Recipe courtesy of Vivian Howard. Her documentary film series, “A Chef’s Life,” has won a Peabody Award, a Daytime Emmy and was nominated for four James Beard Awards. You can read more about Vivian on P32 of our Lifestyle Magazine.
“My Blue Q Suace is inspired by typical Eastern North Carolina vinegar-based barbecue sauce. But we use a blueberry vinegar, so it’s a little more balanced than you would typically find at a barbecue stand here.” –Vivian Howard
To make the Blue Q Sauce (ingredients below), begin by combining the blueberries and a little of the vinegar in a food processor. Pulse the berries just to break them up. You’re not trying to achieve smooth berries at this point; you just want to get some blue juice flowing. In a Dutch oven or 4 quart (3.75 L) saucepan, combine all of the sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for one hour, covered. Give it a stir from time to time to avoid scorching the bottom.
Carefully transfer the sauce to a blender. Pull the little knob off the top of the lid and cover it with a dish towel to prevent a mess! Blend the sauce to get it as smooth as you can, then strain it through a fine mesh strainer and transfer it back to your pan. Cook to reduce it by one-third. The Blue Q should coat the back of a spoon and be the viscosity of maple syrup. Refrigerate overnight to let things mellow out. This sauce will keep for months covered in the refrigerator.
30 minutes before you plan to cook it, bring the chicken to room temperature and season it thoroughly with 2 tsp (10 ml) salt and 1½ tsp (8 ml) black pepper.
Set the EGG for direct cooking without the convEGGtor at 350°F/177°C.
Place the chicken skin-side up on the cooking grid and roast for 20 minutes, then begin basting with the blueberry sauce every 5 minutes for an additional 20 minutes of cooking. After 40 minutes total, turn the chicken over to caramelize the skin and baste the other side 10 more minutes. Using a thermometer, check the temperature of the thigh. Once it’s at 165°F/74°C, remove the chicken from the EGG and douse the chicken in blueberry sauce; let rest for 10 minutes, then cut the chicken into 6 or 8 pieces and toss once more in sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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