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Started By
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BBQ Q&A - Chicken
Posted on 6/5/18 at 1:24 pm
Posted on 6/5/18 at 1:24 pm
As stated yesterday in the intro to BBQ Q&A, let's talk bbq meats and equipment this week.
Let's get this started with one of the easiest, and most available meats....chicken. A lot of people bbq or grill chicken, but some still struggle with cooking it properly.
What's your favorite cut...whole, half, or pieces? Grilled or smoked, type of grill, brined or injected, sauce, and hot & fast or low & slow?
At home I like to spatchcock a 5# natural chicken, lite overnight brine (3/4c kosher/gal water), my base bbq rub, a little coarse black pepper, 300 on a uds without deflector over lump, a handful of cherry pellets spread over the coals for a lite smoke, and no sauce. Done when breast hits 160 and thigh around 170-175.
Let's get this started with one of the easiest, and most available meats....chicken. A lot of people bbq or grill chicken, but some still struggle with cooking it properly.
What's your favorite cut...whole, half, or pieces? Grilled or smoked, type of grill, brined or injected, sauce, and hot & fast or low & slow?
At home I like to spatchcock a 5# natural chicken, lite overnight brine (3/4c kosher/gal water), my base bbq rub, a little coarse black pepper, 300 on a uds without deflector over lump, a handful of cherry pellets spread over the coals for a lite smoke, and no sauce. Done when breast hits 160 and thigh around 170-175.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 1:30 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
Chicken quarters are really cheap. I prefer the dark meat.
My favorite method is smoking them. I'll brine them overnight and then in the morning apply a rub. after a few hours ill rub again and put into the smoker. They dont take long, maybe a few hours.
Chicken fryers are great too when there's a good deal and you can usually find them somewhere for $0.99/lb, but i absolutely hate cutting up a chicken.
My favorite method is smoking them. I'll brine them overnight and then in the morning apply a rub. after a few hours ill rub again and put into the smoker. They dont take long, maybe a few hours.
Chicken fryers are great too when there's a good deal and you can usually find them somewhere for $0.99/lb, but i absolutely hate cutting up a chicken.
This post was edited on 6/5/18 at 1:37 pm
Posted on 6/5/18 at 1:31 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
Hot dogs and nachos are easy and available
Posted on 6/5/18 at 1:41 pm to J Murdah
Smoked quarters make a great chicken salad as well. It's hard to beat some good, smoked thigh meat.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 1:44 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
I smoke the boneless chicken thighs on a regular basis. Sometimes I stuff them with shrimp or crawfish dressing and wrap in bacon, other times I just use my rub and marinade and let it roll. I smoke a lot of chicken sausage and peppers stuffed with boudin as well.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 1:47 pm to joechristoppher77
quote:
Sometimes I stuff them with shrimp or crawfish dressing
Are you rolling and tying them, or cutting a pocket?
Posted on 6/5/18 at 1:47 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
I love dark meat, but I let the thighs and legs go until 195-200. It really helps get all the meat off the bone, and I don't notice it drying out until above 205.
The only prep I do is pull up the skin and make sure to rub salt over every inch of meat.
The only prep I do is pull up the skin and make sure to rub salt over every inch of meat.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 1:50 pm to leftovergumbo
They can definitely withstand a high IT.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 1:50 pm to J Murdah
quote:
J Murdah
Agree with every word you said.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 2:09 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
I cut and stuff, using the bacon wrap to hold it together, easy, I don't spend much time on it. I smoke darn near everything, frog legs smoked in a cast iron with garlic and olive oil is another easy quick thing to do, I like to add baby spinach and peppers after a few minutes of cooking on each side.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 2:28 pm to joechristoppher77
Not a fan of frog legs, but that sounds good.
This post was edited on 6/5/18 at 2:38 pm
Posted on 6/5/18 at 3:04 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
A simple, old school BBQ bird is very enjoyable. Don't overthink it. 8 piece cut up 3 to 4 pound chicken. Pull out of fridge when you start charcoal. Salt and pepper generously. Use your hand over grates to feel the hotter and cooler portions of grates. Thighs and large breast over hotter portions and drums wings over cooler portions. 20 minutes, flip, other side 15 minutes. Sauce them for 5 minutes turning every minute or so to keep sauce from burning.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 3:29 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
I grill a lot of chicken and it doesn't really matter if I do it in pieces, halves or whole. Bottom line is "low and slow" to keep from burning the outside and having the inside still raw.
