Bar-B-Cola Chicken And Peach Cobbler

Memorial Day in the deep south seems to require some kind of outdoor activity and barbecue.  That also means bug spray and sunscreen, sunglasses and some sort of iced beverage.  We met all the conditions for a traditional holiday, but we I did not want to be stuck tending to a long cooking barbecue that required a lot of our my attention.

Several years ago we celebrated the 4th of July with some neighbors who served us a delicious almost care free barbecue dish.  They told us how they did it and with just a few modifications we have continued to cook and enjoy Bert's recipe. ( Though it is not so much a recipe as just instructions on how to do it)  After several attempts we came up with what works best for us and the new name Bar-B-Cola Chicken.

As many chicken pieces as you want ( double all ingredients if cooking more than 8 pieces)
2 tablespoons Butt rub or any similar barbecue rub
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon  prepared mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion grated
1 bottle cheap store brand barbecue sauce
1 12 ounce can/bottle soda.  Any brand will do but stay away from diet soda made with aspartame*.
1 aluminum pan
aluminum foil to cover pan

Combine the Butt rub with the brown sugar and dry mustard.  Rub over all surfaces of the chicken.  Sear  both sides of each piece on the grill over a high heat.  Remove from the fire and place in the aluminum pan.  Turn the grill down to low heat and put the pan on the grill ( This is tricky with a charcoal fire.  I would just finish the cooking in a 250 degree oven) .  Mix the mustard, worchestershire sauce, grated onion, barbecue sauce and the cola in a medium size bowl.  Stir till it is well blended.  Pour over the chicken pieces in the pan and immediately seal it with a top made from tightly wrapped foil.  Let it cook over a covered low ( about 250 degrees) heat for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is very tender.  Serve hot with whatever you like as barbecue sides.  We had toast, potato salad, tossed salad and baked beans.

I prefer this made with bone-in chicken thighs, but The Hub likes boneless breasts.  The thighs cook much moister and are so tender.  Because the breasts are white meat and boneless, even with the slow cooking temp and long cook time they still tend to be a little drier.  It is a personal decision and if I were cooking just for me I would always opt for bone in.  The Hub and I can argue this point until Hell freezes over and neither of us will change our opinions.  It is your choice so choose wisely, Grasshopper.



The Hub also loves a traditional dessert with his barbecue.  He is a peach cobbler fanatic, but not just any cobbler.  It has to be a cake-like cobbler with lots of butter and peachy juicy goodness.  It is a great dessert for the rest of us to have because none of us like cooked fruit, so there is little no temptation for us to resist.

       Small Peach Cobbler For 2 ( meaning The Hub polishes the entire thing off in one sitting)

2 medium peaches, peeled and sliced, tossed with 1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 stick of butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Peel, slice and sugar the peaches and set aside
Pour the melted butter in the bottom of a loaf pan
In a small bowl mix the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt,  Add the milk and vanilla and beat till smooth.  Pour over the melted butter but do not stir it.  With a spoon add the peaches fairly evenly over the top of the batter.  Again, do not stir.  Cook for about 30 minutes until the batter is set and the top is a golden brown.  Serve with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream ( shown here) or ice cream.

If your son is home from college and you see him eating ice cream and remind him that his dad is going to want some on his cobbler later, do not even begin to think he might actually leave any in the carton.  Nothing spells disappointment like going to the freezer to pull out some ice cream for your cobbler only to pull out a container with about 1 tablespoonful of vanilla.  I guess technically Son3 did leave some. I just should have been more precise and said leave a serving.  Live and learn!