Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Man receives 5 years in prison for beating calf to death with shovel...


A 22-year-old Gibson man who admitted to stealing a newborn calf and beating it to death with a shovel after his Saints party was ruined by the team's loss to the Dallas Cowboys last winter received a 5-year prison sentence this morning.


David J. LeBlanc Jr., 22

David J. LeBlanc Jr., one of several men convicted by the St. Tammany Parish District Attorney's Office in the case, had asked for leniency.



LeBlanc helped Dwayne J. Jenkins, 36, and Carnie B. Smith, 29,
steal the 3-day-old calf on Dec. 19, 2009, from Folsom's Red Bluff Farms, famous for a petting zoo frequented by schoolchildren. They dragged the animal to the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex on Louisiana 1078, where they had attended the Saints party.

There, LeBlanc pummeled the calf with the shovel until it died while Jenkins and Smith watched, according to authorities.

Eventually, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office investigators were led to the men. Jenkins and Smith pleaded guilty to their roles and received two years of probation in October from state Judge Martin Coady.

Another man, Christopher R. Murphy, 27, of Franklinton, did not participate in killing the animal, but he removed the calf's carcass, drove into the wilderness and dumped it, according to the DA's Office. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor theft and received two years of probation.

On Monday, Coady slapped LeBlanc with hard prison time because, as the judge explained, LeBlanc used "a dangerous weapon" to cause the "painful death" of a defenseless animal.

The judge ignored pleas from LeBlanc prior to the sentencing in which LeBlanc said he deserved either the same punishment if not a lighter one than his fellow defendants got because he was "the only one who came forth and told the truth" to investigators.

"The others lied the whole time," added LeBlanc, who wore a black-hooded sweatshirt and dark-blue jeans to the hearing. "(Prison) would ruin my life completely. I have a kid on the way. I could not do that."

Coady also forbade LeBlanc to be near animals for the duration of his sentence and ordered him to undergo psychiatric evaluation as part of the punishment. The judge recommended LeBlanc apply for a boot camp program by which he could shave off part of his sentence, but acceptance into the program is not automatic.

After Coady concluded the hearing, LeBlanc was handcuffed. He slumped into a bench and buried his face into his hands.

Check back with nola.com for an update later.

Maple Pecan Pie... Chuck's Day Off...


Recipe courtesy Chuck Hughes
Show: Chuck's Day Off Episode: My Toughest Critics

Ingredients

* Pastry
* 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
* 1/2 cup or 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled, coarsely chopped
* Pinch salt
* 1 egg, chilled
* 1 tablespoon ice water, plus more if needed
* Filling

* 1/3 cup maple syrup
* 1 egg
* 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
* 1/2 cup whipping cream
* 1 cup pecans
* Serving suggestion: Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

recipe tools

* Print Recipe
* email
* facebook
* twitter

Directions
Pastry: In a food processor, combine the flour, butter and a pinch of salt, and pulse until the mixture resembles big breadcrumbs. Whisk the egg and 1 tablespoon ice water in a bowl until combined. With food processor motor running, add the wet mixture to the flour mixture. Process until mixture begins to form large clumps, stopping the machine before the mixture forms a ball. If it needs a bit more water, add it. You want the dough to just barely hang together, and not be too wet.

Turn the pastry out onto a work surface, and knead very gently to bring the dough together. Form the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Two is even better.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a light dusting of flour on your board and rolling pin, roll out the dough to the desired thickness. Lay the dough into the pie plate, and prick with a fork all over, trim and decorate the edge of the pie as you wish.

Filling: In a large bowl, combine the maple syrup, egg, sugar, and cream, and stir well to mix. Transfer the filling mixture to the pastry-lined pie dish. Top with the pecan nuts, and bake for about 35 minutes, or until set. Let cool before serving.

Serve the pie with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Injecting a Whole Hog/ Killer Hogs BBQ Team...

Killer Hogs BBQ Sauce Recipe...

  • 16 oz Tomato Saucepork butss with bbq sauce
  • 16 oz Ketchup
  • 12 oz Chili Sauce
  • 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 cup Corn Syrup
  • 1/2 cup Honey
  • 1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 TBS Soy Sauce
  • 1/2 cup Dry Rub
  • 1 TBS Hot Sauce

In a large pot combine the above ingredients over medium heat.

Be sure to stir really well to incorporate the brown sugar and dry spices.

