Whole Brined & BBQ chicken and Elmira Maple Syrup Festival 2013

Brined and BBQ Chicken

I love this chicken because it tastes very similar to those big smoked bbq turkey legs you get at the fairs and festivals! No smoking involved and it's super easy, just requires some prep the day or two ahead of time.

Start brine by mixing 2-3 tbsp salt in a large vessel, a steel pot is ideal, add hot boiling water to dissolve the salt.  Allow this to cool. The water should taste very salty to be able to flavour the chicken right down to the bone!

Add 1 tbsp sugar, or honey or maple syrup

1 large head of garlic, sliced horizontally, with peel and all

1 lemon, cut in half (wash skin and dunk right into the bath)
1 tbsp black whole peppercorns

1 tbsp vinegar (white wine, regular white is fine!)

(You could add herbs like dry thyme, rosemary...) 

Add enough cool water to be able to submerge the chicken in, and finally add the cold raw chicken from the fridge into the bath!  Put it straight back into the fridge for a day or two.

It must marinade at least 1 day in the fridge, when ready to cook remove the chicken from the brine and set it somewhere to drain well.  Let the skin dry up a bit so it's not "soaked" and rub the top with olive oil.

Heat the grill to medium low as this whole chicken will take about 20 + minutes to cook so you want a lower flame.  Allow it to cook flipping from time to time so both sides are roasted.  You can brush it with some maple syrup as a glaze if you like towards the end of cooking.
It's done when it registers to the proper chicken temperature on your thermometer OR you can slice the area where the leg is and the juices should run very clear, there should be no more redness near the bone either.

And here's a glimpse of our trip to Elmira for the Maple Syrup Festival earlier this month, it was fun!