I'll BBQ individual pieces on a low temperature, let them get about 2/3 done before I put on any BBQ sauce, and my sauce is cut half and half with water. I find putting BBQ sauce on the chicken from the bottle or homemade, it tends to burn easier. I prefer light coatings of the sauce as it finishes cooking.
If cooking chicken in halves or whole, I'll use indirect heat and place the chicken over a burner not turned on and have the side burners working. Same if using coals, push the coals to the sides and put the chicken in the center.
As for seasoning the chicken, I just use a simple mix of salt, pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce and a bit of Worcestershire and cover the chicken with it and let it marinate for a bit before cooking.
I'll BBQ individual pieces on a low temperature, let them get about 2/3 done before I put on any BBQ sauce, and my sauce is cut half and half with water. I find putting BBQ sauce on the chicken from the bottle or homemade, it tends to burn easier. I prefer light coatings of the sauce as it finishes cooking.
If cooking chicken in halves or whole, I'll use indirect heat and place the chicken over a burner not turned on and have the side burners working. Same if using coals, push the coals to the sides and put the chicken in the center.
As for seasoning the chicken, I just use a simple mix of salt, pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce and a bit of Worcestershire and cover the chicken with it and let it marinate for a bit before cooking.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 3:41 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
Yeah I saw a guy(out of Lafayette I believe)doing it on one of those sports/hunting channels a year or so ago and have done it several times since, my favorite way to cook frog legs now, I also prefer my eggplant, squash, zucchini and brussel sprouts smoked in oil and garlic in a cast iron as well
Posted on 6/5/18 at 4:09 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
quote:
What's your favorite cut...whole, half, or pieces?
Easily, whole. Cut the chicken up into 8 pieces.
quote:
Grilled or smoked
Smoked, though I do love it grilled too. But if I'm putting it on the pit to grill it, it's too easy to throw some wood chunks in to add the smoke flavor. I smoke with post oak.
quote:
type of grill
I have 4 different "pits"....a Green Mountain pellet smoker (don't remember the model but it's the big one with the stainless lid and wifi), a New Braunfels offset stick burner that is a beast and smokes the absolute best brisket, my standard charcoal pit that's a custom fabricated job out of light gauge stainless steel and my last one is the Orion Cooker.
quote:
brined or injected
Both. Depends on the mood really.
quote:
sauce
I'm currently using Big Mike's Sweet Heat. I like it because it's not overly sweet and it's a thin sauce...more like a glaze. Big Mike also makes a good poultry rub that I've used from time to time but my current favorite chicken rub is Plow Boy's Yard Bird Rub.
quote:
hot & fast or low & slow
Always low and slow. From a couple of weeks ago...
Posted on 6/5/18 at 4:13 pm to GeauxTigers0107
If I grill it's usually thighs or tenders. I've found a new love for grilling chicken after getting a vacuum sealer. It's perfect for marinating chicken.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 4:30 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
My dad used to always smoke with jack millers sauce, I still do that sometimes
Posted on 6/5/18 at 4:51 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
Leg quarters only. Breast dries out too much.
SPOG only for the rub. Smoke hot and fast.
Bama White BBQ Sauce to finish.
SPOG only for the rub. Smoke hot and fast.
Bama White BBQ Sauce to finish.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 4:58 pm to Centinel
Spatchcock at 325 point the legs toward the heat source. I usually use my WSM or BGE and start the fire on one side of the firebox. Flip after about 45 min the let go another 45 I try to hit 180 in the thigh for temp. I usually use hickory, but cherry works well with chicken too.
Posted on 6/5/18 at 5:45 pm to Crawfish From Arabi
Smoke whole yardbirds. Salt & pepper only. Then let the pecan/post oak do the heavy lifting.
Use it in all kinds of dishes.
Use it in all kinds of dishes.
This post was edited on 6/5/18 at 7:03 pm
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