Simmer for 30 minutes and stir often.

if you have any more questions, email me at malcom@killerhogs.com or check out my other website at howtobbqright.com

Visit HowToBBQRight.com for more tips, videos procedures and info on competition BBQ

Killer Hogs Dry Rub Recipe...

  • 1 TBL – Sweet Hungarian Paprikaribs with dry rub ready to go on smoker
  • 3 TBL – Chili Powder
  • 6 TBL – Brown Sugar
  • 2 TBL – Turbinado Sugar
  • 2 TBL – Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 tea – Ground Cumin Powder
  • 1/8 tea – Ground Cayenne Pepper
  • 1/4 tea – Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 tea – Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
  • 1/4 tea – Tomato Powder

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients with a fork until well blended. There should be no lumps. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.

if you have any more questions, email me at malcom@killerhogs.com or check out my other website at howtobbqright.com

Visit HowToBBQRight.com for more tips, videos procedures and info on competition BBQ

How To Cook A Whole Hog... by the Killer Hogs Competition BBQ Team...








whole hog competition bbq style

When you get your whole hog, you need to cut tendons at the ankle of all four legs. This ensures that the feet do not curl up when you cook your whole hog.

Lay the hog on its back and cut the skin away from the hog's belly all the way up to the spine. Then cut the skin away from the legs and shoulders.

Dislocate both hips (grab hog's ankle, press down firmly toward belly, until hip "pops")


apply sauce to whole hog

We coat our whole hog with mustard, then apply our special Killer Hogs Rub.

place whole hog on grill

You have two options when placing your hog on the grill grate. You can lay the hog on his back, or his stomach.

We suggest cutting through the breast bone and laying the hog on his back. This is preferred in competition BBQ.

cooking your whole hog

keep your whole hog at a steady temp

Check temperatures and add more charcoal every 40 minutes. Place probes (or meat thermometers) in thickest portion of both shoulder and leg. Set final cooking temperatures to 160F (70C) for the leg, and 180F (82C) for the shoulder.

During the initial 40 minutes, check barbecue temperature. It should peak at about 225F (105C). Try to keep it within ten degrees of this temperature throughout by adjusting charcoal supply and vents on unit. This takes a bit of trial and error.

whole hog

Keep adding charcoal, checking temperatures, and making sure the water trays don't run dry.

Try to manage it so that the (quicker-cooking) leg is cooking slower than the shoulder. Ideally it should be about five to 15 degrees cooler than the shoulder.

complete cooking your whole hog

Figure out by how many degrees the temperatures increase per hour. Using this figure, estimate how long it will take to complete cooking. But beware, at around 145F everything seems to grind to a juddering halt, and the temperature doesn't budge for what seems an age. Again, we recommend allowing an hour or two's leaway.

Friday, November 26, 2010

SCOTT'S PIT COOK B.B.Q. Pig, Smoke, Pit: This Food Is Seriously Slow...




Hemingway, S.C.

AT 3:45 on a recent Saturday morning — as frogs croaked into the void and a mufflerless pickup downshifted onto Cow Head Road — Rodney Scott, 37, pitmaster here at Scott’s Variety Store and Bar-B-Q, gave the order.

“Flip the pigs,” he said, his voice calm and measured. “Let’s go. Some char is good — too much and we lose him.”

A. J. Shaw, a college student home for the summer, and Thomas Lewis, a onetime farmer, left their seats and joined Mr. Scott in the pit room, a rectangular shed dominated by two waist-high concrete banks, burnished ebony by wood smoke, ash and grease.

Ten butterflied pig carcasses — taut bellies gone slack, pink flesh gone cordovan — were in the pits when Mr. Lewis reached for the sheet of wire fencing on which one of the pigs had been roasting since 4 the previous afternoon. In lockstep, Mr. Shaw topped that same pig with a second sheet of fencing, reached his gloved fingers into the netting, and grabbed hold.

As the men struggled, the 150 pounds of dead weight torqued the makeshift wire cage. When the carcass landed, skin-side down, on the metal grid of a recently fired pit, skeins of grease trailed down the pig’s flanks, and the smoldering oak and hickory coals beneath hissed and flared.

“I cooked my first one when I was 11,” Mr. Scott said, as he seasoned the pig with lashings of salt, red pepper, black pepper and Accent, a flavor enhancer made with MSG.

Working a long-handled mop, he drenched the pig in a vinegar sauce of a similar peppery composition. “You’ve got to always be on point, when you’re cooking this way,” he said.

