Huli Huli Chicken

Chicken:
2 quarts water
2 cups shoyu
1 tbsp vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
4 split chicken halves (about 8 pounds total)


Glaze:
3 (6-ounce) cans pineapple juice
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup shoyu
1/4 cup ketchup
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp Asian chili-garlic sauce


2 cups mesquite (or hickory) wood chips, soaked for 15 minutes


Brine Chicken. Combine water and shoyu in a large bowl. Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir into shoyu mixture. Add chicken and refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or up to 8.


Make Glaze. Combine pineapple juice, sugar, shoyu, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, ginger and chili-garlic sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer until thick and syrupy (you should have about 1 cup), 20-25 minutes.


Prep Grill. Seal wood chips in foil packet and cut vent holes in top. Open bottom vents on grill. Light about 75 coals. When coals are covered with a fine gray ash, spread evenly over the bottom of the grill. Arrange foil packet directly on coals. Set cooking grate in place and heat, covered with lid vent open halfway, until wood chips begin to smoke heavily, about 5 minutes. (For gas grill, place foil packet directly on primary burner. Heat all burners on high, covered, until wood chips begin to smoke heavily, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-low.) Scrape and oil the grate.


Grill Chicken. Remove chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange skin side up on grill (do not place chicken directly above foil packet). Grill, covered, until chicken is well browned on bottom and meat registers 120 degrees, 25-30 minutes. Flip chicken skin side down and continue to grill, covered, until skin is well browned and crisp and thigh meat reaches 170 to 175 degrees, 20-25 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to platter, brush with half of the glaze, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve, passing remaining glaze at table.