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What's For Dinner? v19.38 -- Chicken and Beans [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-03-22

Tonight you’re getting two of my recycled recipes for the price of one! I cooked this yesterday and will be eating it again tonight.

Smoked Chicken

previously diaried July 2012

I do my smoked whole chicken on my old but sturdy gas grill

with wood chips in an iron box. The box and wood chips can be found at home improvement stores. I often use mesquite; this time I bought pecan for a less aggressive smoke flavor.

Start by brining the chicken. Brine can contain a variety of herbs and spices, but a good basic recipe is:

1 gallon water 1/2 cup salt 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup soy sauce

Combine water, sugar and salt in a 2-gallon pot. Heat, stirring, until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add soy sauce and let cool. Immerse the bird and let stand for 3 to 4 hours. Meanwhile prepare your dry rub. I measure this by eyeball, so proportions are approximate.

1 tb Old Bay seasoning (or half paprika, half celery salt) 1/2 tb ground cumin 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp ground white pepper 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Even though I’m cheating with gas and wood chips, I’m still trying for a “low and slow” cooking process, so time between lighting the grill and eating is 3 hours or a little more.

box with wood chips on the grill close to the fire

When you’re ready to start, put in the chips, light the fire, and preheat the grill on high for maybe 15 minutes. While preheating, remove your chicken from the brine, dry with paper towels, and apply the dry rub. Once the wood chips have started to smolder turn the heat way down (back burner off, front burner almost to Low) and put in the chicken. I use a roasting rack. Leave the lid open a couple minutes to allow the grill to cool down.

chicken at the back of the grill, farther from direct heat This is the only part of the process that needs watching: getting it down to a constant 200-225F. For the next 10 minutes keep an eye on the thermometer, open the lid if it's still too hot, and tweak the burner setting. Once it settles in below 225, leave it alone for a couple hours and enjoy the aroma. At my local markets chickens are 4-1/2 to 5 lbs, which for me is 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours. I've never calibrated that thermometer; YMMV. When the bird is done, take it inside to stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Cranberry Beans with Olive Oil and Garlic

previously diaried May 2022 — from mayihavethatrecipe.com — for 6

2 cups dried cranberry beans ( about 1 lb) 6 garlic cloves, whole 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ½ tsp red hot pepper flakes (or to taste) 1 tsp fresh thyme 3 cups water 3 bay leaves ½ tsp salt ( more or less to taste)

Soak beans overnight in a bowl with 3 times their volume of water, rinse and drain.

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