The Southern Male Democrat

So, the trip to the Rio Churrascaria Friday night was just okay. It’s hard to make an endless parade of meat skewers bad! But I am afraid that I am turning into a meat snob because I haven’t found a churrascaria yet to measure up to Fogo de Chao. Unfortunately, there’s no Fogo near my hometown.

Fortunately for my readers, instead of blogging about the churrascaria, I am going to share a recipe that will change your life. Upon making this dish, the word of your culinary prowess will spread far and wide. Friends and family will beg you for more. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Dixie Grilled Chicken.

Here it is for all you “non-link clickers.” –

Ingredients

2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning with garlic and onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 4-pound chickens, quartered, rinsed, patted dry

1 sourdough baguette, cut on diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick slices

Preparation

Combine first 9 ingredients in small bowl; whisk spice rub to blend well. Transfer 1 tablespoon spice rub to medium bowl; add butter and mix well. (Rub and seasoned butter can be made 2 days ahead. Cover separately. Chill butter. Bring butter to room temperature before using.)

Sprinkle spice rub over both sides of chicken pieces. Arrange chicken pieces on waxed-paper-lined baking sheets. Cover chicken with more waxed paper and let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Reserve 4 tablespoons seasoned butter. Spread remaining seasoned butter on 1 side of baguette slices. Place bread slices on platter and cover. Place chicken on grill, skin side up. Grill 20 minutes. Turn chicken over. Grill until skin is deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Turn chicken again and grill, skin side up, until cooked through (no red shows when chicken is cut at thigh bone), about 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to platter. Brush chicken with reserved 4 tablespoons seasoned butter.

Grill bread until just golden, about 2 minutes per side. Arrange toasts around chicken and serve.

With all that butter, clearly the emphasis is more on the “dixie” and less on the “grilled chicken.” It ain’t health food! (Come to think of it, what is health food in my life??) But it is an amazing dish that I have impressed guests with one more than one occassion. There is one word of caution that I have learned from experience; watch the heat on your grill and keep it lower. The skin on the chicken will char much quicker than the meat actually cooks as bone-in chicken takes a little longer to cook. Health nuts take a holiday and leave the skin on - it’s not like you eat this every day. You’ll thank me for it.