The Pokey Smokers

Ingredients

• Family pack chicken thighs
• Toothpicks
• Marinade:
  • 1/2 cup dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons dry mustard
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 4 tablespoons fresh herbs (thyme, tarragon, sage), minced
• Rub:
  • 4 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• Baste:
  • 1 stick butter
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup whiskey or bourbon

Directions

Trim chicken thighs. Run finger under skin of each thigh to separate skin from thigh as much as possible without completely detatching skin.

Combine marinade ingredients in blender and puree.

Rub a little marinade under the skin of each thigh, then put all thighs into a large ziploc bag and pour marinade over. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Combine rub ingredients. Place in container with a shaker top.

Remove chicken from marinade. Wipe herbal bits off with paper towel, including under skin. Place chicken skin side down.

Apply rub to underside of thighs, then turn over and apply to skin side and underneath the skin. Stretch skin over surface of thigh and secure with toothpick.

Smoke at 250 degrees until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about one hour. While chicken is cooking, combine baste ingredients in saucepan and heat until butter is melted. Baste chicken at least once after the rub has set, about 1/2 hour.

If desired, remove toothpicks and carefully turn chicken skin-side down on smoker just before removing. Baste undersides and wait a minute or so (depending on heat of coals) for grill marks to form on skin, then remove to platter. If grill marks are not desired, baste undersides as pieces are removed to platter, holding carefully so as not to smear the rub.

Select six best pieces, plate and serve.

Ingredients

• 1 cup red wine
• 4 tablespoons butter, sliced
• 2 sirloin strip steaks, 6 to 8 oz each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
• 1 large potato, sliced into matchsticks
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons white peppercorns

Directions

Heat red wine in saucepan. Reduce to about 1/4 cup, then whisk in butter slices.

While wine is reducing, prepare steaks: trim, pat dry, season with salt.

Grind peppercorns using molcajete or mortar and pestle. Make a thin layer of peppercorn mixture on a plate; press steaks into mixture to form crust.

Heat cast iron skillet over hot fire. Add vegetable oil to about 1/4 inch deep.

When oil is hot, add potato matchsticks. Fry for three minutes, drain on paper towels, then return to pan for 1 minute. Drain again and season with salt. Pour off excess oil from pan, leaving film on bottom.

Add steaks to pan. Sear for 3 minutes on one side, then turn and sear for 2-3 minutes on the other side, until internal temperature is 120 degrees. Remove to platter, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice into the less attractive of the steaks to confirm doneness. Plate the other steak, arranging potato matchsticks as desired. Top steak with wine sauce and serve.

These jerk chicken wings took 2nd place at the 2006 Cape Cod Classic, and 1st place at the 2007 Winter Sizzler.

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Meet Dan and Jori Foster, competing in NEBS barbecue contests as The Pokey Smokers.  Why the name?  When we first started barbecuing, the food consistantly finished two hours late.  Not good when contests have a strict 10 minute turn-in window!