The amber-colored meat is delicious, thanks to a marinade that was left overnight, a sugar-spice rub, and a mop of sweet-sour sauce. It also gets four hours on the barbecue. For extra moisture, place the chicken upright on top of half-filled beer cans inside the grill.
Ingredients
Marinated chicken
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- Four garlic cloves (minced)
- Three small shallots (minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 3 1/2 pound chickens
You can also rub
- One tablespoon plus /2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- One tablespoon plus /2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- One tablespoon plus /2 teaspoon garlic salt
- One tablespoon plus /2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
- One teaspoon dehydrated onion flakes
- One teaspoon of pure chile powder
- One teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Mop
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce
Directions
- Blend the mustard, vinegar, honey, shallots, and garlic in a bowl. Add salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oils slowly. Pour the marinade into a 2-gallon plastic bag that can be resealed. Seal the bag and turn it to coat all of the chickens. Refrigerate overnight and turn the chickens a few times.
- Light 50 charcoal briquettes using a chimney. Use a cork as a plug to block one of the grill lid air vents. Keep the lid vents closed and adjust the lower vents if necessary (if it gets too cold or hot, open the ducts).
- Mix all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl. In a small spray bottle or bowl, combine the apple juice and wine.
- Drain the chickens. Sprinkle the rub inside and outside on them and place them in a large baking pan with a rim.
- Once the coals have heated up, move them to the side of the grill. Place a drip tray half-filled with ice water on the opposite side. Transfer 4 of the hot charcoals into the chimney using tongs. This will light 25 additional briquettes. Place the chickens, breast-side up, on the grill grates over the drip pan with the cavities facing the coals. Cover the chickens and cook them for 2 hours. Spray the chickens every hour with a mop. The thermometer should be set between 250deg and 275deg. As needed, add more coals at 25 per time every hour.
- Turn the chickens 180 degrees after 2 hours. When turning the chickens, be careful to keep the juices in the cavities. Spray the chickens using the mop. After 1 hour of cooking, turn the chickens around so their opposite sides face the coals. Spray again and cover the chickens for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until a thermometer in the inner thigh registers 170 degrees.
- Transfer the chickens onto a baking sheet with a rim. Pour the cavity juices into a bowl. Allow the chickens to rest for 10 min. Transfer the legs to a plate. Transfer the breast meat to a platter by slicing the bone. Pour any juices accumulated into the serving bowl. Serve the chicken along with the Kansas City-style BBQ Sauce and juices.
