Semi-Pro: BBQ Chicken Pt. 2

Now that the chicken has sat in the brine for a while, its time to season and cook the bird. First, remove the chicken from the brine and discard what's left of the brine (if you notice, you will have much less brine in the container than when you started, meaning the chicken absorbed all that flavorful moisture). Rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Next, grab your favorite rub. It can be something from the store, something from a BBQ shop, something you put together yourself, or simply salt, pepper and a touch of garlic. For a great all purpose BBQ rub, try this:

• 2 tbsp kosher salt (not iodized or table salt)
• 2 tbsp paprika (sweet or Hungarian if you can find it)
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp regular sugar
• 1 tbsp chili powder (remember, if you can make your own, do it!)
• 2 tsp ground chipotle chile
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

No matter what you use, it's probably gonna look like this

As mentioned in an earlier blog post, it doesn't matter what secret combination of herbs and spices you put on your food if your technique is not sound. Don't get too hung up on the exact measurements or ingredients of the above example, or one you try to make yourself. Feel free to add a touch of cayenne of you like your chicken with more kick, or rosemary and garlic for a more savory feel. The most important parts of this cook is brining the chicken and properly grilling the chicken, which we're getting to.

With your rub in hand, generously season the chicken. You can add the rub to a plastic shaker and go to town, making sure both sides get a good dusting of rub. Lift the skin up and shake a bit directly on the meat as well.

Mmmmmm....good stuff

If you have a good amount of rub, and another gallon bag, you could also try seasoning the pieces this way: mix 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO for you Rachel Ray fans) with 1/2 cup of your rub until you have somewhere between a slurry and a syrupy consistency. Add the chicken to the bag, pour the mixture over the chicken, seal the bag, then shake to evenly coat the chicken.

Looks like spicy syrup

You'll go through plenty of bags doing BBQ. It's worth it though

However you season the chicken, let it rest for 30 minutes or so while you get your cooker set up. For a chicken cook, I always set up the cooker for  indirect cooking between 325-375 degrees. This will give pretty even cooking and a nice crispy skin once all is done. Using my chimney starter, I use a full load of coals and get them red hot and ash over. Once they are ready, the coals are piled to one side of the grill, making a high heat zone. I like to add a nice chunk or two of hardwood (hickory, pecan, apple, etc) for some extra smoke flavor. The chicken will go on the opposite side of the grill, where they will get the heat from the coals, skin side up, but not be directly on top of them to keep from burning. If you have a lot of chicken to cook, place a layer of  fresh coals on the bottom of the grill before pouring the lit coals. They will ignite as the lit coals burn down and keep the heat going.If you are using a dedicated smoker, set your vents so that the temperature in the smoker climbs to the 350 degree range. If you're using a gas grill, light one or two of the burners (depending on your setup) and have the chicken on the side of the grill with the unlit burner. You can either use a foil packet with soaked wood chips over one of the lit burners or if you have a dedicated smoke box, use that.

Coals to one side folks

Don't forget to oil the grates!

The charcoal could be piled higher on one side to give me more room

I let the chicken cook for 45-60 minutes, depending on if I've got light or dark meat on the grill, turning the chicken over maybe once during the cook. Depending on how your coals are set up, you may want to rotate the chicken once, moving the pieces closer to the coals a bit further back, and those that were already back a little closer to the heat. Some people like to place the chicken skin side down directly over the coals for a minute or two to get the skin extra crispy and extra grill marks for presentation sake. 

Those thighs look GOOOOOOOD

That's a lot of wings...

If sauce will be added to your chicken, start brushing it on (or dip the chicken in sauce and place back on the grill) within the last 10-15 minutes of the cook, and keep an eye on it. If you brush it on earlier you run the risk of the sugar in the sauce burning, which we don't want . Use your thermometer to check the temperature of your chicken to know if it is done. We're shooting for 170 degrees at the thickest part of the chicken. Please DON'T just use the old adage of cooking the chicken 'until the juices run clear', as the chicken still may not be done. If you go over that target temperature, don't worry too much. Since the chicken is brined, you  seriously reduce the chances of overcooking and drying out your chicken. Once done, pull the chicken off the grill and let it rest for a moment or two. Then, dig in.

BBQ chicken isn't hard to do folks. As long as you find a rub you like, cook indirectly and brine your chicken, you are guaranteed to turn out chicken you can be proud of and have people clamoring for more. Enjoy!