Bar-B-Que Chicken
For years, I tried to make bar-b-que chicken that didn't dry out on the grill and/or get scorched on the grill as the sugars in the sauce turned to sticky-crunchy-icky black bits of carbon. Finally, I learned some tricks that yield juicy, tender chicken with rich, yummy (un-scorched!) bar-b-que sauce every time.
I like to use a thigh/leg combo for this recipe, but feel free to substitute any cut--just be mindful of leaner breast meat that can dry out if not watched.
One of the secrets to making proteins such as pork, poultry and fish juicy and tender is to brine it. Brines can get pretty fancy, but the one I use is just salt, sugar and water. I'll admit it--I never measure how much salt and sugar and water I use, but it's about 1/3 cup salt, 2 Tbsp sugar (I use turbinado) to 3/4 quart of water. I used to put all the ingredients into a ziplock bag, shake it around to dissolve the salt and sugar and use that to brine in. However, a better tool to use is something truly re-usable such as a "Stasher" bag for this purpose. You could also use a bowl--just make sure your protein can be totally submerged in it.
I heard about brining years ago on a cooking show that I have long ago forgotten. The idea is that with the salt and sugar, there is a chemical reaction that happens to open up the cell membranes and allow the cells to absorb the solution. I was skeptical of two things: that it wouldn't work and that I would taste the sugar in the protein. I was wrong on both counts: the fish, pork and poultry I brine turn out juicy and tender and while they do absorb some of the salt flavor, they never taste sweet.
When you brine your meat, you will need to adjust how much salt you put in your seasonings because, as I mentioned, brining will impart some saltiness, and the longer you leave the protein in the brine, the saltier it will be. Fish will only need 30-35 minutes in the brine, where I leave pork and chicken in a brine for 45 minutes to an hour.
For this recipe, I just use bottled BBQ sauce, but you could make your own if you have time. I really like Stubb's BBQ sauce, but there are dozens out there on the market, so pick the one you like best.
- 4 Thigh/leg combo (Chicken)
- 1/3 cup Salt
- 2 tbsp Turbinado sugar
- 3/4 qt Water
- 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
- 1
Add the salt, sugar and water to a reusable, resealable bag, such as "Stashers." Shake to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the chicken to the bag and let the chicken brine for about an hour. I have always done this at room temperature, but I live in a very moderate climate and my house hardly ever gets over 70*. If you live in a hotter area, you should probably do your brining in the refrigerator. If you do, you should brine for a little longer to make sure the brine has a chance to do its work.
About 15 minutes before you take the chicken out of the brine, start heating your grill and start preheating your oven to 375*.
Take chicken out of brine and pat dry with paper towels.
Rub chicken with olive oil, or--as I do, pecan oil--to prevent the chicken from sticking to your grill.
Line a casserole pan with aluminum foil to make for easy clean-up.
Place the chicken on the pre-heated grill and let it grill on a covered grill for a couple of minutes before checking--you're looking for grill marks. When you can see grill marks, turn the chicken and again close the grill for a couple of minutes. This will not only give the chicken the grill marks, but it will absorb some of that nice smoke from the grill.
Remove the chicken from the grill and place in the casserole dish. Cover casserole with aluminum foil and place in the pre-heated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes and then take the casserole dish out. Uncover and slather the chicken with the bar-b-cue sauce on both sides. Replace the foil cover and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes, until the chicken reaches a temperature of 165-170*. Remove from oven and let stand for a few minutes before serving.
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