Barbecued Chicken with Bourbon-Bacon Sauce

Instructions

• 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 until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. You should have about 2 cups of sauce. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

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• Place the chicken in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in 1 cup of the cooled sauce. Cover and refrigerate the remaining 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.
• Soak the wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes.
  Soak the wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the bag and let the sauce cling to the chicken. Discard the sauce in the bag.
• Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over medium heat (350° to 450°F ).
  Place a large foil pan on top of the Flavorizer bars, below the cooking grate. Fill it halfway with room temperature water. Prepare the grill for cooking over medium heat (400°F).
• Drain and add the wood chips to the charcoal or to the smoker box of a gas grill, following manufacturer’s instructions, and close the lid. When the wood begins to smoke, cook the chicken legs, skin side down first, over indirect medium heat, with the lid closed, for 25 to 30 minutes. Then brush both sides with a thin layer of the reserved sauce and continue cooking until the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink at the bone, 25 to 30 minutes more, occasionally turning and brushing with the sauce. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm with the remaining sauce on the side.
  Drain and add the wood chips to the smoker box of a gas grill, following manufacturer instructions, and close the lid. When the wood begins to smoke, cook the chicken legs, skin side down first, over indirect medium heat, with the lid closed, for 25 to 30 minutes. Then brush both sides with a thin layer of the reserved sauce and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken (not touching the bone) registers 165°F, 25 to 30 minutes more, occasionally turning and brushing with the sauce. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm with the remaining sauce on the side.
  Drain and add the wood chips to the charcoal, following manufacturer instructions, and close the lid. When the wood begins to smoke, cook the chicken legs, skin side down first, over indirect medium heat, with the lid closed, for 25 to 30 minutes. Then brush both sides with a thin layer of the reserved sauce and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken (not touching the bone) registers 165°F, 25 to 30 minutes more, occasionally turning and brushing with the sauce. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm with the remaining sauce on the side.
  When the wood begins to smoke, cook the chicken legs, skin side down first, above foil pan, overmedium heat, with the lid closed, for 25 to 30 minutes. Then brush both sides with a thin layer of the reserved sauce and continue cooking until the thickest part of the chicken (not touching the bone) registers 165°F, 25 to 30 minutes more, occasionally turning and brushing with the sauce. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm with the remaining sauce on the side.