Cooking this way isn’t done much any more. This place, a couple of hours northwest of Charleston, as well as the Scott family approach to slow-smoking whole hogs over hardwood coals, appears to be vestigial.

For aficionados in search of ever-elusive authenticity, Scott’s offers all the rural tropes of a signal American barbecue joint. The main building is tin-roofed and time-worn. Dogs loll in the parking lot, where old shopping carts are stacked with watermelons in the summer, sweet potatoes in the fall. On church pews under the eave, locals visit with neighbors and barbecue pilgrims commune with foam clamshells stuffed with pulled pork, $8 a pound.

The cookery is simple, but the processes used by the Scott family are not.

In the manner now expected of the nation’s white-tablecloth chefs, the Scotts shop local, whenever possible. They buy pigs from farms in three nearby counties. And they turn to Mel’s Meat Market, in the nearby town of Aynor, for butcher work and delivery.

That commitment to local sources extends to the tools of their trade. A local welder constructs the burn barrels, where wood burns down into coals, from salvaged industrial piping and junked truck axles, the latter from a mechanic just down the road.

And then there’s the issue of the wood itself. Barbecue, as it’s traditionally defined in the South, requires loads of it. Some North Carolina restaurants buy surplus oak flooring from planing mills. Some Tennessee pitmasters bargain for hickory off-cuts from ax-handle manufacturers.

The Scotts take matters into their own hands. They trade labor and chainsaw expertise for oak, hickory and, occasionally, pecan. “If you have a tree down, we oblige,” Rodney Scott said that afternoon, following the all-night pit vigil. As he talked, his father, Roosevelt Scott, 67, founder of Scott’s, stood on the highway, negotiating with a man who had arrived with a limb from a live oak and the promise of two to three truckloads of pit fuel.

“We keep our own wood in reserve,” the younger Mr. Scott said. “We’ve got 100 acres. But most of it comes walking in. Everybody knows we’ll bring some boys and cut your tree for you, so long as we can get to it and it’s not hanging over your house or your garage.”

The crowd that Saturday afternoon was typical: Half black and half white, half locals and half pilgrims.

Locals, many of whom work at the Tupperware plant, on the other end of Cow Head Road, came to pick up half-pound orders, pulled from various quadrants of the pig and tossed with sauce in the manner of a meat salad. They knew to ask Virginia Washington — Rodney Scott’s cousin, the woman behind the high-top order counter — for a cook’s treat of fried pig skin, still smoky from the pit, still crisp from the deep fryer.

DeeDee Gammage planned to eat her barbecue between slices of white bread, in the car, on the way home. Lou Esther Black told Mrs. Washington that she would serve her take-away atop bowls of grits on Sunday morning. “I let the grease from the meat be my sauce,” Ms. Black said. “You don’t need butter.”

Locals knew that if they dawdled until the serving table ran low, Jackie Gordon, Rodney Scott’s aunt, would break down another pig on the bone table. They knew that, with a little luck, they might score a rack of spareribs, wrenched hot from a carcass.

Pilgrims lacked the locals’ foresight, but made up for it in appetite. The average out-of-town order was two pounds.

In addition to pork, day-trippers bought sauce by the gallon, hot or mild. (They were probably not aware that the sole difference is how far Mrs. Washington dips her ladle into the jug and whether she stirs, to loosen the pepper sediment.)

At the register, out-of-towners bought quart jars of locally grown and ground cane syrup from Ella Scott, the 67-year-old mother of Rodney Scott, and wondered aloud whether any of that syrup made it into the family’s sauce. (When asked, all the Scotts will say is that it has “a little sugar.”)

Visitors took side trips to the smoke-shrouded pit house where pigs lay splayed and sauce-puddled. They stared down into the mop sauce bucket, where sliced lemons bobbed.

They ogled the five-foot-tall burn barrels, where hunks of wood the size of footstools flame, then smolder, then break down into the coals that Mr. Scott and his colleagues shovel into the pits. They traded theories about the barrels’ construction, about how the coal grates within are formed by piercing the steel barrels with a crisscross of truck axles.

“Back home they’ve just about gone to gas for cooking,” said David Hewitt of Florence, S.C., as he waited for his order. “And they serve on buffet lines. This place is the last of a breed. If you like history, this place is full of it.”

At Scott’s, pilgrims like Mr. Hewitt don’t often notice the bits of vernacular engineering that have become family signatures, like the two-burner hot plate, set on a milk crate, beneath the metal table where Mrs. Washington doles out barbecue orders. (Those burners keep the barbecue at a temperature preferred by regular customers — and the health department.)

