Episode XXI: Zuni Chicken and Grilled Watermelon Salad

I haven't been posting much lately in part because I've been doing a lot of "normal" stuff like steak and burgers. However, The Wife was out of town so it was time to be a little more adventuresome.

I'd been wanting to try a few things to get a crispier skin when smoking chicken. The natural process kind of works against crispiness, but I'd done a little research. There is a Zuni Cafe in SF somewhere that gets great reviews on its chicken. They salt and pepper the skin 24 hours ahead and then let the chicken air dry in the frig. I think this gives a much drier skin to start with.

Second, based on some advice from the Komodo Kamado forum about putting it on when the fire jsut starts so you get maximum smoke and set the target temperature higher than normal (about 400) and that way the high temp at the end helps crisp the skin.

Overall, I think it came out pretty good. Not quite as crispy, but much better than before. I think next time I will truly use a beer can to prop it up instead of the device so that more of the fat drips away.

Also, I was reading an article on Yahoo about healthy grilling. It describes a grilled watermelon salad that sounded kind of cool. No pictures and no measurements, but what the heck. How hard can this be?

Turns out, not too bad. I should left the melon on the grill a little longer I think to caramelize a little more, but it tasted pretty good in the salad. The article called for only arugula as the green, but I think it was a little overwhelming. Might use more mixed greens next time.

Anyway... overall two successful experiments and a nice warmup for the big party this weekend. Start cooking on Thursday :-)