Grilled Chicken in Alabama White Sauce
Cook Notes
BBQ Used: Kamado Joe Classic II
Cooking Method: Direct
Fuel used: Kamado Joe Big Block Charcoal
Cooking Temperature: 200c
Smoking wood used: 1 chunk of hickory
Ingredients
1 large chicken
Broighter gold garlic infused rapeseed oil
Salt & Pepper
For the sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp apple juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp creamed horse radish
1 tbsp american mustard
salt & pepper
Method
Fire up your BBQ for direct cooking with a good quality lumpwood charcoal and set the temperature to around 200c. We are grilling directly over the coals for this one but leave yourself a safe zone with no charcoal below it in case you need to move your chicken off the flames.
For this cook I am using a whole chicken portioned into quarters. The easiest way to do this is to spatchcock the bird first by removing the back bone. Then when your chicken is pressed flat. use a sharp knife to remove both legs then cut down through the breast bone. This will give you two leg sections and two bone in breasts. You can leave the wings attached but I prefer to remove them as they will likely burn up before the breast is cooked all the way through.
Drizzle the chicken all over with some broighter gold garlic infused rapeseed oil then season generously with some salt and pepper. Add a chunk of hickory wood to the coals then place the chicken onto the cooking grates, bone side down, directly over the coals. Close your lid at this point and allow the chicken to smoke. You may need to close down your vents slightly to snuff out any flame so you are only cooking off the radiant heat from the charcoal and the ceramic.
While the chicken is smoking you can prepare the sauce. There really isn't much to it - simply add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk it all together. Give it a taste at this stage and adjust to taste. If you want a tangier sauce, add a little more apple cider vinegar but be careful, this will also thin the sauce down. Lastly, season the sauce with salt and a generous amount of pepper then leave it to one side.
Head back over to the grill and check on your chicken. It should have taken on a nice amount of smoke at this point and the bottom should be nicely browned. Flip the chicken over and grill it skin side down for a few minutes to crisp the skin then move it to the indirect side of the BBQ and close the lid. Allow the chicken to come up to temperature in the indirect zone. I aim for 72c in the deepest part of the breast and 82-84c in the legs.
When your chicken is ready, remove it from the grill and dunk it into your sauce to coat the outside of the chicken. Your sauce should be thick enough that it holds to the chicken but thin enough for any excess to run off. The rich, tangy sauce is an amazing balance against the smokey chicken. There's a reason why this dish is such a classic BBQ dish - it's simple but it just works!
