Two Grilling Recipes (Including a Homemade Spice Rub and a Homemade Barbecue Sauce)

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Grilled Chicken Breast Rollatini

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 slices prosciutto ham

2 slices mozzarella, provolone or Swiss cheese

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup olive oil

Method:

You will need the chicken to be either butterflied open or pounded gently with a meat

mallet to provide you with a large, thin, and even piece of chicken. Lay the chicken on large cutting board and season with salt and pepper. Lay the prosciutto slices on the breast so they are half on and half off. Place the cheese on the center of the breast. Begin rolling the chicken from the end that the prosciutto is not hanging off and keep rolling so that what you end up with is a rollatini with prosciutto both inside and outside the chicken and with all of the cheese inside. You can secure these packages with toothpicks or skewers. Brush with olive oil and cook on a medium hot grill with the lid closed, checking frequently to prevent scorching. Serve.

Simple Barbecued Chicken

Ingredients:

1 chicken cut into quarters bone in

For dry rub mix:

4 tbsp. brown sugar

3 tbsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. dry thyme

1 tsp. dry rosemary

Other ingredients:

¼ cup cooking oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red pepper, diced

2/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Mix the dry spices and herbs together thoroughly. Rub the chicken pieces all over with the mixture; let rest for at least 15 minutes (or as long as overnight). The flavors will permeate deeper the longer the chicken marinates. Preheat your grill on high heat, making sure that

the grates are clean. Add the chicken pieces and lower the heat to medium. (The thicker the chicken pieces, the longer the cooking time, thus cook for longer at a lower

heat to prevent burning). Cook the chicken with the lid closed and check it often to make

sure it does not burn. You can adjust the heat accordingly allowing common sense to dictate whether or not the bird is cooking too quickly or too slowly.

Meanwhile, or up to a week ahead of time, make the simple barbecue sauce. In a saucepan, add the oil, garlic, onion and peppers. Let the mixture cook slowly until the vegetables are soft. Add the brown sugar and let it melt. Add the vinegar, bring to a boil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. This sauce may be pureed if desired. When the chicken is less than two minutes away from being cooked to your desired doneness, baste it with your sauce. Turn once and baste the other side. Serve.

Pointers:

1) A dry rub is preferred for longer cooking times because it will not burn quickly. The

sugar in the mix will actually caramelize onto the meat.

2) There are no exact cooking times because the size of chickens varies, as does the heat

of each grill. This is the part where people need to spend less time reading the recipe and more time watching and learning about the idiocinquerecies of their grill.

3) The spice rub recipe is very basic and can be adapted to your taste by using your favorite spices and dried herbs. Feel free to make it spicier, sweeter, saltier, etc. The rub

can also be used on beef, pork, veal, seafood, corn, potatoes, antelope, yak and just about anything else that can be cooked on a grill.

4) Remember that your grill also acts like an oven when the lid is closed and your chicken will cook more thoroughly that way. Things like steaks cook better on high heat with an open lid, which ensures the desirable charring outside and a more rare center (which is why thick steaks are better).