Bacon Chicken Kebobs with Guinness BBQ Sauce

These 2  recipes kind of came together as if they belonged together.   I saw a recipe for bacon paste chicken kebobs from Cooks Illustrated.  Bacon paste.  It's exactly what it sounds like, bacon that has been pulverized into a paste and then you rub it all over chicken. Totally intriguing right?  I figured if I was going to all the trouble to turn bacon into a paste (30-45 secs in a food processor amount of trouble really) I might as well up the stakes with a different kind of bbq sauce too.  

When I saw the bottles of Guinness in the fridge, I knew immediately what kind of BBQ sauce it needed to be.  Guinness has a deep dark flavor that I hoped would lend itself to a super rich BBQ flavor...I hoped.  As it turns out it was....eh.  It was pretty similar to any bottled sauce and the Guinness flavor was almost nonexistent.  Personally I'd save the Guinness for drinking next time but included the recipe link just in case you are that intrigued that you need to try. 

The bacon paste part though...kind of genius.  I didn't post a photo of the paste itself because no one wants to see that. Not pretty but once you get it on the chicken and then onto the BBQ...magic.  The bacon crisps up and adds that fantastic bacon flavor and really does keep the chicken ultra moist.  I would recommend spacing the kebobs a bit more on the skewers though so the bacon in between the pieces gets crisped and bbq'd up.  

This is super with some grilled pineapple on the side.  

Chicken Kebobs 
kebab recipe from June 2011 Cooks Illustrated
Guinness bbq sauce from Epicurious

Guinness BBQ sauce

2 cups Guinness
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup dark brown mustard
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Kebabs:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 12-inch metal skewers

Directions: 

1. Boil the Guinness in a saucepan over high heat until reduced by half
2. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes, or until thick. 
3. Cool and store in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
4. Add the chicken and salt to a large bowl and stir to combine. 
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Preheat your grill – turn the burners to high, close the lid and let heat for at least 15 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, use paper towels to pat chicken dry. 
8. Mix the sweet paprika, sugar and smoked paprika together in a small bowl. 
9. Add bacon to food processor and pulse until the bacon becomes a smooth paste, about 30-45 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. (this is not pretty)
10. Combine the chicken, spice mixture and bacon paste in a large bowl and use your hands to mix and coat the chicken evenly. Thread the chicken onto the skewers.
11. Leave one burner of your grill on high and turn the others off. Place the kebabs over the hot burner, and grill , giving them a quarter turn every 2 minutes, until browned and slightly charred on all sides, about 8 minutes. If a flare-up occurs, just move the kebabs to the cool side of the grill temporarily.
12. Brush one side of the kebabs with about 1/4 cup sauce then flip and cook until the sauce browns a bit, about 1 minute. Brush the other side with the remaining 1/4 cup sauce, flip and cook until brown, about 1 more minute. The chicken should register 160 F on an instant read thermometer. 
13. Transfer the kebabs to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes before serving