“Exactly as it sounds, traditional BBQ food with a Bryant & May inspired spice rub recipe.
I suggest cooking a couple of spatchcocked chickens and adding a generous amount of corn on the cob, new potatoes or sweet potato wedges to fill up your BBQ” – Chris Mackett
Preparation Time: Approximately 30 mins
Cooking Time: Approximately 1 hour
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients
Brining the Chicken:
1.8kg free range chicken spatchcocked
2.5 litres of cold water
250g table salt
Spice Mix Rub:
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp medium chilli powder
1½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp English mustard powder
½ tsp dried thyme
1 tsp cracked black pepper
Chicken Glaze:
1 bunch of rosemary, tied with a string to form an aromatic pastry brush
6 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp hot sauce
4 tbsp apple juice
2 tbsp Vinegar
11 tbsp soy sauce
4 tsp picked thyme leaves
Buttermilk Salad Cream
3 egg yolks
3 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp English mustard
2 tsp flour
50ml double cream
100ml buttermilk
Juice of half a lemon
To Garnish
1 cos lettuce, broken into leaves
2 lemons, halved and charred on the BBQ
Brine the Chicken
This is best done the day before you wish to cook and serve the dish. Brining has two purposes. Firstly, it seasons the meat perfectly, then during the cooking process it helps retain moisture which means you’ll have a tastier and juicier chicken.
1. Add the salt and the water to a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
2. Submerge the chicken into the liquid and cover with cling film. Pop the bowl into the fridge for 6 to 8 hours – ideally overnight.
Cooking the Chicken
1. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with some kitchen towel. Place the chicken onto a tray and set to one side while you make the spice mix.
2. To make the rub, add smoked paprika, chilli powder, garlic powder, English mustard powder, dried thyme and cracked black pepper and mix with a spoon.
3. Dust the spice rub mixture all over the chicken until you have an even coating on both sides of the bird. Cling film the tray and pop in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
4. For the glaze, pour the honey into a sauce pan and place onto the hob or BBQ, heating until the honey begins to caramelise. Pour in the vinegar, apple juice, hot sauce and a little splash of soy sauce to deglaze the pan, leave the pan on the heat until the liquid reduces by half, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
5. To make the buttermilk salad cream dressing, start by adding the eggs, flour and vinegar to a mixing bowl, then place the bowl onto a bain-marie on the stove (or a pan ¼ filled with water, so that it steams under the bowl). Once you have placed the bowl onto the heat, whisk continuously so that you lighten and cook out the yolks and flour, the mixture will thicken as you cook and whisk. After 3 to 4 minutes, the base should be thick and aerated, not scrambled. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
6. Once the base has cooled, stir in the buttermilk and lemon juice. Whisk together, pass the mix through a fine sieve and pour into a sterilised bottle and pop in the fridge until needed.
7. Now that all of the hard work is done, it’s time to have some fun and light your firepit or BBQ with Bryant & May Extra Long Matches.
8. This recipe is best done when the embers are glowing hot, but with the main heat pushed over to one half of the BBQ if possible, creating a dual zone.
9. Lay the chicken in the middle of the BBQ or hang over the top. Leave to cook for 40 minutes to an hour so that the heat slowly cooks the chicken through.
10. After this, move the chicken to the hotter part of the BBQ skin side down and leave for 10 minutes so that the skin becomes golden and crispy.
11. Flip the chicken over. For the next 20 minutes brush the chicken with the honey glaze, every now and then turning the chicken over to glaze all over the charred bits.
12. Ensure the chicken is cooked by pressing a digital probe into the thickest part – the core temperature should be over 72°C. Once cooked, move the chicken to the cool side of the BBQ and leave to rest for 30 minutes or until you’re ready to eat.
13. While the chicken is resting, dress the salad leaves in the buttermilk salad cream and lay onto a large serving platter, then place the chicken on top.
