Camp Fire Chicken on the Charcoal Grill

Linda and I stopped by Cracker Barrel last weekend for "lupper" (a meal between the normal time for lunch and supper). They were advertising Camp Fire Chicken on the menu insert and I decided to order it. Their version included a chicken quarter, potatoes, carrots, onions, a piece of corn on the cob, and a small amount of tomato. I enjoyed the meal and immediately decided that I would try to emulate that dish (or a close version) on the bbq grill at home.

There are many ways to prepare this dish. This is my improvised version of Camp Fire Chicken.

Step 1. Prepare the veggies



Celery, carrots, red bell pepper, squash, red onion, new potatoes

 Step 2. Prepare the chicken quarters (put some seasoning under the chicken skin too)



Chicken quarters seasoned with Lawry's poultry blend

 Step 3. Garlic powder



Garlic powder

 Step 4. Butter (or margarine)



A couple teaspoons of margarine seasoned with garlic powder

 Step 5. Pre-assemble the veggies and chicken in foil



The dish assembled in aluminum foil and ready for the grill (before)

 Step 6. Wrap tightly and place on the grill



Wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in the center of the grill with charcoal banked on the sides

 Step 7. Cook at 350 degrees for 60 - 75 minutes or until chicken reaches 175 - 180 degrees



Camp Fire Chicken fresh from the grill (after)

 Step 8. I used chicken quarters, but thighs, drumsticks or breasts would probably work well too



Camp Fire Chicken close-up

I enjoyed my version of the dish. I think this is a nice way to prepare an interesting dish on the grill for a family get together too. I could cook 8 - 10 of these easily in my Backwoods or McCullough upright bbq smokers.

Memorial Day Weekend BBQ Activities




BBQ Guy prepping brisket

For the holiday I cooked brisket, 2 pork butts and 2 whole chickens. On top of that, it was my favorite day of auto racing all year long, so I thought, "why not make it better by cooking some bbq too?!"

Pork Butt Spice Rub Recipe

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chipotle powder





BBQ Chicken Rub Recipe

2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of rosemary sprinkled in the cavity

Weber Smokey Mountain and Backwoods Party vertical water smokers



BBQ Guy seasoning whole chickens

Beer cans firmly seated in the chicken "roosts"

Three hours later, here's what beer can chicken looks like

"Resting" the chicken before pulling

Pulled bbq chicken sliders

It was a fun filled day of bbq and racing. I've never made pulled bbq chicken before, but it turned out very well.

Linda made "white bbq sauce" for the chicken too. It's popular in northern Alabama, but I've never tried it before either. It was unusual, but very tasty. Next time I think we'll use less vinegar to reduce the "bite" a little bit.



BBQ beef brisket close-up

We finished everything off by slicing a nice looking brisket. The picture above was taken after slicing, but before adding a thin brushing of bbq sauce on both sides of each slice. Ummm, good stuff!

And for desert, Linda made a nice looking rhubarb pie.

Rhubarb pie with the crust protector still in place.
The metal ring protects the outer crust from over cooking.

Chicken Drumsticks Wrapped in Bacon for Supper

We planted some cold weather vegetables in the above ground beds today, watched the NASCAR race and then grilled some drumsticks wrapped in bacon for supper.

Grilled chicken

 

And here's the recipe if you're interested.

Chicken Thighs in a Skillet with Lawry's Seasoning

Taking a certain risk that some of my readers may disagree....Sometimes you just do not have time to fire up the grill or smoker and prepare a proper bbq meal.

We were watching football recently and I had a craving for grilled chicken thighs, but I didn't want to step away from the game long enough to prepare them bbq-style. I headed to the kitchen pantry and looked for some sort of seasoning to use and found some Lawry's Perfect Blend Seasoning and Rub Chicken & Poultry staring back at me.

I seasoned six boneless and skinless chicken thighs with the Lawry's seasoning and let them marinade in the refrigerator for 3 hours. If you like your chicken thighs a little more on the salty side, you can marinade longer. If you like less salt, you might want to marinade for less time, or add less spice rub from the get go.

I added some olive oil to a large skillet and then cooked the thighs on medium-high heat for about 15 - 20 minutes turning occasionally. I covered the skillet with a lid. When I cook chicken like this, it seems to help speed up the cooking process. I cooked them to 175 degrees internal temperature.

It's not real bbq, but it's a quick alternative that doesn't taste half bad.

Chicken Drumsticks Wrapped in Bacon Recipe

Chicken Drumsticks Wrapped in Bacon

I was looking over Linda's shoulder a few days ago and she was looking at a picture of grilled chicken drumsticks wrapped in bacon on Pintrest. BBQ Geek made a post on his blog about a recipe from Adam Perry Lang's Serious Barbecue cook book.

I have seen a few recipes on the web incorporating bacon with various types and kinds of chicken.  Whether thighs, breasts, wings, or drumsticks, there is a bacon recipe for all of them. Rather than using one of those recipes I decided to create my own version from scratch. So here it is...

The BBQ Guy's Chicken Drumsticks Wrapped in Bacon

Begin by preparing the spice rub.

3 Tbsp Spanish Paprika

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp Granulated Onion

1 Tbsp Sea Salt
1/2 Tsp Black Pepper

1/2 Tsp White Pepper

1/2 Tsp Chipotle Chile Pepper

• Brush the chicken drumsticks with canola or vegetable oil.
• Apply the spice rub to the chicken drumsticks.
• Marinate the drumsticks in the refrigerator for 4 hours prior to grilling.
• Barbecue the drumsticks on a medium hot grill for 60 minutes using indirect heat (300-350 degrees).
• Brush the drumsticks with your favorite bbq sauce. I prefer Blues Hog.
• Continue grilling for an additional 10 minutes prior to serving.

Chicken drumsticks glazed with Blues Hog Barbecue Sauce

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