Mister Sive’s Smoky Mustard-y Barbecue Chicken

As stated before, Mister Sive is the griller in the family and I am the lucky eater of all that grilled goodness. He made a crazy good chicken on Sunday that I really wanted him to share with all of you, so today’s Wine & Dine Wednesday post is brought to you by him.

Like a lot of guys, grilling brings out the chemist/mad scientist in me. Something about fire and experimenting with combinations brings out the curious boy in me. This goal with the following combination was to get a deep smoky and intense flavor. TKW says it worked!

For the marinade combine 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup molasses,4 garlic cloves finely diced, 1/3 cup mustard, and (optionally) a few dashes of soy sauce. These proportions are merely a starter; focus on spice, tang, sweetnessor acidity to your liking. Mix all ingredients lightly with a whisk until blended.

Take a good-sized whole chicken, spatchcock it, and place in a large Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade in and mush until spread over the whole chicken. Partially close the bag, force out the excess air, and complete the Ziploc. Place it in a bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours or more, flipping the bag in the bowl a few times. Take out an hour before grilling. Place the chicken on a platter and save the leftover marinade to use while grilling.

I’ve grilled this both directly on top of coals and indirectly(coals to the sides); the important thing to remember is that the whole chicken cooks quite a bit slower than in pieces, so do what works best for your setup and preferences.  I also added water-soaked mesquite wood chips (twice). Grill on medium to hot (400ish degrees) for about an hour, until internal temperatureis 160; get a good sear and grill marks on each side; if the grill isn’t too hot, I’ll grill mostly breast side down to capture juices and fat in the meat. Brush on the extra throughout the grilling. 

For this most recent version I grilled sugar snap peas, sweet onions, and corn on the cob before the chicken, and covered them tightly with plastic wrap.  

Cheers to your own ode to charcoal and Summer!