½ cup Brown sugar 1 ½ Tablespoons Freshly ground black pepper 2 Tablespoons Chili powder 2 ½ Tablespoons Salt, Kosher, Sea salt, or Pink Himalayan 1 Tablespoon Garlic powder 1 Tablespoon Onion powder 1 Tablespoon Dried crushed oregano 1 Tablespoon Dried crushed parsley 2 teaspoons Cumin 1 ½ teaspoons Smoked paprika 1 teaspoon ground mustard I like to pat the bird dry so the rub sticks better, and get it under the skin where you can. Personally, I like to spatchcock the chicken as I feel it cooks more evenly that way. (See our Spatchcock your bird blog post) but parting the bird is always an option too. If you’re using a rub with sugar or garlic, you don’t want to use a super high heat, the sugar could burn, and the garlic could turn bitter. I start by seasoning the underside, then the top, now make space in the fridge, because this bird is going back in for about 30 minutes to let the rub soak in. This is a good timeto get your BBQ or smoker going! After a good, cool nap, slide that bird onto the grill. If you have a meat thermometer with a wired probe, stick it in the center of the breast. We love our ThermoWorks thermometer as it will alarm when the meat hits a certain temperature. I set it to go off at 160, so I’m there to see the breast of the bird hit 165. There is usually some carry over heat, use your own judgement on when to pull the bird off the grill. (The USDA recommends cooking whole poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F as measured using a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.) Now let this bird rest for an absolute minimum of 5 minutes, longer is better, to give the juices time to set. If you’re cooking one of our birds, you’d better be prepared for juices to pour out regardless, when you cut into it. I hope your chicken turns out as good as mine! Happy grilling!
