I brine my chickens first, then smoke them until almost done, then finish them off on the grill.
Mike, have you ever tried marinating your chicken? Around here with Cornell University just over the hill, I grew up with this BBQ chicken. During the summer all the fire dept's around here sell BBQ chicken halves as fund raisers and they all have always used the same marinade recipe that started here long ago
Cornell Cooperative Extension | Cornell Chicken Barbecue Sauce and Safe Chicken Barbecues
Cornell Chicken Recipe
"This famous grilled chicken recipe was created by Dr. Robert C. Baker at New York's Cornell University. They say Dr. Baker was simply trying to invent an easy and delicious way to grill smaller, younger chickens, so that the local chicken farms could sell more birds. The doc's tasty recipe ended up being such a success that sales in the area soared, and the recipe became a statewide favorite."
It's always been referred to as either Firehouse chicken or Cornell chicken. The recipe will vary a little but they all basically taste the same. The egg is the binder to hold the vinegar and oil together, we changed it to one whole egg and one extra egg yoke, the extra yoke binds better, I also like a little more salt and touch more poultry seasoning but start with the basic recipe first so you know what the originally taste like then adjust from there. The longer it soaks the better it will be, better taste, more moist and when cooked right the leg bone will twist right out with the meat moist and juicy. We soak it for 3-4 days shaking the container a few times a day to keep the seasonings, oil and vinegar mixed. Don't grill on high heat, medium to low heat, low and slow is the best! I like it to take 45 min to an hour for a full half to cook, full half are better then small pieces, large pieces helps retain the moisture and always with the skin on! Low and slow, the fat will drip away and the skin will just start to crisp, it will NOT taste the same if the skin is removed, if it bothers you remove it once cooked and save it for me!
And keep the marinade, use it to baste as you grill, baste the hell out of it, the more the better! The vinegar, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning are the key to the wonderful flavor, I live off this during the summer! DON"T smoke the heck out of this one, this chicken recipe stands on it's own!! It's best over a wood fire pit like the fireman use but adding a lot of wood chips to the home grill can alter the flavor too much, it's the one recipe I will not use any wood chips with, try it without first!
Everyone needs to try this, I
promise you'll love it and so will all your neighbors, the wonderful smell carries for blocks, you'll become very popular! Tell them it's a secret family recipe LoL
Google Cornell Chicken for more info, there are even youtube videos about it, it's that good!
