Author Topic: Mesquite Chicken with a Guava & Gojuchang glaze (hawaiian/pacific Rim cooking)  (Read 2084 times)

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Offline DoomsmokeBBQ

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 I really Didn't want to share another Chicken recipe & cook so soon after another  but these were a knockout last Saturday and had to share this with everyone !...so lets get started :)

 It seems when it comes to Hawaiian inspired dishes people just slap a pineapple somewhere and call it "Aloha this ..Aloha that" but in reality Hawaii has some of the most diverse cuisine  then any other place in the world with backgrounds coming from all over the pacific , most being of Asian ethnicity but as well as Portuguese and Polynesian. Island cuisine was something I was always just fascinated about , especially when these two word's came together ... "Hawaiian Barbecue"  my mouth would start to water just imagining some kind of tropical setting with tiki torches and a colorful sunset with a big ass BBQ happening right in the middle of it all .

   I really got interested to learn more about Hawaiian barbecue & Cuisine when I watched Hawaiian Chef Sam Choy compete in Iron Chef , I fell in love with the flavors he was using ..which seemed like a beautiful fusion of Asian & American flavors with lots of tropical notes , I instantly began researching more by reading some of his cookbooks and of other Hawaiian chefs & cookbooks about Hawaii to the point where I didn't even just love the food but became very fascinated by the history and culture of the Hawaiian islands. I eventually started to become known for my Hawaiian flavors myself ..and I'm not even of heritage from there or have even visited the islands once (something I have plenty of goals for). I found the irony of my love for Hawaiian & Polynesian flavors comes from my latin background of where I was raised on a lot of tropical ingredients like Guava, mango & tamarind and seeing these familiar flavors be used in another form of manner such as Asian ingredients makes it so interesting but mouth watering & delicious more then anything . I eventually just came to the simple conclusion that I enjoy Tropical flavors ..and you will often see the flavors of the Tropics  the islands of Hawaii & the Caribbean, south America  in my cooking but most importantly ...in my Barbecue ...so let me tell you about this bird here !.


    Chicken breast is no fun to me if doesn't have skin or bones ...  yes those things make it more flavorful but that's not my reasons. My reason is because boneless & skinless breasts just cook too fast and no matter if you brined , marinated and how much char or crust you get on it ...it's still not as exciting and scrumptious looking as a butterflied chicken slowly grilling over a wood fire absorbing much more of that grill & smoke flavor seeing all those juices that  pool up in the crevices and drip down over the meat onto the fire and just come up with a nice .. "Ssssssss" Oh yes.  But that doesn't mean you can't get that out of chicken breasts ..you simply just keep the bone and skin on ! ..I know there are a lot of those who rely on brining ... which I agree does the trick , same with flavorful marinades and injections ..it's all good stuff and I use it all as well however .... I wanted to really train myself into being capable of producing mouthwatering chicken breasts if I were just tossed a grill , tongs .and money for the meat with limited time  ..oh wait...this was actually the case last Saturday  :P.

 My logic for seasoning is if you don't have time to do it ahead of time ...it's best to do it right before you throw the meat on the grill and if you do have time .. it should be several hours ahead to over night as this gives the salt plenty of time to create the dry brine effect thoroughly instead of if it just sat on the meat for an hour or 2 ahead of time ..it would  have begin the process but it'll still be at it's beginning stages and around that the meat seems to get denatured a bit on the outside and the salt is not fully absorbed yet into the meat  , so when you toss it on the grill you get a pretty weak texture and sear..and the flavor isn't as satisfying. I'm assuming this what a lot the chef's I worked with ment by when they told to me to always season steaks right away and never early , however we had items that were salted a day in advance like Tri-tips and Whole chickens ...which is how I learned about the dry bine affect. 
 
 I seasoned these breasts right before grilling them and I was left with a crust that was to die for and the meat was extremely juicy and flavorful so if your ever in a pinch like I was where your lover's family asks you to BBQ some chicken (and they all prefer bland white meat D=!) and its too soon for you to whip out your flavoring alchemy like dry brining & marinades and all that jazz to help ya out  ....just season it with what ya got and use them grill skills.  A motto I go by is it doesn't matter what you put on it ..it only matters if you cook it right to perfection , that's what makes a grill master.

  The flavors on these bone in skin Chicken breasts I used stared with a rub I made on spot with Kosher salt,  garlic , onion, smoked paprika , dry mustard, black pepper & chili powder and some white pepper.  The two exotic ingredients in this rub I used is dry shitake mushrooms & Coconut sugar (also know as palm sugar), the dry mushrooms really make things a lot more savory & umami but also you will find a pleasant sweetness as these do not over power but compliment meat like the way Worcestershire sauce & soy sauce does. Coconut sugar has a very burnt caramel like flavor that's quite amazing in rubs and holds up to high heat very well .

  Being on a time crunch to have these breasts good to go by 7:00 pm ... I knew I wouldn't have time to make a full scale barbecue sauce or fancy sauce ..so while at the Asian market where I got my dry shitakes and coconut sugar , I came across those new Kings Hawaiian barbecue sauces,  I personally don't settle for bottled sauces , I originally was going to make some form of glaze with Guava jelly & Korean Gojuchang paste (very spicy sweet chili paste) but kings Hawaiian is a trustworthy brand ..so I went with with their sweet pineapple sauce flavor to mix in.

I apologize if some of the ingredients are a little foreign or out of reach where you live , they are all things available online however and like I always mention , now you know they exist !. I had to cook this on the grill they had , so I explain how I do it on my Weber Kettle 22inch using Mesquite charcoal as it is the wood used alott in Hawaii for BBQ known as Kiawe. The measurements I give here are by assumption ..as this was prepared on the spot , I'm quite experienced with recipe writing so I'm confident you will have very similar results if not very delicious still  .. thanks for stopping by and reading !!

