Barbecue Chicken

steps

Make the barbecue sauce and the wood chips

1. Soak wood chips for 1 hour before planning to grill.
2. Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium saucepot and simmer for 20 minutes. Sauce will keep in fridge for 1 week.

Make the barbecue chicken

1. Prepare the brine: In a large bowl or container, combine warm water, sugar, and salt. Once sugar and salt are dissolved, add peppercorns and fennel, cumin, and mustard seeds, and let steep overnight in the refrigerator. Brine will keep in fridge for 1 week.
2. Cut the chicken: If using a whole bird, cut down one side of the backbone with a sharp chef knife or kitchen shears. Flip chicken over and cut through the other side through the breastbone to create two halves. (Pro tip: Based on preference, you can also choose to cut out the backbone entirely and cut off the wing tips and use to make stock.)
3. Brine the chicken: Place chicken into a large container and pour steeped brine over chicken through a fine-mesh strainer; discard whole spices. Cover chicken and refrigerate overnight (at least 4 hours but no more than 24).
4. Grill Chicken: Remove grill grate. At one end of grill, pour charcoal in a pile as high and as tight as you possibly can; place charcoal startersaround and in between charcoal, or if using lighter fluid, pourover charcoal and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Light starters or charcoal and allow charcoal to burn until most of it shows white ash, 15 to 20 minutes. With tongs or coal shovel, drag a few pieces of charcoal directly underneath area of grill where you plan to cook the chicken. (Most of the coal should be offset from the chicken. This way you can have a hotter fire without burning chicken before it’s done.) Replace grill grate and open vents about halfway.
5. While charcoal is heating, remove chicken from brine and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter a few wood chips on the larger pile of coal. When charcoal is ready, place chicken on grill bone side down (skin up) over the side of the grate covering the scattered coals, and close lid. Grill thermometer should read between 220 and 250. (Pro tip: If grill is running hot, take the lid off and let some of the heat regulate.)
6. Cook chicken until thickest part of breast (or thigh)reaches 145 degrees, between 2 and 3 hours; every 30 minutes or so, use tongs or coal shovel to drag some charcoal from the pile and place beneath chicken, and scatter a few more wood chips on large pile of coal. If your coal bed diminishes significantly, add more coal on top of burning embers throughout the cook as needed.
7. Once internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, flip chicken over and let skin render over coals. (Pro tip: Be on the lookout for flare-ups from fat under the skin. A splash of water or beer will quench these—or remove chicken with tongs until flamesdie down, and then replace on grill.) When internal temperature reaches 155 degrees, it’s time to dip chicken into the barbecue sauce.
8. In a grill-safe saucepot with no plastic parts, warm barbecue sauce on grill for 5 to 10 minutes, then carefully transfer 2 cups to a large bowl. (Alternatively, you can warm sauce on the stove.) Set aside 1 cup for serving and keep warm. Using tongs, dunk each chicken piece in sauce and place back on the grill, leaving the lid off. Drag remaining coals under chicken.
9. Repeat dunking process 2 to 3 times, every 5 to 10 minutes, alternating skin side and bone side down on grill, keeping the lid off.
10. When internal temperature reaches 164 degrees, remove the barbecue chicken and let rest for 20 minutes before serving with remaining warm sauce on the side for dipping.