What's the best way to grill BBQ chicken?

Question

I just got a grill and have really struggled with grilling BBQ chicken. The sugar in the sauce always seems to cause it to burn, no matter what level heat, or how often I turn it. Anybody have any simple tips? I've tried using thinner sauces like Chiavettas, but don't enjoy the taste as much.

Answer 1

There is a big difference between barbequing and grilling. BBQ requires closed lid cooking with a low heat fire, while grilling is usually done on an open grill, with a hotter bed of coals. To properly barbeque a chicken, you will want to cook the bird whole, in order to retain moisture. To do this, simply cut the bird in half through the back and lay it open flat. Wash the bird under water and then pat dry with paper towels. Next, rub the bird with oil and then rub seasoning into all surfaces. I like salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika.

In your bbq pit, you should get a fire going and allow it to burn down into a nice bed of coals. You can use charcoal or hard wood or a mixture of both. I like using both. Hardwood is actually quite important for proper smoke flavor. In fact, adding a very small chunk of green hardwood, just before placing the meat in the pit, is a good way to generate a lot of smoky flavor.

Make sure your fire is not hot enough to burn the chicken, but still hot enough to cook. This may take some experimentation for you to learn the correct temperature. I like to have a small amount of coals directly under the bird and the majority of the fire off to the side. You might even want to keep another small fire burning outside the pit, so you can add small amounts of coals if your fire cools down too much.

The secret to cooking an awesome bbq chicken is to let it cook for a long time over a low heat source. I usually cook a chicken for about 3 hours. To keep the skin from drying out while cooking, I like to brush it with italian salad dressing every once in a while during cooking. Don't poke it with a fork when you flip it over....use tongs so you don't puncture the bird and allow juices to run out. Keep your fire very low and smoky and let it cook a long time. Barbeque sauce will burn on your bird, so don't put any on it. If people want sauce on their bbq chicken, then let them put it on the meat on their plate. Don't ruin the whole bird by putting sauce all over it. The smoke flavor from a properly cooked bird will be far more desirable than some sticky old bbq sauce smeared all over it. Good luck....practice will make you a pro!

Answer 2

That is a common problem for many. So here is a few simple modifications for you.
1. Cut your chicken into smaller pieces. 1 whole chicken = 2 wings, 4 breast pieces, 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks. Get chickens that weights around 2 - 2.5 lbs each.
2. Make your own marinate with less or no sugar. You can easily compensat for the taste by brushing the cooked pieces with honey just after it comes off the grill.
3. Build your fire in the center of the grill but cook on the outer edge of the grill. This would reduce the intensity of the fire and allow the pieces to cook more slowly.
Good Luck.

Answer 3

Marinate it in a citrus marinade or dry rub ove night. Grill it toward the outside of the grill (not the center) for about 45 minutes (for bone-in pieces). Don't keep turning and turning it. If you have one of those racks that are not directly on the flame, baste your chicken with your bbq sauce and place on the rack for the last 10 minutes. If you don't, then baste wi/ the sauce the last 5 minutes.

Answer 4

Use a rub, don't put the bar-b-q sauce on until the last 15-20 minutes.

Answer 5

cover the chick in foil bake it till its cooked. Ones you see it's cooked (take a sharp knife and stick it in as far as you can, if no blood runs out, then it's cooked.) as I was saying when it's cooked open it up and grill it for just a few minutes. You'll have succulent juicy chicken with a crispy skin.

Answer 6

grill with oak wood instead of coals

however if you are trying to win a BBQ contest trail and error is your best teacher

Get hints from the pro'shttp://allrecipes.com/recipe/memorial-day-best-bbq-chicken-ever/detail.aspx

www.foodnetwork.com

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