Did you say "Extra Cripsy?"

Jaden's Roasted Chicken with Sweet Plum Sauce

The day after I read this recipe on Jaden's Steamy Kitchen, I went out and bought a bottle of plum sauce. Today, nearly three months later, I finally got around to trying it, only I did it a little differently, outside on my GrillDome... of course!


I also did mine upright, think beer in the butt chicken without the beer can(I have to agree with Dr. BBQ on this one, see page 140-141 of Dr. BBQ's BIG-TIME BARBECUE COOKBOOK for his theory on Beer Can Chicken).


I have a set of Spanek vertical roasters, which work very well. Instead of stuffing the cavity of the chicken, I put the lemon quarters, onions and spices in a water pan under the chicken. As you can see from the pictures, I should have heeded Jaden's warning a little more seriously about covering the bird with foil if the skin starts to get a little... extra crispy! When I Opened the Dome to check on the bird about 40 minutes into the cook it was already well caramelized on the top. I guess the top of the bird was much closer to the Dome-lid ceramics than I realized. I covered it with foil then. (Better late then never.)


Not to worry though, I brushed it with the plum sauce a few times in the last few minutes and let it rest under a tent of foil while still sitting in the pan, on the stand. All in all, no more then 90 minutes start to finish for an average size bird.


It went very well with some curried couscous and since we are not much of a "skin" eating family there was no problem with the "extra crispy" parts. I will certainly do this one again (probably tomorrow as I bought a double pack of roasters at Costco and still have the other one in the fridge!)



Thanks again Jaden!

Heat Wave, Commencement, Father's Day (did I mention it was hot?)

Congratulations Kevin!

My nephew Kevin graduated from high school today. Even though Commencement was today, the party, for logistical reasons, was yesterday.

The temperature reached a sweltering 91 degrees, but there was often a nice breeze and plenty of shade in the pavilion we used at a local State Park. Plenty of good food, lots of good company, even though there were a few missing family members we would all loved to have seen.

The little ones played in the ice water and didn't seem to mind the heat, the big ones complained about the heat but had a good time anyway (you would be surprised how much fun a pair of bear-claw pork shredders can be, right Maria?) and everyone slept well last night!

That last part was important as today is Father's Day, I got to sleep in even more than usual! (Thanks guys!).

My boys gave me a wonderfully, hilarious card featuring Cartman from South Park. (Gee, I'll bet mom picked that one out!), and my wife is working on a cover for my deck (outdoor kitchen).

Did I get my dad a card? Did I give him a phone call? Hell no, I put him to work. My GrillDome lid needed a little adjusting and that was a job right up his alley. The way I look at it, I gave him a chance to get dirty, sweaty, curse a little (or maybe a lot) and most of all to fix something! What more could a dad ask for?

Unfortunately, even though I had my camera with me yesterday and today, I never got around to taking any pictures.

So congratulations to Kevin and everyone in the class of 2008.

And Happy Father's Day to my dad and every dad!

Hot fun in the summer time...

The boys are done with school and the weather has been oppressive! Fortunately, for them, their mother, in her infinite wisdom, got them a new game for their Xbox to celebrate the successful completion of another year of school.

I, on the other hand, am not content to sit in front of the television screen all day, even if it is air conditioned inside. Besides, who wants to heat up the kitchen when the outdoors is already hot?

Nothing new or special, just the same old. A couple of pork tenderloins that had been marinating in a Teriyaki sauce for a few hours, then some Salmon for snacking.

This salmon was meant for eating cold so it was treated to a salt, sugar and pepper cure for four hours then smoked. We'll have that later on crackers or toast.

Nothing else new or exciting to report. Just gearing up for a big pork-shoulder roast this Friday night for my nephew Kevin's graduation party on Saturday. Looking forward to seeing the whole clan again.