This black pepper vinegar sauce is very much an ode to the vinegar-based barbecue sauce served in the restaurants and homes of eastern North Carolina. When you hear barbecue referred to as “Carolina style,” you know it means that your pulled pork, ribs, or chicken will be paired with a tangy, often mustard-laced, and always tomato-free vinegary sauce. If you have the wherewithal—and the will—to cold-smoke your chicken as we do in the restaurant, by all means do so, but simply roasting the chicken in the oven will more than suffice. Either way, you’ll be looking at an incredibly flavorful chicken dish.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　

Black Pepper Vinegar Sauce

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

　　3 tablespoons honey

　　1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

　　2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

　　1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

　　1/3 cup canola oil

　　1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

　　

Chicken

1 (4-pound) whole chicken, excess fat trimmed, rinsed and patted dry

　　2 tablespoons canola oil

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　Green Chile Spoonbread (page 185)

　　

Step 1

To make the sauce, whisk together the mustard, honey, vinegar, pepper, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the canola and olive oils and then slowly add to the mustard mixture, whisking until emulsified. Let sit at room temperature while you prepare the chicken, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

　　

Step 2

Brush the entire chicken with the oil and lightly season inside and out with salt and pepper. If desired, cold-smoke the chicken for 20 minutes according to the directions on page 249.

　　

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

　　

Step 4

Put the chicken, breast side up, on a rack set inside a large roasting pan. Roast the chicken until it begins to turn light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 155°F, about 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

　　

Step 5

Drizzle some of the sauce onto a large platter, top with the carved chicken, and place the spoonbread on the side. Serve extra sauce on the side.

　　Reprinted with permission from Bobby Flay's Bar Americain Cookbook by Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson, (C) 2011 Clarkson PotterBOBBY FLAY, a New York Times bestselling author, is the chef-owner of six fine dining restaurants, including Mesa Grill, Bar Americain, and Bobby Flay Steak, and an expanding roster of Bobby's Burger Palaces. He is the host of numerous popular cooking shows on Food Network, from the Emmy-winning Boy Meets Grill and Grill It! with Bobby Flay, to the Iron Chef America series, Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, and Food Network Star. Brunch @ Bobby's debuted on the Cooking Channel in fall 2010 and America's Next Great Restaurant debuted in March 2011 on NBC. This is his eleventh book. His website is BobbyFlay.com.