Similarly, the flattened cardboard boxes scattered about the cement floors may seem to be just a part of the ambient mess. But that corrugated carpet, stretching from bone table to the serving table, soaks up the grease that trails from pigs in transport and cushions Mrs. Washington’s feet.

The Scotts take pride in the traditions they uphold — and the innovations they have introduced.

“I started out working on cars in the front and pigs in the back,” Roosevelt Scott said, as crowds began to dwindle after the eighth pig of the day was hauled to the bone table. “We had a pool hall and, next door, a garage.” For a while, barbecue was secondary. The primary family business was what the elder Mr. Scott calls a “one door store,” stocked with dry goods, and that pool hall, which opened in 1972.

“This is a business for us,” he said. “We don’t do it the old way. We do it the best way we know how. That means a lot of oak. That means a lean pig, which means less grease and less a chance of grease fires. No matter which way you do it, though, some folks don’t want you to go nowhere.”

His son echoed his feelings. “People keep talking about how old-fashioned what we do is,” he said. “Old-fashioned was working the farm as a boy. I hated those long hours, that hot sun. Compared to that, this is a slow roll.”


trevor marine korea pics via zack white...






Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Last Brisket Show

Sky Full of Bacon 03: The Last Brisket Show from Michael Gebert on Vimeo.

It's Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago-based high-definition video podcast about interesting people and great-looking food.



Taylor, Texas is a legendary barbecue mecca, home to BBQ joints still serving up brisket and sausage like they did 75 years ago-- though the cottonpickers they served then are computer programmers today. We go inside Louie Mueller Barbecue, the most smoke-stained restaurant in America, as owner Bobby Mueller shows us how great barbecue is made. And we'll sit a spell with Vencil Mares, 84-year-old proprietor of Taylor Cafe, as he reminisces about the wild old honky tonk days in his place. (13:06) More info at skyfullofbacon.com/blog



UPDATE 9/8: I was shocked to learn today that Bobby Mueller had passed away over the weekend at the age of 69. I hope my video is a fitting tribute to a man who served thousands some of the best BBQ in the world.

SMOKES & EARS

SMOKES & EARS from Joe York on Vimeo.

Smokes & Ears tells the story of the Big Apple Inn in Jackson, Mississippi. Known as "Big John's" by its faithful customers, the Big Apple Inn's defining duo of pig ear sandwiches and hot smoked sausage sandwiches (known as "smokes") has kept folks coming back again and again for over 70 years, and counting.

CUT/CHOP/COOK

CUT/CHOP/COOK from Joe York on Vimeo.

Fried Chicken...


Total Time:

1 hr 25 min

  • Prep: 10 min
  • Inactive Prep: 1 hr 0 min
  • Cook: 15 min
  • Level: Intermediate
  • Yield: 4 servings of 2 pieces/ Ingredients:
  • 4 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 8 chicken drumsticks
  • 4 cups buttermilk
  • Canola oil, for frying
recipe tools/ Directions:
Mix the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and dry mustard powder together in a bowl. Divide the spices evenly between 2 mixing bowls. Add the flour to 1 of the bowls, mix well, and set aside.

Rub the chicken drumsticks with the reserved spice mix. Poke all of the pieces with a fork a few times to let the flavors seep down into the meat. Set aside.

Pour the buttermilk over the chicken, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cook's Note: You can also let the chicken marinate longer, even overnight.

Add the flour mixture to a large re-sealable plastic bag. Remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk and in batches, drop them into the bag, shaking them to make sure they become heavily coated.

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 360 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer, a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.)

Drop the coated chicken drumsticks into the hot oil. Turn the pieces as they brown and do not let them touch each other while frying. Work in batches, if necessary check the underside of a piece by lifting it with tongs. It should be a deep golden brown. Cook the chicken until the pieces are crispy and brown, about 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

To test for doneness: Cut into the thickest part of a drumstick. The juices should run clear and the meat should be opaque throughout. If necessary, pop the chicken into a preheated 325 degree F oven, until they are fully cooked.

Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain the excess oil.

Transfer the drumsticks onto a serving platter, or put into a bucket. Serve the chicken hot, room temperature, or cold.


Emeril’s Fresh Take On Farm To Table...

Emeril in the kitchen of Fresh Food Fast

Emeril in the kitchen of Fresh Food Fast

Emeril Lagasse is no stranger to making meals from locally-sourced and seasonal ingredients. From the time he began learning to cook from his mother in Fall River, Mass, through advanced culinary training in Paris and Lyon, France, he cooked with produce right from the farm.

