Serves 8 to 10
2-3 chickens (3-1/2 to 4 pounds each)
1 gallon of water
1 cup salt (canning and pickling salt is the best, but kosher salt will do)
4 peaches (or apples or another fruit will do) -- course chopped
1 can of soda (cola is best but anything will work)
1/2 large onion - course chopped (you could use more here if you wanted)
10 cloves of garlic
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup (optional)
You'll also need:
1 large stock pot or a cooler or a super large ziplock bag
Wood chips or chunks (hickory works, but try apple or apricot wood chips for excellent flavor)
Granulated garlic
2 sticks of butter
10 additional cloves of garlic (diced)
Directions:
Wash the chickens inside and out and remove any giblets from inside the cavities (toss these or save for another use). Combine all the ingredients in the stock pot and stir quite a bit to dissolve the salt and brown sugar, then drop in the chickens.
If the chickens are floating to the top and are not submerged, put a bowl or a bag of ice on them to keep them down. Put the cover on the stock pot and place the pot in the refridgerator overnight. I usually brine the chickens 24 hours. The next day, remove the chickens from the pot and rinse them to remove the excess salt. Discard the brine mixture. Blot the birds dry with paper towels.
Setup the grill for indirect grilling. If using a gas grill, place the wood chips in a smoker box or smoker pouch and preheat on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium. Grill temperature should be about 300-350 degrees F.
Truss each bird with butcher's string to keep the wings and legs close to the body. This will keep them from burning up when grilling. Dust each bird with a sprinkling of granulated garlic. Place the chickens in the center of the grill grate away from the heat, and cover the grill. Put a handful of wood chips or a couple chunks on the coals.
After the first 20 minutes or when the skin had browned a bit, braise the chickens with a Garlic-butter Sauce (recipe follows) with a pasty brush every 30 minutes or so.
Total cooking time is about 1-3/4 hours. You will want to cook these until the meat is cooked through (about 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, but not touching the bone). When you pull the birds off the grill, tent them with a piece of aluminum foil and let them rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
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Garlic-butter Sauce:
Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the garlic. The garlic can be chopped up by hand or pureed in an herb grinder or food processor. Simmer the mixture until bubbling.
