Grilled Chicken Refined

A number of years ago, I saw an article on grilling chicken over coals by cutting it in half and putting a brick on top of each half. The idea was to reduce the cooking time so you didn't have a charred outside and uncooked inside. I tried it and was relatively happy. But it often was overcooked, dry. I had issues with the outside getting too charred. And I wasn't happy with my flavoring marinade that didn't seem to add a whole lot of flavor. 

This last weekend I made a number of modifications to my recipe that resulted in a very most and flavorful bird. 

Marinade

I wanted to be sure I was packing flavor that would be tasted. I started by pounding black and white peppercorns in salt in my heavy duty Thai mortar and pestle. I added garlic, pounded more. Then HUGE handfuls of fresh rosemary and thyme from my garden and pounded a lot more. Finally, I added olive oil and white wine and pounded still more. 

I took this mixture and rubbed it into my split chicken (which I had made slits in the breast, thighs, and legs to aid in the flavor absorption and cooking time). I marinaded the chicken for almost 24 hours, occasionally taking it out to rub the marinade into the chicken.

Fire Set-Up and Cooking

My two main concerns were not having the chicken stick to the grate and avoiding the chicken drying our. What I did was not pre-heat the grates. I put them on over the coals just as I was ready to start. Then I put down a sheet of greased heavy duty aluminum foil. I put the chicken halves on, inner cavity side down first. I put bricks on top of each half. 

The use of the aluminum foil between the chicken and the fire was inspired (he says with extreme modesty). It kept the chicken from getting burnt on the outside. Juice from the chicken pooled on the foil, moistening the cooking chicken. Sticking was minimal.

Results

I cooked it on the inner side for 10 minutes and the skin side for 8 minutes. The chicken came out very moist and a good outside. I think it could have used 2 more minutes on the skin side. 

I am thinking I want to use this same technique on a piece of boneless leg of lamb.

Monsoon Reflections

I sit on the outdoor deck just outside the Man Tower. I am watching the sunset play its reds, oranges, and purples on the remnants of the thunderstorm we had a few hours ago. As is often the case during this season, there is a significant wind and I'm watching the trees sway in rhythmic harmony with the music I'm listening to through my headphones. 

I've working on my story as I do almost every night now. I keep looking up to see the next permutation of the colored light tableau in the sky, feeling the near perfect low 70's degree temperature, sipping my after dinner drink.

The Monsoon, the time when the summer heat causes the air over the mountains to rise, pulling moisture from the far away Pacific and Gulf of Mexico into our area. This then rises, cools and causes thunderstorms. It gives us humidity that is in the 35% range, three to four times the norm here in the desert. 

The days have a rhythm. There might be lingering moisture and clouds in the early morning. But it is usually clear and dry during the late morning and early afternoon. But you see the clouds building over the mountains. And by late afternoon, the storms come. Some times it is just a dribble. Sometimes it is serious rain. Then by mid evening it is all blowing off and the cycle will start again. 

This year we had a very dry winter, followed by a cooler and wetter spring. We only had a few weeks of the exceedingly hot and dry weather that usually marks May, June, and early July. Instead we got a much earlier Monsoon than usual. This has been a blessing for our garden, in particular, my tomatoes, cucumbers, chiles, and cooler loving herbs like parsley. I already have harvested some from all the above which is unheard of so early in the season.

The Monsoon. So lovely. So appreciated.

THE EPIC, COSMIC, SPECTACULAR REMODEL BEFORE AND AFTER POST!

I Was Wrong! 

I had a whole bunch of 'before' pictures. I just hadn't posted them when we started the project. 

When we started the project, I remember the two contractors saying confidently that this was a straightforward job and they should be able to knock it out in about a month. Well we are here at 4 and a quarter months and we're still not all the way finished. BUT, we are still going to do our before and after post because most of what's left is pretty small stuff. 

Living Room - Before

Living Room - After

Lounge and Library - Before

 Lounge and Library - After

 

 Front Bedroom - Before

 Front Bedroom - After

 (Sorry - Either a very bad picture because of bright back lighting or an astral plane image)

Oops - Somehow forgot to take 'Before' pictures of the Master Bedroom so only 'After' ones

Master Bath - Before

Master Bath - After

Small Bathroom - Before

Small Bathroom - After (including disco mirror and cosmic Japanese style toilet)

Small Upstairs Office - Before

Small Upstairs Office - After Man Tower Transformation

Large Upstairs Office - Before

 Large Upstairs Office - After (aka Eldership Bridge)

 Upstairs Exercise Room - Before

 Former Upstairs Exercise Room - After (use still to be determined)

 Other parts of house that were transformed but for which there are no 'Before' pictures

Three Cheers for the Impresario of our Remodel

WIFE!

