Tried this this past weekend. I omitted the dill and used my own spice preferences. Added to the marinade diced onion instead of powder, whole black, red & white peppercorns, whole allspice, chipotle powder, brown sugar and sprigs of fresh thyme. I'm glad I waited and didn't review this right away. I smoked two game hens over hickory, our favorite. Initially, I thought the apple juice marinade made the meat too sweet and didn't care for it, But when I brushed on some BBQ sauce it all came together. The depth and nuances of the apple cider soak really came to the forefront. All in all, this came out pretty darn good. I'll use it again, but it really needs the BBQ sauce to shine. I use Sweet Baby Ray's.
See Also
Dry-brine roast chicken