Barbecue chicken on a gas grill

Break a whole bird down with kitchen shears: snip out the spine, cut between the breast and thigh, snip at the base of the breastplate and pull the keel bone, then separate the breasts, and split thighs from drums along the strip of fat over the joint.

Eyeball the rub from mostly chili powder, about a third of a cup, and sweet paprika, then a teaspoon of smoked paprika and about half a teaspoon of cayenne.

Add half a teaspoon each of cumin and oregano, about a teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder and about half a teaspoon of crushed dried rosemary.

Add nearly as much brown sugar as there are spices, a few twists of black pepper and a few generous pinches of kosher salt, then taste: it should be almost equal parts sweet, spicy and salty.

Spread the rub evenly over every facet of the chicken, working it into and under the skin, then cover and refrigerate at least a couple of hours, ideally overnight.

Eyeball the sauce at around 60 percent ketchup and 20 percent yellow mustard with a few dashes of hot sauce, leftover rub, a pinch each of garlic and onion powder, a generous dash of Worcestershire, pepper, a pinch of salt and a big glug of sweetener; taste and adjust.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes.

Max the burners and heat the grill about 15 minutes, scrape the grates with a wire brush, turn the heat off, lube the grates generously with a neutral oil and cure it on max about 10 minutes.

Make a smoke packet: wood chips or pellets on a sheet of aluminum foil, wrapped tight into a wide flat packet with holes poked in the top.

Turn off all the left burners, leave only the far right burner on and aim for about 225F at the grates, which reads about 325 on the gauge because grates run about 100F hotter than the gauge says.

Lift the grate over the active burner, set the wood packet on the heat shield and put the chicken on the cool side, dark meat nearest the heat.

Keep the lid shut except to spray the chicken with apple juice occasionally and to replace the smoke packet every 30 to 45 minutes.

Smoke about an hour and a half, then start temping: 130F in the thickest part of the breast and 140F in the dark meat, shuffling pieces closer to the heat if they lag.

Coat the chicken with barbecue sauce and crank the heat directly under it; after about five minutes it should be charring and sizzling.

Flip to char the skin, close the grill three to five minutes until dark, paint the bottoms, flip back and give one last coat.

Finish to 155F in the breast and 175F in the dark meat and serve with extra sauce.