Sweet Tea Brined BBQ Chicken
Ingredients:
4 quarts hot water
¾ cup coarse kosher salt
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 family-size tea bag
2 cups ice cubes
1 (4-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces, or 6 bone-in skin-on breasts or thighs
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mama’s Georgia Barbecue Sauce
½ cup canola oil
1 sweet onion, very finely chopped
2½ cups ketchup
2 cups apple cider vinegar
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Coarse salt
Instructions:
Combine the hot water, salt, brown sugar, and tea bag in a large plastic container. Stir to dissolve and let sit for a few minutes for the tea to steep. Add ice to chill, then add the chicken; cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
Prepare a charcoal fire using about 6 pounds of charcoal and burn until the coals are completely covered with a thin coating of light gray ash, 20 to 30 minutes. Spread the coals evenly over the grill bottom, position the grill rack above the coals, and heat until medium hot (when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill surface for no longer than 3 or 4 seconds). Or, for a gas grill, turn on all burners to high, close the lid, and heat until very hot, 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the marinade. Pat dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Using a wad of paper towels or an old cloth and a pair of tongs, apply some canola oil to the grill grate. Place the chicken on the grill, leaving plenty of space between each piece. Grill until seared, 1 to 2 minutes per side for legs and thighs, and 3 or so minutes for breasts. Move the chicken to where the heat is medium low or lower the heat in a gas grill to medium. Continue to grill, turning occasionally, until the juices run clear when pierced, 12 to 18 minutes. During the last 5 to 7 minutes of cooking, brush the chicken with the barbecue sauce. (Any sooner and the sauce will burn.) Remove the chicken pieces from the grill as soon as they are done and transfer to a platter. Give them a final brush of sauce for flavor and serve immediately with additional sauce on the side.
Mama’s Barbecue Sauce
Make a batch, then separate out a cup or so for brushing on the chicken. Don’t dip your brush in the big pot, then dab it on half-cooked chicken and then serve that same sauce on the side. Eew. That’s just bad food safety and asking for a tummy ache.
Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat; add the onion and simmer until soft and melted, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar, lemon juice, and pepper.
Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to low, and simmer until the flavors have smoothed and mellowed, at least 10 and up to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last for months.