-
1
Make brine In a large pot, cook zests, sugar, salt, peppercorns, garlic, and the water over high heat, stirring occasionally, until salt and sugar have completely dissolved.
-
2
Remove from heat, add ice cubes, and stir until completely cooled.
-
3
Brine chicken Submerge the chicken in the cooled brine, skin side down, and allow it to soak, covered, for 1 hour at room temperature or up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
-
4
Meanwhile, make glaze Whisk together the honey and citrus juices in a small bowl.
-
5
Grill chicken Heat grill to medium-low (see Grill Temperature Guidelines on page 162).
-
6
When it is hot, scrub with a grill brush and sweep lightly with oil.
-
7
Remove chicken from brine and pat dry.
-
8
Set on grill, skin side down.
-
9
To flatten chicken during cooking, rest a small baking sheet on top of chicken and place two foil-wrapped bricks (or other heatproof weights) on the baking sheet fig.3.14.
-
10
Grill until skin side is golden brown and releases easily from grate, 8 to 10 minutes.
-
11
Flip chicken with tongs and brush with some glaze, then cover grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165F, about 10 to 15 minutes more, brushing with glaze two more times.
-
12
Transfer to a carving board, skin side up, and let rest for 5 minutes.
-
13
Serve Carve chicken as shown on page 130, and serve.
-
14
When cooking a whole (not spatchcocked) chicken on the grill, the challenge is to allow it enough time to cook through before the skin becomes too crisp and charred.
-
15
The solution is to wait to crisp the skin at the end.
-
16
Heat grill to high, and start with the chicken over indirect heat, breast side up; cover grill, and cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
-
17
The internal temperature of the legs should register 165F.
-
18
If not, cover the grill and continue cooking until it does (check every 5 minutes or so).
-
19
Then flip chicken, breast side down, and grill over direct heat to crisp the skin, about 2 minutes, rotating the chicken 90 degrees after a minute so the skin will cook evenly.
-
20
Remove from grill and let rest on a carving board for 5 to 10 minutes before carving and serving.
-
21
Like a whole chicken, individual chicken parts are prone to drying out on the grill if overcooked (160F for breasts, 165F for legs).
-
22
Just be mindful of the times below, and take off each part as it is done.
-
23
To keep meat moist, leave the skin on or, before cooking, brine chicken pieces for 1 to 3 hours in the refrigerator in a mixture of 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup coarse salt, 8 cups water, and the herbs of your choice.
-
24
You could also rub them with Spice Paste (page 173) before grilling, or brush them with All-Purpose Grilling Sauce (page 177) about 5 minutes before you take them off the grill.
-
25
And, of course, you can leave out those treatments altogether and simply season the chicken with salt and pepper.
-
26
Heat grill to medium-high; pat dry chicken.
-
27
First sear over direct heat, then finish over indirect (medium) heat.
-
28
Split breasts require 30 to 35 minutes total, legs 18 to 22, thighs 15 to 20, and wings 11 to 13.
