Barbecued Chicken Can Take You To The West Indies

While researching a book on Caribbean seasonings, I came across a roadside stand with a sign boasting “poulet boucane” - buccaneer chicken.

Now, Guadeloupe is dotted with roadside stands, and most of them specialize in chicken. The bird soaks overnight in tangy marinade redolent with West Indian spices and is smokily grilled over charcoal. It’s some of the best street food you’ll find anywhere in the world: moist, smoky, spicy, finger-licking sweet and fall-off-the-bone tender.

Unfortunately, as far as the cook was concerned, its preparation was a classified secret. I observed the plastic buckets of marinade, where island-grown spices floated amid lime rinds and Scotch bonnet chiles. I saw the grill, a hinged 55-gallon drum with welded metal legs, but I couldn’t watch the preparation.

Fortunately, Sylvie Regina came to my rescue. Sylvie works for the Martinique Promotion Board and her lilting accent belies someone who grew up in the French West Indies. She remembers buccaneer chicken from family gatherings during her childhood in the suburbs of Fort de France.

Like a New England clambake or Maryland crab feast, buccaneer chicken is served chiefly at family or community celebrations. A Texan would certainly recognize the equipment and preparation: a metal drum with a low smoky fire at one end and a chicken roasting at the other. He’d call the process barbecue.

The smoky fire and the low indirect heat contribute to the chicken’s succulence and flavor. But what makes it absolutely unique is the use of sugar cane trimmings to generate the smoke. The wealth of French West Indies was built on sugar and cane fields that still dot the Guadeloupe and Martinique countrysides.

It is the trimmings from this sugar cane that give buccaneer chicken its distinctive smoky sweetness. But even without cane, you can prepare a highly respectable buccaneer chicken using hardwood chips, such as cherry or maple (soaked in cold water for 2 hours before using).

This recipe may seem a little involved, but actually it’s a series of simple steps. I’ve given instructions for a charcoal or gas barbecue grill (you could also use a patio-style smoker).

Buccaneer Chicken

2 large whole chickens (about 5 pounds each)

3 limes

8 cloves garlic, crushed

1 bunch green onions, coarsely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped parsley (preferably flat-leaf)

1 to 3 Scotch bonnet (habanero) chiles or other hot pepper, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh or dried thyme

1 tablespoon whole cloves

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

2 teaspoons allspice berries

1 cinnamon stick

1 whole nutmeg

6 cups water

1 cup dark rum

1 tablespoon wine vinegar

3 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 pound sugar cane trimmings or fresh cane split lengthwise (see note), or 1-1/2 cups hardwood chips

Wash chickens and pat dry. Cut each chicken into quarters through breast and backbone. Set aside.

To prepare marinade, cut limes in half and extract juice, reserving rinds. Place juice and rinds in large nonreactive bowl or plastic container. Add garlic, onions, parsley, chiles, thyme, cloves, peppercorns, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, water, rum, vinegar, salt and brown sugar. Stir until salt is dissolved. Add chickens, turning to coat all sides. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours.

Make fire in one side of barbecue grill. (If using gas grill, heat one side but not the other. If using charcoal, build fire on one side or around edges, leaving center empty.) Let fire burn down to low. Place sugar cane or wood chips in smoking pan or heavy-duty aluminum pan on fire. Remove chickens from marinade and place, cut side down, as far away from flames as possible.

Smoke-cook chickens until done, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. (If using charcoal fire, add coals as necessary.) When chicken is cooked, legs will wiggle in joints and juices will run clear. Because chicken is smoked rather than grilled, meat near joints may remain a little pink even when chicken is fully cooked. Serve hot or cold.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Note: Sugar cane is available at some larger supermarkets and specialty stores, usually from Frieda’s, a California produce company.