The winning dish of this year’s Halal BBQ Pitmasters competition was Kamran Rizvi’s “Karachi Bam Chicken.” It was so good that he nearly got a perfect score from the judges (he lost one point on appearance). One of the judges (Rosie from our favorite halal Thai restaurant Noodle Wave) commented this dish reminded her of the street food where she grew up, evoking emotions of missing her hometown. Having tried Kamran’s dish myself, I attest that it bursted with layers of flavor. In fact, I’ll be trying to replicate it this weekend for my family.

I’ve used the below marinade to make chicken wings too.

As part of our ongoing series interviewing the competitors, below are Kamran’s answers and his outstanding recipe.

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What type of grill/smoker do you have?Big Green Egg (XL). Protip – get the XL if you are in the market for one.

What grills/smokers have you had in the past?O-Grill (portable grill – works great and gets really hot). Makes fantastic steak. Great grill for apartments/townhomes.

What is the favorite grill/smoker you’ve ever had and why? Love the Big Green Egg. I am hoping it’s the only grill/smoker I am going to ever need. With the price that they are charging that better be the case!

I love grilling over charcoal. The BGE maintains heat very well, so its really good for long cooks (brisket, ribs, smoked turkey, etc).

The Big Green Egg is a kamado style grill. There are other brand names as well, they are all very similar. But I think BGE and Kamado Joe are probably the two best made ones.

At what age did you start grilling/smoking meat? (provide details/circumstances if possible) With my dad at the age of 10 or so. So many fond memories of grilling in the backyard or at a picnic. My dad loved BBQ and that’s where I get it from!

What do you enjoy the most about grilling/smoking? Good times with friends and family!

What’s your signature dish? Ribeye and Chicken are my two “signatures” if you want to call it that. Lol.

Give us one tip/hack to make improve our grilling/BBQ skills. Think of fire as an ingredient. Like salt or pepper. Fire and char is an ingredient like any other – use it to contribute to taste.

Karachi Bam Chicken

Ingredients :

• 1 Tbsp Cumin Powder
• 1.5 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Paprika
• 1 Tsp Garlic powder
• 1 Tsp onion powder
• .5 Tsp freshly grind black pepper
• .5 Tsp red chili flakes
• 2 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 1 tsp organic apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
• 1 whole chicken with skin
• 1 stick unsalted butter melted and mixed with desired amount of green habanero sauce.

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in bowl with half cup olive oil and lemon, leaving a little dry ingredient mixture on the side to dash on the outside of skin at the end. Lather mixes spices and olive oil all over and underneath skin of spatchcocked chicken. Take melted butter/habanero sauce mixture and drizzle only underneath the chicken skin. Lightly sprinkle mixture of dry ingredients all over outside of chicken with a dash of TLC and Karachi in mind at the end. Place chicken in ziploc bag set in fridge to marinate for at least 24 hours.

When ready to grill make sure to leave the chicken out at room temperature for at least 40 minutes prior to grilling.

For grilling : I use my Big Green Egg with Fogo Super Premium lump charcoal (from Premier Grilling), with hickory woodchips. Grill at 400 degrees skin side down for 15 min, then flip followed by 40 min skin side up or until internal temperature reaches 165.