A Father's Day Gift.........

....to myself.


Let me start by saying that I'm not a huge scotch drinker.  I prefer the bourbon.
But recently I was introduced to a scotch that left an impression on me.  So much so that when I finally found this brand at a liquor store, I broke down and bought a bottle.
I'm not into really smokey scotch's.  You know, the kind that tastes like it was filtered through a chimney and it seems that the majority of scotch's that I have sampled always followed this pattern.  Now I will be the first to admit that I don't know a lot about scotch and I haven't sampled many of the hundreds of different brands out there, mainly because of the price tag but I do know when I like something.  I like this.  Allow me to introduce you to Edradour.


First a little history. (from wikipedia)
Edradour is a Highland single malt whisky made in Pitlochry, Perthshire, from the distillery of the same name, which is reputed to be the smallest in Scotland.  Established in 1825, the distillery is run by three men. Only twelve casks are produced each week.  This is then laid down to mature for at least 10 years until the whisky reaches the peak quality.  The stills are the smallest in use of any distillery in Scotland. Were they any smaller, they would be deemed by HM Revenue and Customs to be portable, with the implicit capacity for illegal production.  A variety of whiskies are available from the distillery. Most are chill-filtered, a process by which the esters and oils are removed, producing a cleaner look to the whisky, which when chilled or has ice added to it does not turn cloudy.


If you want to know more about the distilling process, checkout their website:
http://www.edradour.co.uk/craftframe.html

For this single malt scotch I prefer to drink it neat, no ice.  And because everyones' palate is different, all I will say is that it has a slight nutty and honey flavor with just a hint of smoke to go with with its wonderful golden hue.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle.......if you can find one.

Drunken Beer Can Chicken

The weather here in Georgia this past Saturday was beautiful.  Sunny, a high of 79, nice breeze.  A perfect day for firing up the grill and making beer can chicken. 
It's one of those recipes that only a drunkard could have come up with.  Hey, I resemble that remark!
Time to make the rub.
One teaspoon of brown sugar, dry mustard, chili powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Take this mixture and rub it all over the ins and outs of the chicken.  Don't forget to get under the skin too.
Let the bird rest for about ten minutes.
Now would be a good time to get your grill started.  We're looking for a temp of 375.  Once this is established it's time to locate that chicken stand you've stashed away somewhere, dust it off and shove it in the bird.  If you don't have one I would recommend this:  Rosle Chicken Roaster
Now you need to select the beer you want to use to steam the inside of the chicken.  If you search the web you'll find lots of opinions on the the beer you should use.  Personally, I use the cheap stuff and nothing beats an ice cold PBR.  You don't even have to use beer.  Use apple juice or maybe even some dark rum.  It all depends on your preference.
If you decide to use beer then follow these instructions to the letter.  This is very important.  After you've made your selection, be sure to drink half of it.  No sense in wasting an entirely good beer.
Now that that's been established it's time to put the bird on the grill.

For the first twenty minutes you'll want to periodically baste the bird.  I use a spray bottle with equal parts bourbon, apple cider vinegar and balsamic.  Again, choose whatever flavors you're preferable to and then use this mixture to liberally spray down the chicken.  After doing this for about twenty minutes it's time to set your timer for an hour and now go to the fridge and open another beer, kick back and relax.  Periodically spray the chicken down with your special basting mixture.
By now you're probably passed out from drinking all of that beer in the past hour and your timer should be waking you up.  Grab you trusty meat thermometer and check the thigh of the bird to see if the temp has reached at least 170 degrees.  

If so, you're finished!  Take the bird inside and let it rest for ten minutes.  Slice and serve.  Tastes great, less filling.