Cool, North breezes...

Cool, light breezes out of the North. Shorter days. Frosty windshields in the mornings. A lone, scout sandhill crane flying overhead looking for a suitable place to bring all his buddies. Migrations have started. My time of year is here.

I know I said that I was excited before my elk hunt, and I was. I truly was. And shooting doves might be #2 on my list of favorite things to do ever. Those are both still a far cry from what I really love doing. I'm a duck hunter, plain and simple. I have been since I shot my first duck 21 years ago. I keep trying to pick up new hobbies like elk hunting, fly fishing, and trying to really get into the whole Western hunting thing. I honestly do enjoy those things. Lots. But ducks are on my brain 12 months out of the year...365 days straight I think about ducks at some point and time during the day.

Setting decoys out in the pre-dawn with the sound of wings over head. Random peeps and quacks and whistles from ducks just waking up in the dark. Coffee never tastes better. I can't describe the feelings that come from the sound of wind ripping through cupped wings when birds are dropping into your group of pseudo-ducks. Or how awesome it is to see a dog locked onto a belly and a set of kicking webbed feet.

I don't expect most folks to understand it, although most hunters will understand. For some people it's a bugling bull elk or a mature gobbler trying his damndest to wake up the world that fires them up(both of which will tie you up in knots if you love the outdoors like I do). For others, it might be a pack of beagles working a briar thicket chasing after bunnies on a frosty morning. For me, it's web-footed birds. Simply put, decoying ducks is the most fun I know how to have with my clothes on. I've been blessed by the duck hunting opportunities that the Lord has given me over the years without a doubt.

Our season started last week, and even though I don't get to hunt as much as I would like(but really, who does?), a good Saturday morning keeps me going until the next weekend. And Saturday was a good day.

Good luck to all you duck hunters, where ever you are, in your upcoming openers. I hope everyone has a stellar year ahead of them.

You feel like chicken tonight?

I'm a little hesitant to put this all over the interwebs for everyone to see, but I like helping folks and making them happy(and my BBQ chicken tends to make people happy) so here it goes. It's a longer process, so don't plan on going from the fridge to the grill to the table in an hour. That ain't going to happen. Rome wasn't built in a day, was it?

First off, you need chicken. I like to use thighs or leg quarters,  but I do know some folks prefer white meat and this works just fine too. I sprinkle the thighs with a little garlic salt(and sometimes a little paprika) on both sides, and put it on a grill that's not too hot(indirect heat works best). I guess around 350 or so, but I don't pay that much attention to it, just remember that you're going to be cooking this chicken for a couple of hours and not searing steaks.

When the chicken goes on, it's time to start the magic...the sauce. Here's most of what you'll need(I know that the beer is a yankee beer, but I felt like branching out from my usual Keystone or Shiner for a bit. Please forgive me). Not pictured is the pepper and brown sugar.

Fill a pot up about 3/4 full of apple cider vinegar and bring it to a boil, then just let it simmer for about 45 minutes or so.

If too much of the vinegar "cooks out" of the pot, just add a little more. Pour in a jar of BBQ sauce of your liking. I like Stubb's and Sticky Fingers(but you can't get Sticky Fingers out here, so I stick with Stubb's). You can add more than a jar if you want. The more you add to the vinegar, the thicker and less tangy the sauce will be. Add some garlic salt, and mesquite seasoning. I like to add some black and red pepper and a handful or two of dark brown sugar sometimes too. Feel free to taste as you go and add what you think you need. This recipe is more like a set of broad guidelines rather than a blue-print, so add whatever you want. Bring the sauce back to a light simmer and stir every few minutes. Then turn the heat down so you don't burn the sauce.

When the juice has started running clear from the chicken, it's time to start dunking it. I'll drop a few pieces in the pot and let it sit in there for a  minute before I throw it back on the grill. This is where indirect heat, or very low heat is key. You have to keep an eye out for flair-ups once you start saucing the poultry. I usually dunk the chicken every 10-15 minutes for about an hour. If you're worried about over-cooking the yard-bird and drying it out, don't be. You can turn down the heat if you want, but the repeated dunkings keeps the meat moist. When I take the chicken off for the last time, I give it a good dunking again before it goes on the platter so that it looks like this while it's waiting to be devoured.

As you might imagine, potatoe salad, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, corn, beans, and rolls all go good with this, so pair it up with whatever sounds best to you. Serve with lots of napkins, you're going to need them.

Caveat lector: I wouldn't suggest this as a meal for a first date. Chances are, you'll both have pretty saucy faces and this could be a big turn-off for some folks.

Now for you folks reading this that still reside in South Carolina, I know that this isn't true Low Country BBQ chicken, but it turns out that most folks outside of our little culinary circle don't like just vinegar and pepper for BBQ sauce, so don't go hatin'. I haven't found anyone yet that doesn't like my little spin on it, so don't leave me nasty messages about how I've gone and forgotten what real BBQ chicken is.