From my childhood, I have memories of cookouts where a marinade similar to this was often used and the recipe closely guarded. Looking back on how much I enjoyed this, I attempted to recreate it. This is my version, satisfying my craving for the “secret chicken sauce”.
There are two versions: one for the marinade, the second is a mop sauce that I mix up the day I grill and brush on continuously. If you don’t want to mix a second batch, you can make a little extra marinade, reserve it, and add a little oil to it when you’re ready to grill (NEVER use the marinade that the chicken was in as a mop sauce!).
Meat
4-6 chicken breasts (boneless skinless, or bone-in) or pork chops
Marinade
1 cup vinegar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Red Hot hot sauce
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Mop Sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Red Hot hot sauce
2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Marinade Prep
– Place all marinade ingredients in a bowl.
– Mix well to combine.
– Pour over the meat and marinade, covered in the fridge (or in a large Ziploc bag) for between 6 to 24 hours.
Grilling
– Preheat the grill to High/Med, toss the meat on then drop it to Med/Low heat. You’ll want to grill this nice and slowly.
– Brush on the mop sauce every few minutes, keeping the surface of the meat moist.
– Flip when the meat is nearly cooked half through (approx 5-10 minutes, depending on the meat and the size of the cut.).
– Continue to brush with the mop sauce. If you’re doing it right, you should see the meat start to take on a slight brown tint as the sugar and spices cook onto the chicken.
– Grill until the meat internal temp is at a safe level (Chicken: 160*F, Pork: 140*F).
– Flip once more, apply the last of the mop sauce. Grill for another 1-2 minutes.
– Remove the meat from the grill, place on a covered plate or bowl and allow to rest, 10 minutes.
– Slice and serve.
– Typical sides are grilled veggies (peppers, onions, asparagus, squash, etc) and/or grilled potatoes (you can apply some of the mop sauce to these also near the end of grilling).
