Barbecued chicken gives cooks a backyard escape

Most men relate differently to their grills than women. At least at my house, a man with tongs, meat and fire has an excuse to hide in the backyard, sip beer, and play the banjo — preferably for a very long time.

As you might imagine, certain grilling recipes tolerate this scenario more successfully than others. Take today's Barbecued Chicken Quarters with Fred's Red Barbecue Sauce: The meat cooks slowly and with little fuss. Beer sipping and strumming need be interrupted only at sporadic intervals. Even then, all that's required is a quick brushing or turning. Dousing is in order if flames erupt, but that's considered a bonus.

Fire, man, meat. It's a foolproof, incredibly easy recipe. There's just one more thing you need: terrific taste, and that's covered, too. Today's recipe comes as a special delivery from Beverly's brother-in-law Fred Bisel, another banjo-strumming, slow-grilling guru. Maybe it's something about the bluegrass music that makes the chicken great, but I don't think so. My money is on the spices.

If slow grilling isn't in the cards for you anytime soon, check our new Web site at www.kitchenscoop.com for our quick "Emergency Grilled Chicken" recipe. Both work great with Fred's Red or any other barbecue sauce.

Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross are co-authors of "Desperation Dinners!" (Workman, 1997), "Desperation Entertaining!" (Workman, 2002) and "Cheap. Fast. Good!" (Workman, 2006). Contact them at Desperation Dinners, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, or send e-mail to tellus@kitchenscoop.com. Or visit the Desperation Dinners Web site at www.kitchenscoop.com.

© Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross.

Dist. by United Feature Syndicate Inc.

Menu suggestion:

Barbecued Chicken Quarters

Corn on the cob

Potato salad

Barbecued Chicken Quarters

Start to finish: 5 minutes preparation, plus 45 to 50 minutes to grill

4 chicken thigh-drumstick quarters (about 31/2 pounds, see Cook's note)

4 teaspoons vegetable oil, or as needed

salt and black pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

apple-cider vinegar, for basting (about 1?3 cup)