from Weber’s On the Grill: Chicken & Sides Cookbook by Jaime Purviance. You’ll get this cookbook FREE when you buy any Weber Summit Grill, while supplies last.

Make these succulent chicken legs with homemade barbecue sauce for your next backyard feast! Bacon, onion, garlic, molasses, and bourbon are just a few ingredients that give this barbecued chicken its incredible flavor.

Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus about 20 minutes for the sauce
Marinating Time: 8 to 24 hours
Grilling Time: 50 minutes to 1 hour

Sauce:
4 slices of bacon, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup bourbon
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp Tobasco sauce

4 whole chicken legs, 10 – 12 ounces each, trimmed of excess fat and skin

2 handfuls of hickory wood chips. soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Instructions:
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low, add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for about 5 minutes. You should have about 2 cups of sauce. Remove from the heat and let cool.

2. Place the chicken in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in 1 cup of the cooled sauce. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the sauce. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

3. Remove the chicken from the bag and let the sauce cling to the chicken. Discard the sauce in the bag.

4. Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over medium heat (350°-450°F).

5. Brush the cooking grates clean. Drain and scatter the wood chips over lit charcoal or put them in the smoker box of a gas grill, following manufacturer’s instructions. Grill the chicken legs, skin side down, over indirect medium heat, with the lid closed, for 25 – 30 minutes. Then brush both sides with a thin layer of the sauce and continue cooking until the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink at the bone, 25-30 minutes, occasionally turning and brushing with the sauce. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3-5 minutes. Serve warm with the remaining sauce on the side.

Makes 4 servings.