Serves 8-10 people

Ingredients

For the Chicken

2 whole chickens, butchered into 8 pieces each or 8 leg-thigh combo pieces
¼ lb butter
1 tsp salt
Salt and pepper

For the BBQ Sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup small diced onion
6 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 slightly heaping tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons English-style dried mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt and pepper

For Potato Salad

4-5 pounds cubed red-skinned or Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled
Salt
6 ounces bacon, diced small
1 cup minced red onion
1 cup sliced scallions (about 2 scallions), set about 1 Tbsp of scallions aside to garnish

4-6 tablespoons distilled vinegar
3-4 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp bacon fat
½ cup plus mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
*add a shot of pickle juice or brine from capers to give it a nice acid boost

Special Equipment

Cooling racks
Sauce pot

Instructions

For the Chicken

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix butter with the 1 tsp of salt and set aside. Rinse chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. You’ll need to loosen the skin from the meat so insert finger between them, be careful not to tear or remove chicken skin. Stuff some butter under skin of chicken and you can even it out by pressing on the butter outside of the skin after you’ve stuffed it. Season the chicken heavily with salt and pepper. Brush on BBQ Sauce.
Preheat cast iron grill top until very hot and sear chicken for some lovely grill marks. Brush with even more BBQ sauce and finish in oven for 30-45 mins until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees from the thickest part of thigh or juices run clear.

For the BBQ Sauce

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 2 mins. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, paprika, red pepper and allspice, and cook, stirring, until paste is dark brick red, about 3 minutes. Add the ketchup, water, vinegar, molasses, brown sugar, salt, soy sauce, Worcestershire, mustard and black pepper. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the flavors come together, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf before using.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 Tbsp of bacon fat for the vinaigrette.
In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, bacon bits, onion and scallions.
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard, bacon fat, mayonnaise, pickle juice, salt and pepper. Pour mixture over the warm potatoes and mix gently.

*add more vinegar, mayo, salt and pepper to satisfy your Southern taste buds.

To Serve

Plate chicken and drizzle BBQ sauce on top, you may also serve the rest of the BBQ sauce on a ramekin.