HAITIAN CREOLE GRILLED CHICKEN

Ingredients

-For marinade:

80 ml Lime juice
3 Eshallots, chopped
6 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 Chocolate Habanero
80 gm white Onion chopped
80 gm red Capsicum, chopped
½ cup Parsley chopped
6 sprigs fresh Thyme, leaves only
10 gm Vegeta
1½ tsp Sea salt
½ tsp gnd black Pepper
60 ml extra virgin Olive oil
2.5 kg cut-up Chicken, trimmed of excess fat and skin
2 gm Salt
2 gm Pepper
40 ml Lard, or bacon fat
3 tbls double-concentrated Tomato paste
¼ tsp gnd Pimento

Method

1. Place all of the marinade ingredients in a blender along with 1 cup of Water and puree.
2. Place Chicken in a resealable plastic bag or in a shallow dish just large enough to hold the Chicken. Pour in marinade making sure all the pieces are coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Remove Chicken from marinade scraping off the excess with your fingers back into the bowl; reserve the marinade. Place Chicken on a sheet pan and blot dry with paper towels. Loosely cover and let sit at room temperature while you prepare the sauce.
4. For Creole Sauce: melt the Lard or Bacon fat in a medium saucepan over high heat. Carefully whisk in the reserved marinade be careful as it will splatter, Tomato paste, and gnd Pimento. Bring to a boil and lower heat to simmer for 5 mins. Remove from heat and set aside until needed.
5. Set up grill for indirect grilling over medium. Brush and Oil grate when ready to start cooking.
6. Place the Chicken skin-side up on the indirect side of the grill, close the cover and cook for 15 to 20 mins. Raise the lid and rearrange the Chicken for even cooking. Baste with Creole Sauce, close the cover and cook for another 15 mins. Flip the Chicken, baste and cook for another 10 mins. During the last couple mins of cooking, move the Chicken over to the direct heat side of the grill and baste with Creole Sauce and flip a couple times to crisp up and get a little char on the skin. Be very careful of flare-ups and prepare to move the Chicken around or back to the indirect side. The chicken will be done when the internal temperature reaches 70˚c and is no longer pink at the bone.