 MESQUITE GRILLED CHICKEN
. Bone in skin chicken breast halves ( I made 6)
. canola oil for coating breasts

SHIITAKE & COCONUT SUGAR RUB
. 2 tablespoons Kosher salt
. 2 tablespoons Coconut sugar (palm sugar)
. 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
. 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
. 1 tablespoon ground Shiitake Mushrooms (cut dried shitakes into pieces , grind them in a coffee grinder)
. 1 tablespoon granulated onion
. 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
. 1 teaspoon dry mustard
. 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
. 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
Combine all in a bowl

GUAVA & GOJUCHANGE GLAZE
. 1 cup Kings Hawaiian sweet pineapple BBQ sauce
. 1/2 cup Guava jelly
. 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
. 2 teaspoons Gochujang (Korean sweet chile paste ) Siracha is a good substitute
Combine all in a bowl and heat in a microwave or saucepan on the stove until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.
 
FOR GARNISH
. Furikake Rice seasoning (very popular in Hawaii & Japanese cooking )

 
.1)  Build an extremely hot fire in the kettle grill , about a full chimney of Mesquite Lump Charcoal
.2)  Scrape the hot coals to one side for indirect grilling and place grates back on the grill (I use craycourt cast irons)
.3)  Rub the breasts lightly with the canola oil and season evenly through out with the rub
.4)  Place breasts skin side down onto the indirect side and put lid on with vents over the breasts and let em go for 17 to 20 minutes
.5)  After 17 to 20 minutes flip the breasts ...they should be very well browned and crisp , glaze with sauce and place lid back on and allow for another 12 to 14 minutes
.6)  Glaze should be well set on to the chicken , check the temp ...your looking for the usual 165 for breasts or by feel , they should be springy to the touch and juices running clear and wild (WITHOUT CUTTING INTO THEM ) .. if your not experienced with bone in chicken please use a thermometer .
7.)  Sprinkle the breasts with the optional Furikake seasoning and serve at once with more sauce on side.
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Offline smokeasaurus

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That is some great looking chicken and one heck of an interesting recipe.  8)
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Offline HighOnSmoke

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That is some great looking chicken and one heck of an interesting recipe.  8)

X2!  :thumbup:
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Offline teesquare

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POW!!!!


That is a fantastic looking recipe and cook!
BBQ is neither verb or noun. It is an experience.
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Offline smokeasaurus

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Doomsmoke can flat out make that Weber kettle do incredible things. Glad he is on our side  ;) :)
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Offline DoomsmokeBBQ

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thank ya'll once again ! ...glad you like what you see :)
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Offline DoomsmokeBBQ

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Doomsmoke can flat out make that Weber kettle do incredible things. Glad he is on our side  ;) :)

I even taught it fetch & play dead ! ...haha thanks for kind words as always :)
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Offline bamabob

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    Chicken breast is no fun to me if doesn't have skin or bones ...  yes those things make it more flavorful but that's not my reasons. My reason is because boneless & skinless breasts just cook too fast and no matter if you brined , marinated and how much char or crust you get on it ...it's still not as exciting and scrumptious looking as a butterflied chicken slowly grilling over a wood fire absorbing much more of that grill & smoke flavor seeing all those juices that  pool up in the crevices and drip down over the meat onto the fire and just come up with a nice .. "Ssssssss" Oh yes.   sauce on side.

Couldn't agree more with the bone in and skin on.  Great narrative and description, I really enjoy your posts.  Better than most cookbooks by the "experts". 
Sometimes you have to go in a circle to reach your destination.

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Offline smokeasaurus

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Doomsmoke can flat out make that Weber kettle do incredible things. Glad he is on our side  ;) :)

I even taught it fetch & play dead ! ...haha thanks for kind words as always :)

 :D :D
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Offline hikerman

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Beautiful cook, recipe, and dialogue Doomsmoke! I enjoy jumping in and learning ethnic dishes of culture. I think it's a very viable way to learn about people from the inside out, so to speak. You tell your stories as if we are sitting together talking food. Great job sir!

Offline DoomsmokeBBQ

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    Chicken breast is no fun to me if doesn't have skin or bones ...  yes those things make it more flavorful but that's not my reasons. My reason is because boneless & skinless breasts just cook too fast and no matter if you brined , marinated and how much char or crust you get on it ...it's still not as exciting and scrumptious looking as a butterflied chicken slowly grilling over a wood fire absorbing much more of that grill & smoke flavor seeing all those juices that  pool up in the crevices and drip down over the meat onto the fire and just come up with a nice .. "Ssssssss" Oh yes.   sauce on side.

Couldn't agree more with the bone in and skin on.  Great narrative and description, I really enjoy your posts.  Better than most cookbooks by the "experts".


Thanks ! I have goals to write a cookbook actually so that is really awesome to hear!.
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Offline DoomsmokeBBQ

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Beautiful cook, recipe, and dialogue Doomsmoke! I enjoy jumping in and learning ethnic dishes of culture. I think it's a very viable way to learn about people from the inside out, so to speak. You tell your stories as if we are sitting together talking food. Great job sir!

Thanks ! and yes I agree , through food I have gotten a much better understanding of a person .. passionate cooks don't exaggerate when they say cooking from the heart is key , I don't want to serve someone a mediocre meal ever in life , even if it's as simple as a grilled cheese he or she's going to notice it was made with garlic butter ..or real butter for that matter XD .. haha. Learning about the flavors from other countries or cultures simply makes you a better cook and definitely some new friends .
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