Did you ever consider trying to instill some hickory (or mesquite) flavor into your chicken cooked on the barbecue grill? I decided it just can't be that hard so gave it a try tonight.

First, I soaked some hickory chips in water for about an hour.

Next, the chicken. I combined some spices to make a dry rub to soak into the chicken while I got the coals started. It has paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, sugar, salt, rosemary, and crumbled bay leaves. The title of the recipe is "All-Purpose" rub, and with all those ingredients, it should work on just about anything. They probably sell something similar in the spice section of your grocery store, maybe as a Chef Somebody Barbecue Rub. But if you've got these spices or most of them on hand, might as well use them up so you can buy fresh ones.

I struggled with getting the charcoal briquettes going, but finally they were ready to put on one side of the bottom of the charcoal (not gas) grill. I put the wet hickory chips on the coals and the chicken on the half of the rack not over the coals so it would smoke but not cook too fast. And put the tight-fitting lid on the grill. And did not peek for about 30 minutes while I made some coleslaw with sugar, a little half-and-half and Miracle Whip so it was sweet, not tangy - mixed with finely cut cabbage and grated carrot. And no celery seed.

Back to the grill, I peeked, and the chicken was cooking slowly and picking up flavor from the smoke. I turned it and painted on some barbecue sauce I'd made with bourbon in it (recipe below). The coals were plenty hot, so the chicken was cooking in that closed space, but slowly, so it was juicy and ever so good.

Maybe it took about an hour and a half for the chicken to smoke up some and cook. It sure was good, even if I already said that, I'll say it again, and this smoking project wasn't nearly as daunting as I'd expected. The hardest part was getting the coals to start, and if there'd been a pyromaniac man around that wouldn't have been an issue. Who needs a man? A woman who wants to make barbecued chicken, that's who.

There's some thick t-bones in the fridge that are candidates for tomorrow night's cooking adventure. I'm torn between a steak grilling method I recently saw on the show Good Eats or just doing it the way my mother taught me involving a cast iron skillet and a resting period in the oven.

Well, finally, here is the recipe.

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

1/2 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup bourbon whiskey
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, and whiskey. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Mix in the ground black pepper, salt, ketchup, tomato paste, vinegar, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and hot pepper sauce.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Run sauce through a strainer if you prefer a smooth sauce.

-- This recipe is from allrecipes.com. I don't dream these things up if I can find a good one out there already.