The Ultimate Barbecue Chicken

First I must apologize to Tyler Florence for stealing the title to one of his shows but this really is the "Ultimate" bbq chicken. I'll admit this is similar to Tyler's recipe with one major change, I cook mine on a charcoal grille while he cooks his on a grille on top of the stove and finishes it in the oven. While his way of cooking chicken is excellent (I use his method in the winter when I want bbq chicken) let's face it, you can't beat chicken cooked on the grille. And if you ever get into a throwdown with Bobby Flay cooking bbq chicken using this method you will win, guaranteed.

So without further adieu "Are you ready for a throwdown?" Opps, sorry, I thought Bobby Flay was in the audience. Let's get started.

Start with a brine. "A brine you say?" Yes a brine, now don't be afraid of the salt, it doesn't soak up into the chicken in any way. From what I understand the brine or salt actually helps to seal the pores of the chicken to hold the moisture in to give the most moist bbq chicken you will ever have.

Here are the main players in this episode.


Start with a quart or so of water in a sauce pan, add a 1/2 of handful of Kosher salt (1/4 of a cup if you must measure), a 1/2 handful of brown sugar, and a table spoon or so of peppercorns (you can use just plain old black pepper too but peppercorns are suppose to do something, I'm just not sure what). Oh you want to know about the green stuff in the picture eh? Rosemary, I just happened to have it in my "garden" this year. I love the smell of that stuff but you can use any herb you like or none at all, use what you like and like what you use. Bring everything to a boil on the stove while stirring and turn off the heat. Next add the ice cubes and cool back down, after all if you add hot brine to the chicken it will start to cook and that is a bad thing. I should mention this is for one chicken, if you cook two chickens double it and three triple....aw forget it you get the idea.

Put everything in a one gallon zip lock bag.



Next add the brine mixture, cooled off of course.



Put everything in a bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours but preferably overnight would be better. Oh what is the bowl for? Just in case the bag springs a leak you don't want chicken brine all over your ice box. The chicken police would have to be called in and you would have to throw everything out in your refrigerator.

Fast forward to the next day.

Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and take out of the brine. Save the brine and serve it instead of milk during dinner. Just kidding, dump it down the sink. Dry the chicken off with paper towels. Another trick is after you dry it off is stick it back into the ice box on a platter for a 1/2 hour. You want the chicken dry because this will help to give a crispy exterior. Once the chicken is dry dust with Emeril's Essence.



Now do you know what time it is? It's time to "FIRE UP THE GRILL!!"



Move the charcoal over so it only covers 1/2 the charcoal grate and place the chicken over the charcoal and brown both sides.



DO NOT walk away. It will only take a minute or so to brown the chicken. If you don't watch the chicken it will burn fast, real fast, take my word, trust me, I'm telling the truth, I have the experience to prove it.

Now it is time to move it over to the indirect side of the grille, see that's why you only put charcoal under half of the cooking grate, smart eh? This is how chicken is cooked without burning it, take my word, trust me, I'm telling the truth, I have the experience to prove it.



This is where you separate the men from the boys, the women from the girls, and the dogs from the pups. This is the point where you make the ultimate bbq chicken, this is the point where people will tell you "This is the best bbq chicken I have ever had." How? Add a little bit of wood on top of the hot charcoal, soak the wood in water first. I prefer apple wood or hickory but you can use anything you want, just remember use what you like and like what you use. Cover the grille and let cook.

DON"T PEAK!



Keep the grille temperature around 350 degrees, 375 is ok and even 400 will work. I know it is hard to regulate the temperature of the grille but with a little practice it can be done. I would also suggest a thermometer mounted in the top of the grille for watching the inside temperature of the grille. I think this is the single most important piece of equipment you can have as a griller.



It will take about a hour to cook but I urge you to use a digital thermometer. Most recipes I have come across say to cook to 165 degrees but I cook chicken to 170 degrees just because I want to be sure it is cooked.

The chicken is done and now is the time to sauce it up. The way I do it is brush sauce on the top side and flip it over onto the coals and then sauce the bottom side. Wait for about a minute, could be more, might be less, just depends on how much heat is left in the coals, keep an eye on it and then turn it over and let the bottom side cook until done. You can sauce the skin side again if you want but it isn't necessary. Use any bbq sauce you like, the sauce I make is excellent on chicken, or use Sweet Baby Ray's or Billy Bones, just remember use what you like and like what you use.

Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes after it is taken off the fire and this is what you are left with.



Grandma Williams would be proud. Even the white meat is moist after cooking it like this, in fact you might only grill white meat after trying it this way.

There you have it my ultimate barbecued chicken, my secret is out, just might be the best you ever had.

After you cook chicken this way don't be surprise if someone comes up to you and says "Are YOU ready for a Throwdown?"