Hotter Than Hell Barbecue Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup bacon drippings from maple-syrup glazed bacon or 1/4 cup drippings from regular bacon + 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (44 ounce) bottle ketchup
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup flat beer
• 2 tablespoons coarse-grained Dijon-style mustard
• 1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke
• 1 teaspoon piquin quebrado (a very hot pepper)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely minced pickled jalapeno chiles
• 2 (3 pound) chickens, cut into large pieces (drumsticks, thighs, etc.)

Instructions

1. To make the sauce, melt bacon drippings in a heavy 3-quart sauce pan. Then add onion and garlic and cook about 3 minutes.
2. Add ketchup, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, beer mustard, Liquid Smoke, piquin, pepper and jalapenos. Stir well ; cover and simmer 30 minutes to combine flavors.
3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place chicken pieces, skin side up, in 2 large, shallow roasting pans.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until skin is parched, then turn pieces over and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
5. Generously baste each piece with sauce, using 3 cups of the sauce; bake 15 minutes longer.
6. Turn; baste skin side with pan drippings and 1 cup more sauce.
7. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes longer or until sauce is glazed and tips of chicken pieces are lightly browned.