Do You Remember The Remodel?

Do you remember that project that totally dominated the postings on this blog from February through early May? Wondering what happened? Assuming it was all an illusion and magically disappeared? 

Somehow in the Brouhaha of violent attacks on Wife's foot and trying to get back to normal on our return from Sweden, we kind of have just settled in without actually having an 'official end' to the project. One of the problems is there are still a number of small things that have not been completed. So if the job is 93% done, and it has been very frustrating getting those responsible to finish these last pieces. So, in fact, it isn't done. Another issue is Wife has declared that until we do all the final decoration (throw rugs, additional paintings, getting existing paintings up, etc.) completed the job is not 'DONE'.  

Now the problem with this is 'scope creep'. This is the fact that Wife Always has another idea of how to improve the beauty of the Towers. In this scenario the Remodel is actually never done! It's just a steady state of existence. 

Despite this at least three times I've started to take pictures to show the 'almost' finished product for a 'before' and 'after' post. Then I've been confronted with having done a piss poor job of taking 'before' pictures. I took a couple sad pictures of the bathrooms and COMPLETELY forgot about the flooring and painting which were major components of the job. 

SO. I've reconciled myself that I will only be able to show 'after' photos and have committed myself to doing so this weekend.

A #2 Family Fourth

Beloved #2 (aka Dowger Empress Poo Lee Shah) and the remains of her clan are scheduled to go off to their next work post, Medan, Indonesia, on July 27. It will be a much reduced clan. 2.2 is continuing her studies in Spain. 2.3 will be starting his university studies at Xavier in Cincinnati in August. So it will only be 2B and 2.4 who will be going off this trip. We very much wanted to see them before they leave. However, with Wife still in her boot and with limited mobility due to her broken foot. It was just not practical for us to fly and see them. Despite all the stuff they have to do to get ready to depart, they made the decision to come visit us for the 4th of July weekend.

We were very glad they did and we had a really good time. 

Put 2B and I in any given physical space and one can be sure there will be massive amounts of gastronomic activity. #2 wanted to be sure to get her NM Chile fix and bring certain things with her to Asia she can't get there. 2B also was on a NM food reminder kick. He also brought 4 bottles of wine with him for us to do a wine tasting. 

I planned a major 4th of July feast with smoked ribs, three kinds of kebabs (lamb, pork, chicken) and four kinds of vegetable kebabs (yellow squash, eggplant, mushrooms, onions) with Syracuse salt potatoes, and a strawberry pie (made by #2) for dessert. That was followed by our watching the entire city of Albuquerque a glow with home delivered fireworks from the upper deck of the Man Tower. 

A particular highlight of this trip for me was the time I spent with 2.4. As is the case with all of our grandchildren who have had their growing up years far away from us, it can be very difficult to develop a relationship. 2.4 is 11 and he has developed a real interest in cooking. This turned out to be a major opportunity for he and I to bond.

We started on Thursday. 2B & #2 really wanted to go out for NM food for lunch, there first real meal here. I suggested to 2.4 that he and I could go get a burger at local chain, Lottaburger, and then he could help me start prepping all the meat for the 4th. He jumped at the opportunity. 

 Me showing my pathetic selfie skills showing us at Lottaburger

 This young man has seriously good knife skills for his age. He wanted to and I let him cube all the meats for kebabs. This was some 4+ pounds of meat. Then we got to work on the flavorings. I seasoned the lamb with classic French garlic, thyme, rosemary & red wine, the pork with a Georgian combination of grated onion, oregano, & pomegranate molasses, and the chicken with an Indonesian inspired Salt Soy Sauce, Sweet Soy Sauce, & Five Spice Powder. 

2.4 showing some serious mortar and pestle skills pounding herbs taken with his own selfie video

Here are our meats ready to marinate overnight

 While we were doing our Georgian Pork marinade, 2.4 said he had seen a way to avoid the onion eye burning by doing the grating under the stove exhaust hood. I decided to give it a try.

You can see what happened

The next morning on the 4th, he and I went out again to Lottaburger for their great breakfast burritos.

Slightly better selfie of us taken by me with local mountains and blue sky in the background.

That afternoon he cut up all the veggies for the kebab (there were a lot). Today, on Sunday, he helped with making brunch. I had a grilled veg frittata. He cracked and mixed all the eggs. I fried up potatoes. He cut all the potatoes. 

Seriously, this young man was a GREAT help and saved me a lot of time...not to mention us having real quality time together.