Jalapeno Beer-Brined Chicken Under a Brick

Chicken on the grill AGAIN?!  Yep!  But it’s not any old, every day boring chicken, my friend.  Not this time.

We’ve been making an Alabama brined chicken around here for a couple of years now.  It is VERY good, but I honestly thought we could bump up the pow with some of our favorite things (cue Julie Andrews?) instead what we’ve been using.  Mmmmhhhhmmmmm…it worked.  This version is waaaayyyy better than the original! 

Chicken can’t be boring when it’s brined overnight in beer, jalapenos, garlic, lime and a few other very lovely things that drive the marinade flavors deep into the chicken. Grill it slowly over indirect heat and UNDER a brick and it seals the deal on great flavor and tender juiciness!

Jalapeno Beer-Brined Chicken Under a Brick

• 1 whole frying chicken, cut into 2 leg quarters and 2 breast quarters - or buy them cut that way already or use 8 pieces of your favorite parts, but they MUST BE BONE-IN AND SKIN ON!!!!

• 1 cup apple juice
• 12 ounces beer, Use a gluten-free beer to make this gluten-free
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce, be sure to use a wheat-free soy sauce or wheat-free tamari (that's what I use) to make this gluten-free
• 2 limes, juiced
• 3 tablespoons dried jalapeno, Penzey's carries this - if you can't find it, use 2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and sliced
• lime wedges (optional, but nice)

In a zip top gallon bag, mix the marinade ingredients.  Add the chicken, squeeze out all the air, seal tightly and marinate in the fridge overnight.
 
Wrap 2 clean, new bricks in aluminum foil... make it nice and neat.  Set aside next to the grill.  (You may want to wrap an extra brick or two just in case...better to have them ready if you need them than to have to find and wrap a couple at the last minute, you know?)
 
The next day, preheat the grill on just one side.  Leave the other burner off since we're grilling over indirect heat..  Remove the chicken from the marinade.  Salt the chicken liberally on both sides.
 
Lay the chicken skin side down on the grill, NOT over the flames.  This is indirect grilling.  Lay a wrapped brick on top of the chicken, arranging chicken so the bricks cover all the chicken.
 
The chicken will take 1 1/2 - 2 hours to grill.  Turn the chicken over 1/3 of the way through and again about 1/2 an hour before the chicken is done. 
 
That's it!  If you want to squeeze a little fresh lime over to serve, go ahead!  

NOTE:   The grilling technique was derived from the spatchcocked chicken recipe that was posted earlier.  For reference - OR for another great grilled chicken recipe - here's the link:  http://dinnerplan-it.blogspot.com/2012/05/spatchcocked-lemon-rosemary-garlic.html

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