Source: Recipe adapted from How to Grill by Steven Raichlen
(Workman, 2001)
Method: Direct grilling
Serves: 2 to 4
Advance Preparation: 15 minutes to 4 hours for letting the chicken cure

2 chickens (3-1/2 to 4 pounds each)
4 tablespoons Espresso Rub (recipe below)
1-1/2 cups Mocha Mop Sauce (recipe below)
1-1/2 cups Cafe Latte Barbecue Sauce (recipe below)

You’ll also need:
Poultry shears
1-1/2 cups smoking chips soaked for 1 hour in cold coffee to cover,
then drained

Remove the giblets from the body cavities of the chickens and set aside for another use. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body and neck cavities. Rinse the chickens, inside and out, under cold running water and then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Cut the chickens in half: Remove the backbone with a poultry shears or sharp knife; fold the chicken open like a book and turn it over; remove the breastbone and white cartilage, then cut off the wingtips.

Arrange the chicken halves on a baking sheet (or baking sheets) large enough to hold them and sprinkle on both sides with the rub. Pat the rub onto the chickens with your fingertips. Let the chickens sit in the refrigerator, covered, for as little as 15 minutes or as long as 4 hours; the longer they stand, the richer the flavor will be.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. If using charcoal, toss the wood chips on the coals. If using a gas grill, place the wood chips in the smoker box and preheat the grill to high; then, when smoke appears, lower the heat to medium.

Arrange the chicken halves, skin side up, on the hot grate over the drip pan. Indirect grill for 40 to 50 minutes, mopping the chickens often.

After 30 minutes, skin should be cooked enough to start mopping.

Set aside 1 cup of barbecue sauce for serving. When the chickens are nearly done cooking, brush the skin side with barbecue sauce and turn the halves and grill for 5 minutes to sizzle the sauce, then brush the bone side with sauce and turn the chickens again.

Grill another 5 minutes before removing the chickens. The chickens are done when an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh (but not touching the bone) registers about 170 degrees.

Transfer the chicken halves to plates or a platter and let rest for 3 minutes before serving with the reserved sauce.

Espresso Rub

2 tablespoons ground dark roast coffee
2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
1 teaspoon pure chile powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place the ground coffee, salt, chile powder, onion powder, garlic powder, coriander, pepper, and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix with your fingers or a whisk, breaking up any lumps.

BEST BARBECUED BEANS ON THE PLANET

Source: BBQ USA by Steven Raichlen (Workman Publishing, 2003)
Method: Indirect grilling
Serves: 12 to 16 as a side dish

1 pound smoked bacon cut into 1/4 inch slivers
1 can (15 ounces) black beans
1 can (15 ounces) dark red kidney beans
3 cans (each 15 ounces) baked beans or pork and beans
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
1 poblano pepper or green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 6 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced (for hotter beans, leave
the seeds in)
2 cups sweet red barbecue sauce (your favorite commercial brand)
1-1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar, or more to taste
1/2 cup Dijon mustard, or more to taste
2 teaspoons liquid smoke (optional; see Note)
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

You’ll also need:

1 large (turkey-size) or 2 medium-size aluminum foil pans; 2 cups wood
chips or chunks (preferably pecan or hickory) soaked for 1 hour in water
to cover then drained

Place the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat and fry until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Pour off all the bacon fat, saving a few tablespoons for the beans, if desired.

Empty the cans of black and kidney beans into a colander and drain. Rinse the beans under cold running water and drain again. Place all the beans (including the baked beans or pork and beans) in a large nonreactive mixing bowl and add the onion, bell and poblano peppers, garlic, and jalapenos and stir to mix. Add the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, mustard, liquid smoke, if using, and bacon and stir to mix. Taste for seasoning, adding more brown sugar and/or mustard as necessary, and salt and black pepper to taste. The beans should be very flavorful. Transfer the bean mixture to the aluminum foil pan or pans. (You can drizzle a few tablespoons of bacon fat over the beans for extra flavor.)

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-low. If using a gas grill, place all of the wood chips or chunks in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium-low. If using a charcoal grill, preheat it to medium-low, then toss all of the wood chips or chunks on the coals.

When ready to cook, place the pan of beans in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat, and cover the grill. Cook the beans until they are thick and richly flavored, about 1 hour. If the beans start to dry out, cover them loosely with aluminum foil. Remove the beans from the grill and let them rest for 15 minutes, then serve.

Note: If you cook the beans on a gas grill, you probably won’t be able to generate enough smoke for a strong wood flavor. Add the liquid smoke in this case.

Source: Adapted from The Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen (Workman, 1998)
Method: Direct grilling under a brick
Serves: 2 to 4
Advance Preparation: 2 hours for marinating the game hens

For the marinade:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup water
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large bunch fresh basil, stemmed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 game hens (1 to 1-1/4 pound each)*

For serving:

Fresh basil sprigs
Lemon wedges
Cherry tomatoes

You’ll also need:

4 bricks completely wrapped with heavy-duty aluminum foil
Spray bottle of water to control flare-ups


Combine the oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in a blender and process to a smooth paste. Refrigerate if not using immediately; it’s best the day it’s made.

For each hen, remove the packet of giblets (if any) from the body cavity and set aside for another use. Remove and discard any excess fat just inside the body cavity of the game hen; rinse the bird, inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Place the bird, breast side down, on a cutting board.
Using poultry shears or a sharp knife, cut through the flesh and bone along both sides of the backbone. Cut from the tail end to the head end and completely remove the backbone.

Open out the bird (like opening a book) by gently pulling the halves apart. Using a sharp paring life, lightly score the top of the breastbone. Run your thumbs along and under the sides of the breastbone and attached cartilage and pop them out. Spread the bird out flat.

Turn the bird over. Using a sharp knife, make a slit in the skin between the lower end of the breastbone and the leg, on each side, approximately 1/2 inch long (you’re trying to accommodate the end of the drumstick). Stick the end of the drumstick on that side through the slit.

Put the spatchcocked hens into a nonreactive baking dish and pour the marinade over them, turning to coat completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the game hens on the hot grate, all facing the same direction, at a 45 degree angle to the bars of the grate. Place a brick on top of each. Grill for 8 to 12 minutes per side; replace the bricks after turning. The hens are done when an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh (but not reaching the bone) registers about 170 degrees F.

Transfer the hens to a platter; let rest for 3 minutes before serving. Garnish with sprigs of fresh basil, lemon wedges, and cherry tomatoes.


*Game hens are available from www.dartagnan.com if you can’t find them locally.