Grilled Chicken Drumsticks with Bourbon-Cherry BBQ Sauce

Skinned drumsticks grilled and glazed with a homemade sour-cherry and bourbon barbecue sauce spiced with mustard, onion and red pepper.

🍳 Cook: 20 min

Ingredients

3 cups	720 ml	fresh or frozen sour cherries, pitted and thawed
1/4 cup	60 ml	water
2 tablespoons	30 ml	sugar
1/3 cup	80 ml	honey
1/3 cup	80 ml	unsalted ketchup
1/4 cup	60 ml	unsalted tomato paste
1/4 cup	60 ml	unseasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons	45 ml	bourbon
1 1/2 teaspoons	7.5 ml	kosher salt
1 teaspoon	5 ml	black pepper
1 teaspoon	5 ml	onion powder
1/2 teaspoon	2.5 ml	dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon	0.6 ml	ground red pepper
4 pounds	1.8 kg	chicken drumsticks, skinned (about 16)
—		cooking spray

Place cherries in a food processor; pulse until almost smooth. Bring the cherry puree, 1/4 cup water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat to low; simmer 20 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl to yield about 1 cup liquid; discard the remaining solids.
Add the cherry liquid to the pan; bring to a boil. Stir in the honey and the next 9 ingredients (through ground red pepper). Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool. Place 1 cup of sauce in a bowl; reserve.
Preheat the grill to medium-high (about 450°F / 230°C).
Coat the grill grate and drumsticks with cooking spray. Arrange the drumsticks on the grill; cover and cook 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Reduce heat to medium. Brush the drumsticks with the remaining sauce; cook 12 minutes or until done, turning and brushing every 3 minutes. Serve with the reserved 1 cup of sauce.