How to Filet a Redfish

Barbecuing Chicken Leg Quarters

I prefer barbecuing chicken leg quarters more so than the other parts of the chicken--especially the white meat (chicken breast). And, here are a couple reasons why I like barbecuing chicken leg quarters more than other parts of the yard bird:

1. The dark meat has more flavor than the white meat.
2. I am able to use my special dark meat secret marinade.

The secret that I am about to reveal to you will certainly set you apart from the rest of the humdrum (always the same old stuff) culinary crowd--and it's very simple to do. All it takes is brown sugar, salt, liquid smoke, a large nonreactive container, an indoor oven... and eventually a barbecue grill.

So, if you are ready... let's get started.

Ingredients

BBQ Chicken Quarters

• 10 lbs. chicken leg quarters (fryers)
• 4 oz. Colgin Liquid Smoke
• 1/2 lb. brown sugar (dark if you can get it)
• 1/2 cup salt

Instructions

1. remove skins from the chicken quarters (set aside)
2. clean and rinse chicken quarters under cool running water (leave wet)
3. put chicken quarters in a large non-reactive container (enamel, plastic, stainless)
4. in a small bowl add half the bottle of liquid smoke, brown sugar and salt, mix well
5. use clean hands to coat all of the chicken pieces thoroughly with the marinade
6. marinate the chicken quarters for 6 - 8 hours, re-coating the chicken every couple hours
7. when ready remove chicken quarters from the marinade
8. gently wash the marinade off the chicken using as little water as possible (don't overwash)
9. apply the remaining liquid smoke to the chicken quarters (even distribution)
10. place all the chicken quarters in a large roasting pan
11. set the oven at 275° F. and cook for 2 1/2 hours (lid on)
12. transfer the cooked chicken quarters to the barbecue grill
13. smoke the chicken quarters on low heat (away from the fire) for 30 more minutes

Note: It is important not to pressure wash the chicken quarters under the faucet after marinating because it will wash away all of the slightly sweet smokey flavor that we are trying to capture. Over washing defeats the purpose of marinating.

PS. If it's raining outside and you don't have access to a grill, just continue cooking the chicken leg quarters in the oven for about another hour. I promise it will still come out great.

PPS. What do I do with the chicken skins? Glad you asked. Follow this link: Cacklin Cracklins.

Bon appetite!
KT

White Shredded Chicken and Monterey Jack Cheese Enchiladas

This is the best White Shredded Chicken and Monterey Jack Cheese Enchiladas Recipe that I've ever run across. It is so delicious that I have to keep it a secret from my neighbors when I make a batch 'cause often times I wound up with none for myself. It's fairly easy to make and people will be begging for more... guaranteed!

Ingredients

10 soft taco shells
2   cups cooked shredded chicken
2   cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3   Tbsp. butter
3   Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2   cups chicken broth
1   cup sour cream
1   (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Instructions

1.  preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  grease a 9 x 13 inch pan or baking dish
3.  mix 1 cup of cheese and chicken
4.  roll up in tortillas and place in pan
5.  in a sauce pan melt butter and stir-in all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute
6.  add broth and whisk until smooth
7.  stir-in sour cream and chilis (don't boil because the sour cream will curdle)
8.  pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese
9.  bake 22 minutes and then under high-broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese

Bon Appetite!

KT  

Cajun Chicken Fricassee

Ingredients

• 1 two to three pound fryer, cut into pieces
• 5 Tbs of oil-based roux, or
• 3 Tbs powdered roux
• water
• 3 large onions, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions

1. add enough water to roux to make a thick gravy
2. add onions, chicken and seasonings
3. simmer until chicken is tender
4. add green onions. Serve over cooked rice

Bon appetite!
KT

Boudain (boudin) Balls

This recipe is a slight departure from my original boudain recipe. I omitted the pork kidneys, pork heart and pork liver (because I couldn't purchase those particular items locally). So, without greatly compromising the original, I used the following ingredients:

•  4 lbs. pork steak, with fat
  
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 4 cups cooked long grain rice
• 2 bunches green onions, chopped
• 1 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
  
• Salt and black pepper to taste

In a 5 quart pot add enough water to cover the first 3 ingredients and boil until tender. With a spoon skim and discard the foam which will surface. Drain the liquid and grind everything together, but reserve a couple cups or so of the broth to moisten the boudain dressing later. I use a small meat hand grinder with a 3/8th inch plate.

Next, add the cooked long grain rice, salt, pepper, green onions and parsley and just enough broth to make a moist dressing. Mix together thoroughly in a large bowl and refrigerate over night. Remove from the refrigerator and roll the boudain into ping pong size balls. You can freeze them until you are ready to serve.

The reason I don't make my boudain balls larger than ping pong size is because anything larger has a tendency to stay frozen in the center during frying. Fry the boudain balls at 375 degrees until a golden-brown color is reached (around 5 or 6 minutes).

It is a good idea to thaw the balls out about half-way before frying so they don't lose their solid texture. This makes the process of coating them in the batter and dredging them in flour much easier. I prefer to double batter them by dipping and dredging twice to get a good coating before frying.

There are a variety of batters which you can use. Mine is very simple: beat together 1 egg and about a 1/4 cup of milk. I usually add a little more seasoning to the all-purpose flour, also,  to suit my particular taste - like sea salt, dried basil and thyme.

Of course you can always take your boudain balls straight out of the freezer and steam them or cook them up in the microwave. It doesn't take long.

This simple recipe does not call for sausage stuffers or animal casings.

Give it try sometime and let me know how it comes out. If you have any questions post them in the comment section below and I will be happy to answer them.

Note: In the past I've tried substituting pork liver with beef liver, but it seems to conflict ... so, you are probably better off eliminating the liver ingredient altogether. You should still come out with a good tasting boudain.

Enjoy!