Poulet Buccaneer

Poulet Buccaneer.  Buccaneer chicken!   What a great name.  This is not my recipe.  I found it on the web a while back. Grilled chicken is one of my favorite foods.  Smokey and juicy!
This is Martinique street food!

The recipe calls for sugar cane for the smoking wood.  Sugar cane  is available at Mexican markets.



Poulet Buccaneer


Ingredients
Two 3 1/2 lb (1.75 kg)  chickens, butterflied (see Tip, below)
4 limes
2 onions, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped parsley
2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh thyme (with stalks)
1 tbsp (15 ml) coarse kosher or sea salt
2 tsp (10 ml) coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp (5 ml) ground allspice
1 (or to taste) Scotch bonnet or other hot chili, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) demerara or brown sugar
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
2 cups (500 ml) Sauce Chien*
1 stalk or 2–3 cups (500–750 ml)  fresh sugar cane
smoking chips, preferably cherry, apple, or another fruitwood
Preparation
1. Wash chickens and pat dry. Cut 2 of the limes in half and rub chickens on all sides with lime halves.
2. Juice remaining limes, and combine juice with onions, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, allspice, chili, sugar, and olive oil. Mix well. Rub mixture on chickens, and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Prepare wood or sugar cane for the grill: If using cane, cut stalk into 6"–8" (15–20 cm) pieces, or convenient lengths to fit barbecue smoker box. Split each piece lengthwise in half. If using wood chips, cover with water and soak for about 30 minutes.
4. Place sugar cane or wood chips in smoker box or disposable aluminum pan. Preheat barbecue. Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade) and place on lightly oiled grill over medium-high direct heat. Grill until browned on both sides (about 5 minutes per side). Then continue cooking over indirect heat until skin is crisp and juices run clear, about 1 hour. Serve with Sauce Chien. Serves 8.
Tip: Butterflying, or spatchcocking, a chicken allows it to lie flat on the grill, which speeds up the cooking. You can buy a butterflied chicken from your butcher, but it’s easy to do yourself: Using kitchen shears or a heavy knife, cut the chicken along each side of the backbone. Remove and discard the backbone. Open out the chicken, skin side up, and press firmly on the breastbone to flatten.