| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Cook: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 3 cups ice
- One 5- to 7-pound whole chicken
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lemon, juiced
Instructions
- Begin by placing the whole chicken, breast-side down, on the preparation surface. Using kitchen shears, remove the backbone by cutting up from the tailbone to the neck on both sides. Open the bird, remove the breastbone and wishbone. Make small cuts on both sides below the thighs to tuck the wings under so you have a flattened “spatchcock” chicken.
- To a small saucepan, add 1 cup water, the salt, sugar, bay leaves and garlic cloves. Bring to a simmer to dissolve the salt and sugar. Once at a simmer, turn off the heat and add the ice. Once the liquid is cool, place into a resealable bag over a bowl and add the chicken to the brine, making sure it is completely submersed. Allow to brine in the fridge for 1 hour.
- In a small saucepot over medium-low heat, combine the pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce and sherry vinegar. Once the liquid simmers, whisk in the brown sugar and ginger. Continue to simmer until the liquid begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand (or prepare ahead and refrigerate until ready for use). Once ready for use, reserve about a cup to serve.
- Preheat a grill to medium heat.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Thoroughly mix the garlic powder, salt, paprika, cayenne, onion powder, cumin and some black pepper together in a small bowl. Coat the chicken with the dry rub, making sure to sprinkle well inside the cavity. Lay the chicken flat on the preparation surface, making a neat, rectangular package with the thighs tucked next to the breasts and the wings inserted into the slits.
- Secure the chicken in a medium rectangular wire-mesh grilling basket and set over an open grill flame. Char with the breast side down first, 7 to 8 minutes. Turn once and continue to grill, bone-side down for another 15 minutes.
- Continue to turn as it cooks so it doesn’t burn and it replicates the Huli Huli machine cooking process. Squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken as you turn it. Finish by alternating sides until the chicken is thoroughly browned, the skin is crispy and a digital instant-read thermometer tucked under the breast confirms the internal temperature is 165 degrees F. The total cook time will be 35 to 40 minutes. With a heat-resistant silicone pastry brush, glaze the chicken with the Huli Huli sauce the last 5 minutes. Remove from the basket and allow the chicken to rest for 6 to 8 minutes.
- Carve the chicken into breasts, thighs and wings. Arrange on a large serving dish alongside the reserved Huli Huli sauce.
Reviews
BRINE FOR 1 HOUR ONLY!!
I use fresh ginger and can of pineapple chunks because juicy enough and taste better. You can separate pineapple chunks or smash them. I smash. I use 1/2 the Cayenne and I never use ALL THAT RUB! YUCK! Sprinkle liberally inside and all over outside of chicken after rinsing and drying the chicken. Let it sit at this stage if you need a stinken break! BBQ 350° heat for 190 mins to 2 hours depending on size o chicken. Temperature 170+. It’s winner, winner chicken dinner for 5.
The brine requires more water than the 1 cup + ice. And if you do it right, you can skip the heating up, cooling down, ice and bag steps. Just get a big enough bowl to brine your chicken in (I used pre-cut, skin-on breasts and thighs). Put a gallon or so of tap water in the bowl, add your salt (doesn’t have to be kosher) and sugar and whisk it until they dissolve. It won’t take much and you don’t need to heat it up. I do this every time I make chicken, and that’s once a week, every week. Add the garlic and bay leaf if you want. That’s optional.
Put your chicken in the bowl and refrigerate if you have room in for fridge. If not, keep it on the counter BUT PUT ICE on it (so the chicken doesn’t spoil). A brine will do some good if it’s only 30 minutes (smaller cuts) or up to a few hours. The purpose of the brine is to get some salt into the chicken and that’ll not only flavor it, but help keep it moist. I brined mine in the fridge for 4 hours.
The Dry Rub is fine as described, except I cut WAAAYYYY back on the cayenne pepper. I made a double batch (11 lbs of chicken), and only used 1/4th a tsp of cayenne pepper, and that was plenty. If you like it spicy, double that I guess, but the full tsp called for here, is likely to be way too much for most people (see other comments that support that). The combo of other spices make this a tasty dish. It doesn’t need to be painful as well.
The sauce of Guy’s turns out to be a decent sauce. I didn’t add any thickeners like some people have stated in their comments. I merely reduced it by over 1/2 and then refrigerated it for a few hours before needing it. Definitely a good recipe that I’ll make again.