Bacon and Sage Chicken in the Charbroil Big Easy

A good friend of mine and griller extraordinaire, Barry Martin, product evangelist for Charbroil Grills, introduced me to the Big Easy, Charbroil's "dunk-and-cook" cooker. It's a pretty cool device, actually. You connect it to a propane tank, turn it on, and drop in your favorite poultry or other meats (though I think the unit excels at chicken and turkey), and let it cook. It utilizes convection cooking all around the meat and yields an amazing chicken with crackling skin and moist and tender meat. No oil, no fat, no splatters! How long does it take? As Barry says, "Until it's done!" Use a thermometer to test for 165 degrees fahrenheit. I found it usually takes about 10 minutes per pound but it's not about time, it's about temperature so be sure to check it!

I made this video for Barry a while ago to use in his Charbroil newsletter as thanks for introducing me to this most excellent machine. In the video you will see just how easy it is to use the Big Easy and how you can simply and quickly produce a mouth-watering chicken that will amaze your friends and family. Oh, and this bird never made it to the plate. We just ate it off the bone after it was removed from the Big Easy! Yum!

--> Click here to watch the video

The Horny Toad Shot

In West Seattle, one of my favorite bars to meet friends at on a Friday night was The Matador. The Matador makes a specialty cocktail called the El Chingon Shot, a sweet and spicy potent tequila drink, which goes down a bit too quickly if you know what I mean. Needless to say, it quickly became my favorite cocktail there. Though I could never persuade them to part with the recipe, I was able to deconstruct it fairly accurately. My version of this drink I call the Horny Toad shot and have now made it the signature cocktail of Jorge's El Patio. One word of caution, if you don't like a lot of spice, cut back on the habanero in the recipe or just add more tequila! Yum!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz blanco or silver tequila (100 Anos Blanco or Patron)
• 1 oz Horny Toad Syrup (see below)

Method

Pour over ice in a shaker, shake, and serve up in a two ounce tall shot glass

Horny Toad Syrup Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 habanero pepper, cleaned, seeded, cut in half
• 1 lime, chopped, unpeeled, slightly muddled
• 4 cups Pama liqueur

Method

1. Combine water, sugar, pepper, and lime in a heavy saucepan. 
2. Bring to a boil and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat and let set for 5 minutes. 
4. Strain into the Pama liqueur. 
5. Keep in the refrigerator for two weeks or freeze.