Outdoor Chicken Quarters with Blueberry Ginger Barbecue Sauce
Instructions:
- Whether you cook the quarters indoors or out, marinating them in buttermilk offers a tart backtaste to match this sweet and aromatic sauce. The Blueberry Ginger Barbecue Sauce gives a sweet, aromatic pop to the meat. Makes 6 servings
- 11â„4 cups buttermilk (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)
- 3 tablespoons minced sage leaves or
- 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
- 11â„2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Six 8- to 10-ounce skin-on drumstick-andthigh quarters, all visible fat trimmed
- 6 teaspoons canola oil, plus additional for the grate or the pan
- Blueberry Ginger Barbecue Sauce
- Blueberry Ginger Barbecue Sauce
- This sauce would also be welcome with almost any chicken, sausage, or pork barbecue. Makes about 11â„2 cups
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1 cup sugar
- â„4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 scallion, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1â„2 teaspoon salt
- To make the quarters outdoors:
- Place the buttermilk, sage, paprika, maple syrup, dry mustard, and salt in a large ziplock plastic bag; seal the bag and shake to combine. Add the chicken quarters, seal again, and shake to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, shaking occasionally.
- Oil the cooking grate, then heat a gas grill to high heat or build a high-heat, red-hot-ashed coal bed in a charcoal grill. Remove the chicken quarters from the marinade; pat dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade and the plastic bag. Rub 1 teaspoon oil into each quarter.
- Place the quarters skin side down on the grate directly over the heat source or the coals. Cover the grill and cook for 10 minutes.
- Pour about half of the warm Blueberry Ginger Barbecue Sauce into a small bowl (reserving half that won’t touch the partially cooked poultry). Baste the quarters generously with some of the sauce, turn, and baste the other side.
- Cover and continue grilling, basting once more, until browned and the juices run clear, until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh without touching bone registers 165°F (our preference) or 180°F (the USDA recommendation), 7 to 10 more minutes. Transfer the quarters to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with the reserved Blueberry Ginger Barbecue Sauce on the side.
- Blueberry Ginger Barbecue Sauce
- Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a light simmer.
- Reduce the heat to low and continue simmering, stirring often, until as thick as ketchup, about 20 minutes. This sauce can be made ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Variations:
- Add 2 teaspoons stemmed thyme, 1 teaspoon red pepper fl akes, 1 â„2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or 1 â„2 teaspoon grated nutmeg with the blueberries.