There's no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard...

Off the chain, sweet, over the top, bad ass, the bomb these are sayings that come to mind today. I rarely declare a food element is the "best I have ever had", but I suppose there is always room for exceptions. I barbecued a whole chicken, and I can positively say it was the best barbecued chicken I have ever eaten. To create this flavor explosion I initially dry rubbed the bird, and allocated many hours for it to rest in the fridge. I then made a barbecue sauce. Once the chicken had ample time to marinate, I commenced the cooking process in the oven, and allowed it to cook three quarters of the way through. I then withdrew it from the oven, slathered it with barbecue sauce and transferred it to the grill to conclude the cooking process which presented me with a charred essence. To take it a step further, with the chicken I prepared possibly one of the best salads ever. I grilled half a romaine heart, drizzled it with homemade ranch dressing, crumbled a crispy strip of bacon and Gorgonzola cheese on top. Then I placed strips of the barbecued chicken on top alongside a quartered tomato. As I consumed this salad on the porch I was in total peace.

AWESOME BBQ Chicken

Dry Rub:

1 T cumin

1/4 C brown sugar

1 T hot paprika

2 T chili powder

1 T cayenne pepper

2 T season salt

1 T fresh black pepper

BBQ Sauce:

1 1/2 C ketchup

1 C cider vinegar

1/4 C Worcestershire sauce

1/4 C soy sauce

1 C brown sugar

2 T dry mustard

3 T chili powder

1 T cayenne pepper

1 T hot paprika

1 T grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic minced

2 T vegetable oil

half a lemon sliced

Split bird down the back, and butterfly.

Combine all rub ingredients, rub on chicken and place under skin. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

In the meantime prepare the BBQ sauce. Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Allow to cook for 30-45 min. Reserve for later.

Preheat oven to 375. Drizzle chicken with olive oil. Place rubbed bird in the oven and bake for 30-40 min, until three quarters cooked.

Remove from oven and brush chicken with a generous amount of BBQ sauce. Place on grill until thoroughly cooked, turning once and adding additional sauce if desired.

Until tomorrow...Peace.