Hey guys, Â check out the 4th of July grilling segment I did on The Today Show earlier this morning with Al, Matt and Meredith. Â I cooked up a feast of BBQ Chicken with homemade BBQ sauce, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Tolan’s Mom’s Potato Salad, Spicy Coleslaw and Moscow Mules. Â Download these recipes below and get your ‘grill’ on this weekend – happy 4th of July everyone! – TF
The Ultimate Barbecued Chicken
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Brine:
2 quarts water
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 whole chicken, cut up into 10 pieces
The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:
1 slice bacon
1 bunch fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven 375F
For the brine, in a mixing bowl combine the water, salt, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Transfer the brine to a 2-gallon sized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, close the bag and refrigerate 2 hours (if you’ve only got 15 minutes, that’s fine) to allow the salt and seasonings to penetrate the chicken.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add your thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add all of the rest of the ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors.
Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue to a medium heat. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towel and carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill to make a non-stick surface. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry on paper towels. Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill and cook, turn once mid way, and cook for a total of 10 minutes. Transfer the grill marked chicken to a cookie sheet and then place in the oven. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and then brush liberally with the barbecue sauce and then return to the oven for 10 more minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. Serve with extra sauce.
Yield: 6 servings
Cole Slaw With Pecans And Spicy Chile Dressing
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
1 head Napa or Savoy cabbage, shredded
4 carrots, shredded
2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
Leaves from 1 bunch fresh mint, for garnish
Dressing:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Throw the cabbage, carrots, apples, onion, and pecans into a large bowl. Mix that well with your hands and set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the mustard, sugar, cayenne, cumin, mayonnaise, and lemon juice until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss well to coat. Taste again for seasoning, then mound onto a platter and garnish with mint leaves.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Cornbread
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
4 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped
2 cups stone-ground cornmeal, white or yellow
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 large eggs
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Put the bacon into a cold 10-inch cast iron pan and cook over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon bits are crisp. Do not let burn. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Keep the bacon fat in the pan and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl beat the eggs with a whisk until foamy; whisk in the milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in the bacon bits, and chives. Pour the batter into the cast iron pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Tolan’s Mom’s Potato Salad
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
2 pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes
Kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles with 1/4 cup juice
1 small red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the potatoes and the eggs into a big saucepan of cold, salted water. Cooking the potatoes with the skin on retains all the natural flavor which makes them taste amazing. Bring to a simmer and cook until a paring knife poked into the potatoes goes in without resistance, about 15 minutes. Remove the eggs and let cool. Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them cool.
Meanwhile, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, pickles with juice, onion, capers, parsley, and lemon juice in a bowl large enough to hold the potatoes.  Peel the cooled eggs and grate them in too. Stick a fork into the potatoes, one at a time, lift them out of the colander and peel with a paring knife. Break up the potatoes by hand, put them in the bowl with the dressing and toss. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Grilled Corn
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
4 cobs of corn
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
red chile powder, to taste
juice of 1 lime
2 limes cut into wedges for garnish
chives, finely chopped up
Peel back the husks of the corn but leave attached at the end so you have something to hold onto – you can remove some of the husk to make it less bulky then tie them into a knot.  Grill the corn on a hot grill or cast iron griddle pan until slightly charred. Turn it so it gets cooked evenly all over. Mix the mayonnaise and sour cream together then season with salt and pepper. While the corn is still warm slather with mayonnaise mix. Squeeze lime juice over and shower with grated parmesan cheese. Season with chile powder, shower with chopped chives and serve with extra lime wedges.
MOSCOW MULE
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Yield: serves 4
Time: 5 minutes
3 12oz bottles ginger beer
6 oz lime, juice
6 oz vodka
2 sprigs of fresh mint
1 lime cut into wedges, for garnish
In a large pitcher, combine the lime juice, vodka and ginger beer. Add mint leaves and pour over ice in mason jars. Garnish with a lime wedge
I know that I should have started off talking about the salad. But of course the salad is good, it has shrimp and bacon and black olives and bacon and hard-boiled eggs and bacon. Nope, I’m not going there, I want to focus on this dressing. It’s so easy to whip up a quick vinaigrette that I forget about creamy salad dressings. From now on my lowly dinner salads will occasionally get a pick me up from this creamy herby love in a jar.
