I don’t know about you, but I can name the place and time I first tried Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce. He was on the levee, on the bank of the Mississippi, at a New Year’s Eve bonfire. An old man in shrimp boots and suspenders was putting chicken on the grill. When I approached with my plate, he complained “JD or regular?” Not knowing what “JD” meant at the time, of course I responded with “JD Please”, I don’t know … it sounded better than normal. I remember trying that chicken and thinking it was the best chicken I have ever had. It took me a few years to put two and two together and realize that what the old man was spicing up his chicken with was Jack Daniels BBQ sauce. Now I don’t know if it was store bought or what. Judging from its appearance, it was probably homemade. Times have changed and Jack Daniels has successfully infiltrated the barbecue world where you don’t even think twice about spreading some of this delicious sauce on your meat. In the next article, we’ll show you how to make the perfect “JD drunk chicken.” If you are skeptical, all I have to say is that you are really missing it. This is delicious!
I first started with a 5 pound store bought chicken. For the shot I added 1 cup of Jack Daniels Tennessee whiskey, 1 stick of butter, 1/2 chopped onion, 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, and 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. Boil it for 10 minutes and drain the onions. Be sure to save the onion chunks for some killer sauce later. Then I let the mixture cool and then we injected the chicken using the method of 1 injection in each leg, 1 in each thigh, and one in each side of the breast. Remember that the fewer holes the better. If you feel like you are not getting enough fluid in a certain spot, simply tilt the needle toward that area without removing it from your skin.
I made my beer can solution by drinking all of the beer and replacing it with 6 ounces of whiskey. Now the chicken was ready to receive the can. After so much alcohol, who wouldn’t be, huh? I lit the traditional 30-piece briquette pile stacked on one side and placed the chicken on the grill on the opposite side. Always use the indirect heating method! While the chicken was cooking at a constant 325 F., I worked on a batch of BBQ sauce for that an old friend recommended. I don’t know if they sell this in other parts of the country, but here in Louisiana “Pig Stand” or “Jack Miller” is huge. It’s called Cajun BBQ sauce and both are locally processed. I mixed together 1 cup of Pig Stand, the remaining onions from the shot, and a healthy dose of Jack Daniels for what is probably the most unique sauce you’ve ever tasted. After two hours, I spread some sauce over the chicken and proceeded to sauté the bird 5-6 times before it was done. After 3 hours, the chicken had reached an internal temperature of 170 F and was ready to take off the grill. I let it cool, cut it up, and ate what turned out to be one of the best chickens we’ve ever had! I highly recommend trying this if you are looking for something a “lil mo ‘bold!” You can find more canned beer chicken recipes on my website www.drunkenturkey.com
