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 jalapeño 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 jalapeños. 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 to 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.