When Hugh Mangum was growing up in Los Angeles, his Texan father showed off his barbecue skills in their backyard nearly every weekend. It became a ritual for the family to patiently tend to the fire.
After his father’s death more than 20 years ago, Mangum carried on the tradition, first experimenting with a little smoker after he moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
“Whenever I start a fire, there’s just this kind of presence,” he said. “I feel it in the soul of my belly, my heart, like he’s there.”
Now he is more steeped than ever in the barbecue world, with in-laws from barbecue-loving North Carolina and a 7,000-pound smoker. Not to mention his nine locations of Mighty Quinn’s barbecue restaurants in the New York area, plus franchises in Florida and Maryland.
His father’s recipes formed the base of the menu at Mighty Quinn’s and now of Mangum’s new book, “Barbecue: Smoked & Grilled Recipes From Across the Globe.”
Where the book differs from the restaurants is its international outlook, and that was inspired by his father too. The elder Mangum had traveled the world for work, bringing back influences from Peru, Japan, Spain and elsewhere.
“He so celebrated food all over the world, ” Mangum said. “So, I think that there was a seed planted.”
In the book, the seed translates into using a meat grinder for homemade sausages spiced as they are in Bulgaria, Panama or Alsace, France. Or making skewers in the style of the Philippines, Bali, Lebanon or Croatia, for starters.
Short ribs can be simply smoked with only salt and black pepper. Or other recipes call for grilling and slathering ribs with Colombian chimichurri or marinating them in Korean seasonings and serving the meat in lettuce wraps.
He calls beef brisket the “holy grail of Texas barbecue but also the most daunting cut of meat to smoke.” It requires 12 hours of consistently tending the fire, but he promises incredibly juicy meat “with a bark that is equal parts smoky and salty with a hint of sweetness.”
For beginners, Mangum recommended smoking chicken, starting with wings to get used to a new smoker before trying a half chicken.
Despite all the variations on grilled red meat in the book, he said one of his favorite recipes is gai yang, whole grilled chicken from northeastern Thailand. Marinated for 12 hours with a puree of lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce, turmeric and more, the chicken is grilled first on the cool side of the grill skin side up. Just before it finishes cooking, he flips it over the high heat to crisp the skin.
Served with two dipping sauces, it’s smoky and lightly charred, and bursting with flavor.
“It’s this incredibly flavorful, bombastic version of chicken that people will be like, ‘Holy crap,’” he said. “It’s just so good.”
Thai Grilled Chicken with Sweet Chili Sauce
From “Barbecue: Smoked & Grilled Recipes From Across the Globe,” by Hugh Mangum
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus overnight marinating and at least 1 hour standing
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
For the marinated chicken:
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, outer leaves removed and chopped
½ cup (1 oz/25 g) cilantro (coriander) with stems, chopped
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons sweet soy sauce or dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar or light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 (5–6-lb/2–3-kg) chicken, butterflied
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For the dipping sauce (Nam Jim Jaew):
1 tablespoon palm sugar or light brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon toasted sticky rice (kao khua), ground (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
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For serving:
Sticky rice
Lime wedges
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Directions:
For the chicken:
In a food processor, combine the garlic, shallots, lemongrass and cilantro and blend to a paste. Add the remaining ingredients except the chicken and blend well.
Rub the marinade over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight or, preferably, 12 hours.
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For the dipping sauce:
Combine the sugar and 1 tablespoon hot water in a large bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients; set aside.
One to 2 hours before cooking, bring the chicken to room temperature.
Preheat a grill to high for indirect grilling (hot coals grouped on on side, or just half the burners turned on a gas grill).
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Place the chicken, skin side up, on the cooler side and cook for 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 140°F (use a meat thermometer). Flip the chicken and place it on the hot side of the grill. Cook for another 3 minutes, until the skin is crispy. Set aside to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve warm with sticky rice, the dipping sauce and lime.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Albert Stumm lives in Barcelona and writes about food, travel and wellness. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com