Back in the States, he worked his way through top restaurants in New York, Boston and Philly; building a reputation for using only the freshest ingredients.

Today, Emeril is the chef-proprietor of twelve restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando, Miami, Gulfport and Bethlehem, and still remains devoted to fresh and local. He works with cottage industry ranchers, farmers and fishermen to support that vision.

Next month, Cooking Channel is debuting Emeril’s brand new show Fresh Food Fast. He’ll share his favorite recipes that show off the taste and flavor of locally-sourced ingredients: fresh vegetables, salads and dressings, organic poultry and meats, sandwiches and seafood.

I made Emeril’s Quick Homemade BBQ Sauce at home yesterday evening. It filled my kitchen with the aromatic smell of cumin and garlic, followed by the tangy, vinegar-sweet aroma of the simmering sauce. I poured it over a simple grilled chicken and pickle sandwich and reveled in the smokey, rich flavor. I’m happy to share a sneak peek of his recipe below.

Emeril's Quick Homemade BBQ Sauce

Emeril's Quick Homemade BBQ Sauce

Emeril’s Quick Homemade BBQ Sauce
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, courtesy MSLO, Inc.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed chipotle pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 (24-ounce) bottle tomato ketchup
1 cup apple juice or cider
1/4 cup vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, chipotle pepper flakes, and ground cumin. Cook the mixture for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and soft.

Add the brown sugar, ketchup, apple juice, vinegar, and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes longer.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Use the sauce immediately or cover and refrigerate, for up to 2 weeks, until ready to use.

Yield: about 4 cups
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes

Honey-Lemon-Thyme Cornish Game Hens...

Ingredients/ Recipe copyright Emeril Lagasse, courtesy MSLO, Inc. Show: Fresh Food Fast with Emeril Lagasse Episode: Thanksgiving
  • 4 (1-pound each) Cornish game hens, spatchcocked*
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 5 lemons, 4 juiced, 1 thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish
Directions
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Rinse the hens well under cool running water. Pat them dry with paper towels.

Melt the butter with the chopped fresh thyme in a small saucepan. In a small bowl, combine the juice of 4 lemons, honey, and soy sauce. Add the melted thyme butter and mix to combine. Reserve.

Heat a large cast iron pan on medium heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.

Generously salt and pepper the hens and lay them skin-side down in the hot pan. Sear 4 minutes each side.

Pour 1/3 of the glaze on the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking dish. Transfer the hens, and their pan drippings, to the baking dish. Pour the remaining glaze over the hens and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until a thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove the dish from the oven and let them rest for about 5 minutes. Garnish with the sliced lemon and fresh thyme sprigs, and serve.

Cook's Note: to check the temperature, insert an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, avoiding any bones. Notes

*Cook's Note: Spatchcocking: Place the game hen breast side down on a cutting board. Using scissors or poultry shears, cut from the neck to the tailbone to remove the backbone. Make a small slit in the cartilage at the base of the breastbone to reveal the keel bone. Grab the bird with both hands on the ribs and open up like a book, facing down towards the cutting board. Remove the keel bone. Cut small slits in the skin of the bird behind the legs and tuck the drumsticks into them in order to hold them in place.

trevor halcomb...

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

happy thanksgiving!!! "all pics are from my FB friends"...














Tyler's Ultimate Barbecued Chicken/ brine... & bbq sauce...



Show: Tyler's UltimateEpisode: Ultimate BBQ Chicken/ Brine:
  • 2 quarts water
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 6 chicken legs and thighs, still connected, bone in, skin on, about 10 ounces each/ The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:
  • 1 slice bacon
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
  • Freshly ground black pepper/ Directions:
For the brine, in a mixing bowl combine the water, salt, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Transfer the brine to a 2-gallon sized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, close the bag and refrigerate 2 hours (if you've only got 15 minutes, that's fine) to allow the salt and seasonings to penetrate the chicken.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the chicken at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for basting the legs.
Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue to a medium heat. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towel and carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill to make a nonstick surface. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry on paper towels. Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill and cook, turn once mid-way, and cook for a total of 10 minutes. Transfer the grill marked chicken to a cookie sheet and then place in the oven. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and then brush liberally, coating every inch of the legs with the barbecue sauce and then return to the oven for 25 to 30 more minutes, basting the chicken for a second time half way through remaining cooking time. Serve with extra sauce.