Barbecue fresh from your backyard

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When we were first married, my father and my husband’s grandfather taught Wayne how to grill. They did a great job, and now our friends call him “the grill master” and always say we need to open a restaurant.

I am not talking about hamburgers and hot dogs, although they are good too, but rather we have developed a love for smoking meats and honest grilling.

Through the years, Wayne has adjusted our family recipes to suit our taste. The chicken and pork recipes here are some of our classic favorites. With both meals, we serve similar side items including baked beans, deviled eggs, twice-baked potatoes, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers; and do not forget the bread for sopping up the sauce!  These dishes are some of our summer time favorites, and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Wayne’s BBQ Chicken

1 or 2 whole chickens

Garlic salt

Pepper

BBQ Sauce

Clean the chicken. Split the chicken into two halves, removing the back bone. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Preheat grill on low heat (the temperature should not get over 300 degrees). Place chicken halves directly on grill grates, cooking on indirect heat for approximately 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours. Turn chicken over every 5 to 10 minutes and baste liberally with Grandmother Noland’s BBQ Sauce (see recipe below) each time. You can be certain the chicken is done if, when turning, the leg and thigh separate from the breast.

Note: We like to reserve some of the BBQ sauce to have at the table for dipping the chicken and bread into.

Grandmother Noland’s BBQ Sauce for Chicken

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 stick + 2 tablespoons unsalted margarine

Yellow mustard

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

Tabasco to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes. Double recipe if you are cooking more than one chicken.

Wayne’s BBQ Pork

1 Boston butt (bone in)

Garlic powder

Salt and pepper

BBQ Sauce

Prepare charcoal grill for indirect cooking; the peferred temperature will be between 300-350 degrees. Prepare the meat by using a knife to score the fat and sprinkling all sides of the meat with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place meat with the fat side up on preheated grill, cooking indirectly for approximately 6 hours. After each hour, rotate the meat a quarter turn clockwise. After second hour, begin to add either soaked hickory chips or whole hickory chunks to your fire in order to infuse with a wonderful smoky flavor.

Note: We don’t add sauce to the meat until after it has been removed from the grill, rested and carved. Either of the sauce recipes listed below are excellent choices, or you can always use your own.

Grandmother Noland’s BBQ Sauce for Pork

1 cup ketchup

1 cup water

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

Tabasco to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes. Double recipe if you desire.

My Mother’s BBQ Sauce

This sauce is great on both pork and chicken.

2-3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon dried onion

1 tablespoon dried garlic

8 ounces tomato sauce

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon mustard

2 tablespoons ketchup

3 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon celery seed

Sauté onion and garlic in butter for a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.