Grillmaster

September 8th, 2023

We get pretty excited when happy customers send us grilling and smoking BBQ recipes that they've tried at home while using our barrel smoking wood!

This one's from Todd Mercer and it's a real treat! Bourbon and Brown Sugar-Glazed Chicken with our Red Wine Barrel Smoking Wood Chips that come from 100% authentic red wine barrels.

In a word: Yum! In two words: Yes, please!

We can't wait to share Todd's recipe with you. You the man, Todd!

Now, you might have noticed that Todd's recipe already includes bourbon. The real magic, in our opinion, is combining those cooked-down bourbon flavors with the oaky, sweet aromas of from the 100% authentic red wine barrel chips.

These chips come from used wine barrels that have actually aged a variety of California red wines. The smell that bursts from the bag as soon as you open it is almost as wonderful as the mouthwatering aromas and delicious flavors you get from cooking with these chips.

Of course, they are oak, so they also provide that quintessential medium-bodied flavor, slow burn and excellent smoke.

Makes perfect sense to us why Todd chose the Red Wine Barrel Smoking Wood Chips.

For his cook, Todd used a Big Green Egg. An excellent choice thanks to its fantastic temperature control.

However, this recipe could easily be replicated on any smoker, even ones that would need the red wine chunks instead of chips.

• 6 chicken breasts cut in half (this cooks them little faster & more even the marinade covers better as well)
• 6 chicken thighs
• 1 cup of bourbon cheap (Todd used Kentucky Tavern.)
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• Teaspoon of garlic powder
• A pinch of ginger little goes long way
• 1 table spoon of salt
• 1 table spoon of pepper
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon of basil

1. Preheat your grill or smoker to 300º. Add Red Wine Barrel Smoking Wood Chips.

2. Mix all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

3. Lay the chicken in a shallow pan.

4. Pour the marinade over the chicken.

5. Place the pan in the grill.

6. Cover and let sit at least four hours on low heat (300º) or until done (165º+).

A tip from Todd: Start out with a higher temperature to char the outside of the chicken. Then pull the chicken off, apply the marinade and let the grill or smoker cool to 300º. Once it's reached 300º, put the chicken back on and cook to 175º.

Do you have a BBQ recipe that you love that features any of our barrel BBQ smoking wood chunks, chips or pellets? We'd love to hear about it!

Share it with us on Facebook or Instagram!