Julie’s barbecue chicken

A few things to remember about chicken, barbecue, and grilling: always use tongs to handle your meat, store-bought sauce isn’t worth the gas you used to go pick it up, and it is really hard to screw up BBQ Chicken.

This recipe calls for using the same cuts of chicken. This assures that everything will be cooked on the same timeline. Chicken with the bone in it generally takes a bit longer to cook.

That said, feel free to play around with this recipe. You will find another recipe in our book for a different barbecue sauce. Consider them interchangeable and yourselves lucky to get a two-fer.

½ gallon (2 L) water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
¼ cup (60 mL) honey
2 cloves garlic, smashed
6 pounds (3 kg) chicken leg/thigh quarters, skin on
1 6-ounce (180 mL) can tomato paste
1½ cups (375 mL) chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup (75 g) shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Brine the chicken

1. Mix water, salt, honey, and smashed garlic in large plastic sealable bag.
2. When combined, place chicken in bag, seal, and place in refrigerator for 1–2 hours (25 minutes will do if you’re in a hurry).

Make the sauce

3. In medium sauce pan, combine remaining ingredients. Whisk thoroughly to combine and place on low heat. Cover and allow to simmer for 30–40 minutes.

Cook the chicken

4. When your sauce has almost reached the thickness desired, preheat the grill. Set aside half of the sauce to serve with chicken and the other half will be brushed on while cooking. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
5. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Be sure your grill surface has been properly coated to prevent sticking. The ideal temperature for the grill is around 375°F (190°C).
6. Arrange chicken on grill for direct heat and cook 6–8 minutes before flipping. Flip chicken over, and using a grill brush, smother chicken liberally with barbeque sauce. Cook for another 6-8 minutes and remove to sheet pan lined with foil.
7. Using a grill brush, smother every inch of the chicken with sauce and place in oven for another 15 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 160°F (70°C). You’ll want to baste chicken one more time while they are in the oven.

Tips & Tricks—Avoid using the oven by simply cooking chicken on grill for 15 minutes each side.

Plan Ahead—You can brine your chicken overnight and have the barbeque sauce made in advance.