need help[ on tandoori try

char buddy

I've decided to try a tandoori chicken today (drumsticks). I have had them in a tandoori marinade overnight and now I want to be sure I have the temps and times
right. (I'm using a tandoori marinade that my wife got from an Indian cookbook. Wish I had the recipe to pass along.) [p]I checked in at GFW's site and he's got a nice write up on doing bone-in chicken breasts. (25 mintues at 600* dome temp, turn three times and cook to an internal
temp of 165*). But GFW thought his chicken was a little dry and he thought he should dook it hotter and faster. I also checked the archives. Wasn't there a
little chat here last year about tandoori chicken? Anyway I couldn't find those posts[p]What should I do with chicken drum sticks tandoori-style? Any advice appreciated. [p]BTW, this is a great forum and GFW and Tim M have new stuff on their web sites.

Dr. Chicken

char buddy,
I think it was Brad Davidson that had the round with tandoori chicken. You might look at the new recipe file and see who submitted the tandoori sauce.(I didn't think to look at who submitted it! Sorry!)[p]You've probably already hit the sack, but you'll read this when you get up.[p]Good luck and good eating![p]
Dr. Chicken

3 Balut's

char buddy, Alan Z on the Kamado Forum www.zenreich.com/zenweb/kamado.htm has a blurb on Tandoori Chicken that he adapted for the "K" from a recipe book or a cook show. Think he cooked for 12 mins but check it out though.
I'm in hour 13 of a Boston butt on my egg.
You know as well as I as soon as all the eggr's wake up your question will be answered by a pro! [p]V/R
VaNole

Nature Boy

char buddy, Just woke up to a 230 degree egg after a nice solid 8 hour sleep. When I crashed last night, it was 250. Not bad. Sir Boston Buttocks is hanging out in the plateau at 165 internal. Should be about done in time for lunch. [p]I have done Taandori twice...once from a book recipe, and once with bd's recipe. Not sure about the best way to get "pure" taandoori chicken on the egg would be. I know that the Tandoori ovens they normally cook it in are very hot. Rhum&Jerk once mentioned something about hanging the chicken in the upper part of the dome, and cooking over a hot fire.[p]I have had great luck with cooking thighs and drumsticks indirect at 450-500. Hot enough to brown things nicely, and you don't have to open the egg, except to flip once after 30 minutes. Breasts would work well too, but pulling off at 165 (and not a minte too late) is a must to avoid dry meat. I usually do thighs and drumsticks, and they take 45 minutes or so.[p]If you cook direct, I would not go over 400 (IMO), and they will require flipping and moving around every 10 minutes.[p]Just my opinions...and I am no tandoori expert!
Enjoy your cook, and your Sunday!
NB

YB

char buddy,
You might find what your looking for at this site,good luck,let us know how it turns out.[p]Larry
[ul][li]Indian Cooking[/ul]

Uncle Dave

char buddy,
I'm no expert but I can say I cook a lot of legs for my son direct. 375 for 40min turning every ten will work and it will be done. Good luck

not Jo

char buddy,
I've been making Indian food one way or another since I first got married in 1976 and there was only one Indian restaurant in LA that was to far and to expensive once we had kids, I learned from their indian tandoor chef. I use this marinade/rub for Tandoor Chicken. [p]You will need a small cast iron skillet (or large just put a low flame under to toast your spices). You will also need a Mortar and Pestle (Gosh I wish the camera I'd bought had arrived I'd show you mine <G>) I'll still show you mine eventually. You can get them at a GOOD asian grocery. BTW don't waste your time with toy marble ones (sorry if that offends it's my experience tho).[p]Toasting spices is a bit of an learned thing.... you want to warm the skillet and then toss in the WHOLE spice and allow it to warm until just the smallest scent or whisp of smoke erupts if you leave it even a second to long you get an ugly burnt/bitter taste but oh man you get it just warmed to release the aromatic oil and it's heaven. [p]Dry spices; toast separately and then toss into mortar (I grind as soon as I toss in they go quicker when warm) grind till smooth. [p]1generous T whole coriander (you are aiming for about a Tablespoon ground)
1T whole cumin (as above)
1tsp whole cardamom (be extremely heat conscious with this)
1tsp black pepper corns
1 or 2 whole cloves
(dump these into bowl when ground smooth)[p]Now grind your moist ingredients to a smooth paste:
1T garlic sliced (you mash in mortar and pestle)
1T ginger sliced(fresh again you mash in m&p)
1T Salt (you put in the salt here to help grind the garlic and ginger)[p]
Add these to the same bowl you have your dry powder in and mix well with:
1/4 tsp GOOD quality ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (Use a little nutmeg grinder and a whole nutmeg)
1/4 tsp mace[p]
Now this is the hard part to tell you what to do and comes from experience so you have to do this more than once. You need plain yogurt (really kind of sourish) lemon juice to cut if the yogurt is to thick or not sour enough. So you taste your yogurt if you like it bitier you will add more lemon (or vinegar). Add 2-3 tablespoons of this to the spice paste you have just made taste just a TINY bit (it will be peculiar) but you want sour level. Add lemon juice to adjust sour (can use all lemon or substitute vinegar) and yogurt to adjust moisture until you have a nice paste for rubbing.. then add some cayenne pepper do NOT add the cayenne until the paste is done or you will NOT want to taste for sour level (more than once or twice if like me you like warm).[p]I usually use about 1/2 cup of yogurt and about 1/2 or so of a lemon[p]Anyway now you take this paste and rub on your thighs and legs..... let rest 24 hours and cook. BTW to keep my hands from rubbing into chicken I put the paste into a ziploc bag (or you guys could use those terrific vaccum things) then dump in the chicken and close, then kind of knead to distribute stuff.[p]Tandoors look like our eggs but they don't open like our humpty instead they have a dinnerplate opening on the top and the tandoor chef reaches briefly into this kiln and plops naan on the upper walls or inserts these long skewers. You can tell a tandoor chef as they have no arm hair.[p]They then (the way I've seen it done) skewer the chicken and angle these skewers into the oven. The skewers are very long and the chicken is up closer to the top then the bottom of course you can move the chicken up or down the skewer for nearness to coals. Now my tandoor chicken I've used this marinade on was always done on a grill I didn't own an egg last time I made this.[p]But I'd bet you could run the heat up and using hmmmm coat hangers maybe to flimsy but welding rods? I dunno what do you metal guys think? and put the skewered chicken in through the top hole with the cap removed?[p]Anyway there's the paste/marinade I use. For the cooking you're on your own as you are ALL more expert on Humpty than I.
Jo
PS if you want the color more orangeish use a little saffron with a tsp of heated milk to release color.