Best BBQ Chicken with Simple Barbecue Sauce

Everyday Food (July/August 2008)

When barbecuing chicken over the years, we've always done it the same way:  create a barbecue sauce, marinate the chicken in said sauce, grill, and baste.  It was a simple approach with varied but good results. 

Turns out we've been doing it wrong.

Everyday Food advises that the sauce should only be applied in the final minutes of grilling.  This prevents the sweet sauce from becoming burned or scorched. 

The first time we heard this advice was on Good Food, which we've raved about before.  (Seriously, start listening!)  Nicely summed up on their website:

KNOW WHEN TO BASTE:  Oil-and-vinegar-, citrus-, and yogurt-based bastes and marinades can be brushed on the meat throughout the cooking time. (If you baste with a marinade that you used for raw meat or seafood, do not apply it during the last 3 minutes of cooking.) When using a sugar-based barbecue sauce, apply it toward the end of the cooking time. The sugar in these sauces burns easily and should not be exposed to prolonged heat.

The logical question/fear that we had upon hearing this was that with sauce only applied at the end, would the chicken be flavorless?

Enter Everyday Food.  Their solution is to create a smoky rub, consisting of paprika and chili powder, that is applied to the chicken prior to grilling.  These spices give the chicken a wonderful base of flavor, that is then enhanced by application of the barbecue sauce in the final 5 minutes of cooking.

Our chicken turned out far above any barbecue chicken we've made in the past:  packed with flavor and spice.

Have any tips for creating even better bbq chicken?  Other grilling tips to share?  Leave them in the comments! 

Best BBQ Chicken
Everyday Food (July/August 2008)
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Serves 4
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 35 Minutes

vegetable oil, for grates
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
coarse salt & ground pepper
1 chicken (about 3 pounds) cut into 10 pieces
2 cups Simple Barbecue Sauce (see below)

1.  Heat grill to medium.  Lightly oil grates.  In a small bowl, combine paprika, chili powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; sprinkle spice rub all over chicken.  Reserve 1 cup barbecue sauce in small bowl for serving.  Keep remaining sauce in another bowl for basting.

2.  Grill chicken, turning often, until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes (if browning too quickly, move to cooler part of grill).  During final 5 minutes of cooking, baste chicken with barbecue sauce.  Serve chicken with reserved sauce. 

Simple Barbecue Sauce
Everyday Food (July/August 2008)
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1 24-ounce bottle of ketchup (about 3 cups)
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced by a third, about 30 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature before using.  To store, refrigerate, up to 2 weeks.  Makes 3 1/2 cups.

Comments

[[eatingclub] vancouver]

That chicken leg is calling out to me. It's just begging to be grabbed. ;)

[DocChuck]

I certainly agree with the advice about putting the sauce on during the last few minutes of cooking the chicken.

And I must say that the "crust" or finish on your chicken drums is about as good as I have ever seen. Great job.

[cassidy]

Forget about going out when you guys are in town! I think we need to cook up a batch of this amazing-looking BBQ chicken!

[tara]

I have this issue, yet never thought of making this dish until I saw your version. Gorgeous stuff, I am particularly fond of BBQ when one gets a bit of bark on the meat. Cannot wait to try it.

[Marisa]

Make sure to check out Slashfood tomorrow, this picture is going to be the Feast Your Eyes shot for Thursday. Looks like it was delicious!

[Clay @ The Bitten Word]

Thanks Marisa!

[Patrick]

The only tip I might give would be to brine the chicken for about an hour in saltwater. This helps keep the chicken moist and tender once you put it on the grill. The last time I did this was for a corporate function that I was catering and we featured Bbq Chicken with a Carolina Mustard Sauce. Everyone was amazed by how tender and moist the chicken was. Simple answer: BRINE

[Zach @ The Bitten Word]

Patrick -- Thanks! We brine stuff whenever we have the time/foresight to do it. We also really like marinating chicken in buttermilk overnight. Gives it a great moisture and a nice tangy taste.

[CB]

The buttermilk has acid which tenderizes the chicken...grandma knew that and that's why she always soaked her fried chicken in it. One comment I'd make is to suggest you play with the various rubs - anything with sugar or even some of the spices - can burn when grilled over direct heat, and that will cause the chicken to take on a bitter taste. While appealing to some, in most cases it requires extra sweetness in the sauce of glaze added in the final minutes (as you have discovered) to overcome and balance it all out.

Another suggestion is one I've been promoting to my readers is to "sear & hold." By that I mean, sear the meat (steak, chicken, pork - whatever) over the direct heat of gas, charcoal or infrared and then remove to another part of the grill for indirect cooking. At this point it might be good to immediately place the chicken in a tray with a bit of moisture because the dry air will also dry out the meat. I loosely cover my steaks, chicken, pork, etc. and add a bit of smoke to the grill by using wood chips in a container, pruned grape vines or fruit wood, even woody herbs like rosemary - and it will permeate the meat as it finishes. During the final 5-10 minutes you can either sauce the meat in the tray or return it to the direct heat for some final searing, if, as in the picture, you like a bit o-the-burnt tomato or sugar on your chicken. I know I like it that way sometimes.

Grilling is about direct heat. Barbeque is about indirect heat. Grilling chicken the way we saw our dad's and uncles do it is not the best way. Grilling to sear and mark the skin or surface, then moving to indirect to finish roasting is a good method!

Happy Grilling! - CB

[tr]

alriteeeee ?????