Smoked Chicken Cobbler (Pr0n heavy)

[GVDub]

When I came up with this idea, I was thinking about it as a throwdown recipe, but got involved enough in the process (along with all the other things I was cooking yesterday for the coming week (armadillo eggs, BBQ pig's feet, smoked eggplant slices) that I didn't get the photography I wanted done. But, it came out so nicely, I thought I'd just share it.

Started off layering cajun spice and a green rub to about 8# of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and legs, then sticking them in the PBC with a couple chunks each of hickory and apple wood. Pulled at 168°.

Chicken Cobbler by George Van Wagner, on Flickr

Chicken Cobbler by George Van Wagner, on Flickr

Chicken Cobbler by George Van Wagner, on Flickr

Then I chopped and sauteed two onions, three cloves of garlic, three celery ribs, a green pepper, three carrots and a small head of cauliflower, added some dark roux, a little more cajun seasonng and three cups of homemade stock made from fennel stems, a pork shoulder bone and the remains of a PBC chicken carcass. This mixture was simmered until thick. I chopped four thighs and one leg of the chicken, and stirred it together with the vegetable mixture in a tray and stuck it on the grill grate.

Chicken Cobbler by George Van Wagner, on Flickr

Left it there while I made up a batch of low-carb baking powder biscuits, then topped the tray with the biscuits. Pulled when the biscuits hit 160° and were getting golden. Served it up with a tomato, fennel, celery, feta and pomegranate seed salad, some roasted veggies, smoked eggplant and a nice Pinot Noir.

Chicken Cobbler by George Van Wagner, on Flickr

Chicken Cobbler by George Van Wagner, on Flickr

Chicken Cobbler by George Van Wagner, on Flickr

Our dinner guests, a local food writer and his wife, loved it. Just the right touch of smoke and spice, and my first attempt at anything baked on the grill. So, all around a very successful cook.

 

[Ron_L]

I’d hit that! Nice job!

 

[Stingerhook]

Most excellent George.

 

[lunchman]

That looks fantastic, what a superb and inspired dish! Nice job.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

YUM any left overs

 

[GVDub]

YUM any left overs

Not after dinner tonight, I don't think. I'm betting, like all casserole type things, a day's worth of aging will make it even tastier.

 

[Titch]

Looks delicious, can you tell me more about the Biscuits please?

 

[GVDub]

Looks delicious, can you tell me more about the Biscuits please?

Thanks! How about I just give you the recipe?

Low-Carb Baking Powder Biscuits a'la GVDub

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients
½ cup blend of whole wheat and amaranth flour
1 cup almond flour (not almond meal, but finely ground almond flour)
½ cup coconut flour
2 tablespoons wheat gluten
2 teaspoons aluminum-free double-acting baking powder
¼ teaspoon citric acid powder (optional, but it gives the baking powder an extra little boost)
½ teaspoon salt (I use pink Himalayan sea salt)
½ teaspoon xanthan gum (xanthan gum is hydrophilic and the gel that it creates helps to hold a dough with a high percentage of non-grain flours together)
½–1 teaspoon seasoning (whatever will set off the dish you're serving with. In this case I used Cajun seasoning. It's totally optional, though, if you're just making general purpose biscuits

Liquid ingredients:
¼ cup fat — could be lard, could be vegetable shortening, could be duck fat, could be (and in this case, was) coconut oil.
1 large egg
¾ cup milk of whatever fat content you want to use

In a 3-quart mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients throughly. then add the oil/shortening and whisk (if using a liquid fat) or cut in with a fork or pastry cutter) until you have a mixture the consistency of coarse soft sand. You could do this with a food processor if you've got a big enough work bowl, but it can overwork the dough if you're not careful).

Whisk together the egg and milk, then add to the dry mixture and whisk in. This should make a fairly loose dough. If it seems too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon or two at a time and combine until just mixed. We don't want to overwork it. Let it sit for 15 minutes or so to hydrate the flours and let whatever gluten development you got to relax a little.

Wearing a pair of latex/vinyl/nitrile gloves (safety first, and besides this dough can be a little sticky if you let your hands warm it too much), divide into however many biscuits you want (this batch should make 8–10 regular-sized biscuits)

If you're just making biscuits, these should bake in a 365-400°F (190–200°C) over for 15-20 minutes, or until a probe inserted comes out clean. This is about 160°F (71°C) internal temp if you're the sort who wanders around looking for things to test with an instant read temperature probe.

If you're doing them the way I did, the PBC was just over 300°F (148°C) and it took about a half-hour to get them up to temp. I would have given them another 10–15. minutes to get a little more bronzed, but the dinner guests were threatening revolt.

You could use some sweetener instead of savory seasoning and stick these on top of a dish of baked fruit, if you wanted. They come out pretty light, and the carb yield is quite low, though I haven't figured it yet for this particular spin on my biscuit recipe.

Enjoy!.