Double Barbecue Chicken

Instructions

1. Mix together all the ingredients in the dry rub well and store any unused dry rub in an airtight container in a cool place or in the freezer.

2. Begin by rubbing some of the chicken dry rub all over the outside of all your chicken pieces. Cover and store in fridge. The longer you leave the rub on the chicken the better. As little as a couple of hours is good but overnight is best for the flavor of the spices to permeate the meat.

3. If you are using your gas grill to barbecue, place the chicken pieces on one side of the grill and use the burner or burners on the opposite side so that it is not directly over heat. Regulate the gas to keep the temperature at about 300 - 325 degrees F for slow barbecued flavor. The same technique can also be used with a charcoal grill, just keep the charcoal on one side and the chicken pieces on the opposite side.

4. {Smoking instructions (optional) If you like, you can add smoke flavor by soaking hardwood chips like mesquite, apple, cherry or hickory in warm water for about a half hour. A couple of handfuls will do. Wrap the soaked wood chips in a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil and poke only two holes in the foil, one at either end to allow the smoke to escape. I place the foil packets in a vegetable grill pan so that the packet is not sitting directly on the gas burner. The packet can be directly placed on the coals if you are using a charcoal barbecue.}

5. Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches about 150 -160 degrees F on a meat thermometer, then begin to brush the barbecue sauce on the chicken, turning it several times, every few minutes. I like to use my recipe for I like to get at least 3 or 4 layers of barbecue sauce on the chicken. When the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170 degrees F it is done.

   To Prepare the Brown Sugar and Balsamic BBQ Sauce:

   1. Saute the onion, garlic, apples and olive oil all together in a medium sized saucepan until the onions and apples have softened.

   2. Add the tomatoes. Saute together until the tomatoes begin break down and get mushy (or until the sauce is reduced by ¼ if using canned tomatoes), then add all of the remaining ingredients for the sauce.

   3. Simmer all together over low heat for about a half hour or until the sauce reaches the consistency of a good barbecue sauce. I like mine a little thicker than most because it is easier to brush on whatever is being grilled.

   4. Puree the sauce after it cools down,to make it extra smooth if you prefer. I always do.

   5. Store in airtight container in the fridge if you are using it within a week or so or freeze it in airtight containers. Properly preserving it in mason jars will make it last all summer.