Spicy Rotisserie Chicken Rub

This past weekend we spent it either relaxing on the patio, nibbling on some good eats or getting down and dirty ... in the garden.  We planted a beautiful birch tree on our front lawn and spent hours laying new mulch in all our gardens.  Sounds like work but it was a glorious weekend!

We invited my mother-in-law over for a BBQ meal.  She lives in a condo so she doesn't get to enjoy a good BBQ'd meal often.  We decided a rotisserie chicken was on the menu.  I have a great recipe on the blog called the Rotisserie Chicken {on the Q} and it is truly delicious.  This is similar but the rub has a lot more kick and you can make it as spicy as you want.  Here in our house we went fairly mild with the cayenne (and may go a little spicier next time) so if you have a stomach of steel you may want to make it spicier.

I ended up only using half of this spice mixture on the two 4lb chickens that we BBQ'd.  There's a reason we had 8lbs of bird for 3 adults and 3 kids.  Leftovers!!!  I've already used some of the extra spice mixture and leftover chicken in a pasta dish last night (um, can I just say it was super delish!?).  I also plan to try it on pork tenderloin and may even sprinkle some over buttered popcorn.  So many uses! 

Here's hoping that you all have many opportunities to use this rub whilst sitting on your own patios and decks this summer.  Enjoy!

Yield: approx. 1 cup of mixture

1/4 cup sea salt
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp brown sugar, packed
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil2tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I'd probably go up to 1 tsp next time)
2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients.  Keep in an air-tight container until ready to use.

Preparing a chicken for the rotisserie:
Rinse the chicken, inside and out, with cold water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Sprinkle rub mixture all over the chicken until coated.

Put chicken on the rotisserie skewer, ensuring that you truss it up good and tight (with kitchen twine) so the legs and wings are snug to the body.  Secure on each end with rotisserie rods. 

Place chicken on the BBQ and cook for 10 minutes on high using the rotisserie burner on your BBQ.  Reduce heat to medium until the internal temperature reaches 165F in the breast.  Try not to peek too much because you'll let out the heat you've created in the 'Q!

Our two birds took about 60-90 minutes to fully cook but Brad (my resident BBQ guru) says the most important thing is to follow the internal temperature of the bird, not necessarily the time.

Tent chicken under foil for 10 minutes (this is important!  Don't skip it!) and then carve.  Save some leftovers for pasta, chicken sandwiches, quesadillas ....  The options are endless!

Inspired by: http://www.food.com/recipe/rotisserie-chicken-rub-484807