorm rolled in. Perfect timing, right? But the Eminence held up well, and I was able to keep turning the wings and managing the heat without too many issues.

The wings cooked for about 12 to 16 minutes total. I kept an eye on the thicker sections (165^°F internal temperature) and moved the wings as needed so the skin could crisp without burning.

Glazing the Wings

Fortunately, the rain died down during the last few minutes of grilling. I then started brushing the wings with warm honey. This is where you need to pay attention. Honey can burn quickly over direct heat, so I waited until the wings were almost done before adding the glaze.

I kept turning the wings and brushing lightly until they had a nice color without letting the glaze get too dark.

The Results

These wings came off the grill with exactly what I was hoping for: crisp skin, a sweet honey glaze, and plenty of garlic and black pepper underneath. They are not heavy or saucy; they are simple grilled wings with a lot of flavor.

A big thank-you to Monument Grills for sponsoring this cook. The Eminence 605 gave me the space and control I needed for skewered wings over direct heat—and it held up well when that surprise rainstorm rolled in.

Frequently Asked Questions

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