By Roger Rael
The Raton Range
Some recipes come from cookbooks. Others come from people you never forget.
This Labor Day, I wanted to share one that came from my Uncle Johnny of Milan, New Mexico, a man who believed in serving his country, feeding his family, and making sure nobody left the table hungry.
Uncle Johnny served four years in the U.S. Army. When that chapter ended, he turned around and joined the U.S. Marine Corps for another four years. That tells you something about the kind of man he was.
He has since passed away, and he is greatly missed.
But families have funny ways of keeping people with us. Sometimes it is a photograph tucked inside a drawer. Sometimes it is a story told so many times everybody knows the ending.
And sometimes it is barbecue sauce.
Uncle Johnny had a recipe that could make you take that first bite, stop chewing for a second, and say, “Wow. This is great.”
That is what makes sharing it this Labor Day special. Somewhere between the smoke coming off the grill, the smell of roasted chile, and everybody standing around waiting for the first piece of chicken, Uncle Johnny gets to come back to the table for a little while.
UNCLE JOHNNY’S NEW MEXICO BBQ CHICKEN
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
8 to 10 chicken thighs or drumsticks
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 to 2 teaspoons New Mexico red chile powder
1/4 cup chopped roasted green chile
Salt and black pepper to taste
A few shakes of hot sauce, if you want Uncle Johnny’s recipe to bite back
Directions
Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, red chile powder, and green chile in a saucepan.
Simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place it on a medium-hot grill. Cook slowly, turning regularly.
Wait until the chicken is nearly cooked before brushing on the sauce. The sugar in barbecue sauce can burn quickly, so patience is part of the recipe.
Brush generously with sauce, turn the chicken, brush it again, and allow the outside to become sticky and slightly charred around the edges.
Cook poultry to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Serve it with potato salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, watermelon, and whatever else somebody carried through the front door.
This Labor Day, fire up the grill, gather the family, and make a little extra.
Uncle Johnny would probably have wanted somebody to come back for seconds.
