Musings of a Vintage Junkie: grilling

Showing posts with label grilling. Show all posts

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Fire up the Grill...the Garbage Can Chicken is Marinating!

When my girls were little we lived in a old farmhouse on Lake Road in Williamson, New York, surrounded by apple orchards. Lake Ontario was right across the street along with Orbaker's Fruit Farm. Their orchards not only surrounded us but went all the way up to the lake.

It was in those apple orchards that I found the best chicken I had ever eaten. We were invited to a clambake in the open fields of the orchard every Fall. On the menu were, of course, steamed clams, creamed corn casserole, bring a dish to pass casseroles and Garbage Can Chicken.

Yup, to feed the crowd that showed up, they actually marinated the chicken in garbage cans and then grilled it on open barbeque pits.

It is supposed to be gorgeous in the 60's here in Upstate New York on Sunday which will officially get me fired up to start grilling!

If you're getting in the mood to start grilling too, this recipe is a must try! But please do not be afraid of the amount of salt in it......I usually do not salt my food or like anything with a lot of salt, but in this case, it makes the chicken!

Garbage Can Chicken

This recipe is for about 12 pieces of chicken. I use drumsticks and thighs. Bone-in breasts are usually so big that they do not cook through in the time the other pieces do, but the marinade is really good on them too! I par-boil my chicken before marinating.

1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white vinegar
4 Tablespoons salt
3 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix all together with a whisk. Put into a deep bowl or pan with the chicken and marinate up to 18 hours, turning the chicken every so often. The longer you marinate, the tastier it will be.

Grill till chicken is crispy on the outside and cooked all the way through to the bone.

Any summer side dish will go great with this chicken but for the ultimate in great picnic food, try these homemade baked beans. They are so easy. I got the recipe from a friend who got it from a friend, who got it...I don't know....maybe from a friend?! I am always grateful to be passed a recipe that has been treasured over the years.

Baked Beans

Preheat the oven to 350

1/2 pound turkey bacon (this is what gives these beans a really unique taste)

1/2 pound hamburg

1 pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

28 oz.can baked beans

15.5 oz can kidney beans, rinsed

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup catsup

salt and pepper to taste