Chef Anya Fernald is back this month . . . with another round of mouthwatering ways to entertain around your Sea Island Forge Kettle. From her California backyard, she’s grilling up a delicious dish and sharing the recipe with our readers.
Have you ever had herby buttermilk-soaked chicken and focaccia bread, made on our Grill attachment? Served with ripe summer tomatoes roasting in a dutch oven on the Side Kick, this is one meal you don’t want to miss.
Want to impress your guests even more? Learn how to Griddle bacon-wrapped hot dogs and crisp up shoestring fries over the coals in this awesome video.
HERBY BUTTERMILK-SOAKED GRILLED CHICKEN
Serves 4-6
- 4-6 chicken drumsticks
- 4-6 chicken thighs
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 heaping tablespoon dried Italian spices
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Remove the chicken from its packaging and pat dry—don’t rinse as you want to avoid extra moisture on the chicken skin.
Next, make the buttermilk marinade. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients—except the melted butter. Add the chicken pieces and mix with tongs until everything is fully coated.
Let the chicken soak for 2 – 24 hours in the refrigerator. Then, take the pieces out of the marinade and let them drip slightly to remove the excess buttermilk.
Light your charcoal bed 2 hours before you are ready to grill your chicken, using olive oil or another fat to thoroughly oil your Grill. When the Grill is at medium-high heat, place the marinated chicken on the Grill and sear both sides—about 5 minutes per side.
Lift the Grill surface higher to reduce the heat to medium and use the Heat Dome to cover the chicken while it cooks an additional 15 minutes on each side.
After the chicken has grilled for 30 minutes under the Heat Dome, brush the chicken all over with the melted butter and lower the grate to add a final crisp to the chicken skin—this should take about 3 minutes per side.
Remove chicken from heat and let it rest for 15 minutes before enjoying.
FIRE-ROASTED WHOLE TOMATOES
Fire-roasted whole tomatoes may look sumptuous, but they’re simple to make and a great way to take advantage of summertime produce.
Start by removing the stem end from the tomatoes. Place them upright in a fireproof pan and fill the cavity of each tomato with one clove of garlic and about a tablespoon of fresh herbs—rosemary, thyme, and oregano work well. Top with a large pinch of salt.
Place directly onto the coals or place on the Side Kick and cover with Heat Dome for about 30 minutes—until everything is bubbling and the tomatoes have burst slightly, releasing their liquid. (The covering doesn’t just increase the heat—it also captures the smoky flavor from the fire!)
Remove Heat Dome and cook for 30 more minutes uncovered on the coals. Top with parmesan cheese during final half hour for extra melty goodness on top!