British BBQ Society Forums

Cheers.

In many ways I'm the wrong sort of bloke to be barbecuing. In the kitchen I usually like to follow a recipe to the letter, the the gram, to the second.

With a barbecue you just can't do that. Live fires are simply so unpredictable, it's almost like I'm cooking in a way that's completely alien to me.

But it's been a couple of years since I barbecued chicken too dry, whether whole or in pieces, and I've never served chicken that's burnt, pink, or that's caused any illness.

This is not because I'm a brilliant cook. On the contrary, I think sometimes people aren't confident enough in their own abilities. You don't havde to add smoke to make chicken tasty. You don't have to brine to keep it moist or to add flavour. Trust your taste buds. Trust the recipe. Trust the thermometer.

If I can do it, anyone can.

Steve W

Thanks for the advice all - may well give cupcake chicken a try sometime.

As for not slow smoking chicken (never tried slow smoking before, always wary of rubbery skin), in the past, after ribs/shoulder have come off to rest I usually dump another chimney full of (lit) charcoal into the grill with a couple of handfulls of woodchips and plonk chicken pieces onto the grill straight from the pack and seasoned with salt and pepper. Never had a problem (or complaint), just thought we'd try something different here.

Ed

Slow smoking will give you rubbery skin, with the skin on it will prevent smoke from fully absorbing, so saying the best, and I mean the best chicken I have ever eaten was BBQ'd at the BBQ shack. From the man himself
"hi Keith,
there is always more than 1 way to BBQ anything. You can smoke a chicken at 225- 250 or cook higher 275-325. I do both and like both. What you had at BBQ Shack would be 1.8 kg chicken halves cooked at 300F until 175 internal. About 1 hour."

Hope this helps

Pecker wrote:Cheers.

In many ways I'm the wrong sort of bloke to be barbecuing. In the kitchen I usually like to follow a recipe to the letter, the the gram, to the second.

With a barbecue you just can't do that. Live fires are simply so unpredictable, it's almost like I'm cooking in a way that's completely alien to me.

But it's been a couple of years since I barbecued chicken too dry, whether whole or in pieces, and I've never served chicken that's burnt, pink, or that's caused any illness.

This is not because I'm a brilliant cook. On the contrary, I think sometimes people aren't confident enough in their own abilities. You don't havde to add smoke to make chicken tasty. You don't have to brine to keep it moist or to add flavour. Trust your taste buds. Trust the recipe. Trust the thermometer.

If I can do it, anyone can.

Steve W

a very good post, I also think people who set times for the meal to start are putting to much pressure on themselves.At the weekend when the weather is good people arrive at about 11am and we eat till about 11pm.
I dont skin or bone thighs, I do brine them and then for 90% of the smoking/cooking time they are skin side down.The skin get crispy like this http://s1017.photobucket.com/albums/af2 ... BBQ449.jpg

Chicken lookin' good.

For me, I think chicken thighs are the best of barbecue. The Americans think it's about ribs, the Aussies think it's steaks, but I have a thing for chicken, and thighs are the best.

For me, I marinade as long as possible, loosen the skin and stick sauce under it, a little olive oil and s&p and the outside, sear on both sides for a couple of minutes, then cook for 20 indirect heat. Then baste the outside with the sauce and do another 20 minutes indirect.

Generally, if I want them smokey I put a few soaked wood chips on, but 95% of the time I don't want the smoke overpowering either the chicken or the sauce.

A few all spice berries on the coals if I'm doing jerk chicken.

Steve W