Dark n Spicy Brined Chicken

last week’s lime-brined chicken worked well – I had it all week, and it stayed moist and tasty. this week I wanted to try something with more of a dark/sweet/smoky/spicy flavor. I used molasses and soy for a nice dark color, and complemented the molasses with garlic, smoked pepper, and cajun power sauce (you could use tabasco, cholula, or any similar spicy sauce).

Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 2 lb)
brine
4 c warm water
1/2 c kosher salt
1/4 c granulated white sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tbsp molasses
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c “cajun power” spicy garlic/pepper sauce (or similar)
1 tbsp smoked ground black pepper
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
grilling baste
molasses, soy sauce, smoked ground black pepper, smoked salt, cajun power, red wine vinegar

Directions
put the warm water in a large plastic storage container. mix the salt and sugar with the warm water until dissolved. add the rest of the ingredients and mix. add the chicken and refrigerate for 6-24 hours. and wingettes into the container, seal, and let sit in refrigerator for six hours. when ready to cook, heat grill to medium. mix basting ingredients to a thickish consistency. brush the skin sides of the breasts with the baste and put on grill, skin side down. baste other sides. put wings on grill and baste. close grill top. flip after about 10 minutes, re-baste, then grill until finished, basting again if needed.
Verdict
I had a bit of trouble with the skin getting a little burnt, and trying to figure out when the chicken was done, and not a moment more. even so, the meat itself is pretty good, and fairly moist (though it could be a little moister). the flavor is unmistakably barbecue sauce-ish and very good. I’m not sure how much of the flavor is due to the baste rather than the brine, though the brine does seemed to have done its job preparing the meat for grilling.