Black Eyed Pigz

First and foremost, chicken is a double edged sword.  Dark meat stays tender and juicy, but takes longer to cook thoroughly than does the white meat portions which tend to dry out during a long, low and slow BBQ process.  But there are ways to overcome this and I will address them as I move through this article.

Here’s what you need to BBQ your first whole chicken:

1 Whole Fryer 3 - 5lbs
Butter
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Poultry Seasoning (optional)
Apple or Hickory Wood chips (available at most mega marts near the charcoal)  I advise against mesquite due to the overpowering flavors it gives off.
Aluminum Foil
A Grill (gas or charcoal)

Up first, you need at least 1 whole chicken.  These are relatively inexpensive, weigh in around 3 - 5lbs and you want a FRYER chicken, not a roaster if you have the choice.  We’re going to prepare this chicken using the Spatchcock method, an unfortunate name for splitting your chicken by removing its backbone.  Watch the following video to learn exactly how to Spatchcock your bird.

It’s really not all that difficult is it?  Just get you a good pair of kitchen shears, and cut out that backbone.

On to the spices…

Chicken Rub Basic Recipe

I like to keep things simple with my chicken rub, I hate to overpower the natural flavors of the meat and from the smoke that we’ll apply during the cooking process.  So mix up the following:

1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning

Now, grab your chicken, breast side up with the legs near you and lift the skin off of the breast meat.  Don’t peel it back, just lift it up so you can slide your fingers underneath it.  Grab some butter or margarine and smear this into the meat, covering the entire breast as best you can.  Use about half of your chicken rub and dust it underneath the skin so that it sticks to the butter you just applied.

What you’re doing here is adding some moisture to the breast meat and allowing the seasonings to penetrate into the chicken.  The skin will generally not allow the seasonings to get all the way through and into the meat.  And if you have someone in your group who simply will not eat chicken skin, they’ll have some bland chicken.

Use the rest of your chicken rub to lightly dust the entire outside of your chicken.  Wrap it up in some plastic wrap and stick it back in the fridge while you head out and get your grill going.

At the Grill

Fire up your grill, whether it’s charcoal or gas, you want to get your grill hot.  Not steak-searing hot, but around 325 - 375 degrees.  In a gas grill, turn on one side of the burners to about Medium, leaving the other side turned off.  This will facilitate the indirect cooking method we want to achieve.  On your charcoal grill, pile your briquettes to one side and get them burned down to a white ash.  It also helps if you have some hardwood  chips handy, we are going to SMOKE this chicken.  Soak your chips in a bowl of a water, about two - three good handfuls.

Once your grill is on, and hot, it’s time for the main event.  Grab your chicken, unwrap it and place it on the cool side of your grill away from the heat.  Position your bird so that the legs are facing the heat, since the dark meat takes longer to cook, this will help insure that the dark meat and the white meat finish at about the same time on the grill.  Now, before you close down that lid, take your wood chips, wrapped in a few layers of aluminum foil and poke a few holes in the top with a fork to allow the smoke to escape and circulate in the grill.  Place this foil pack directly on your burner or charcoal pile, then close the lid and walk away.  Soon you’ll see some light blue smoke wafting out of the vents and gaps on your grill.  This is a GOOD thing.

First off, the smoke smells amazing.  Secondly, you want that to stay in the grill and penetrate the chicken as it cooks.  When using these woods, your chicken will take on a dark golden brown patina, which is exactly what you want when you’re going for true BBQ chicken.

We’re going to leave that lid closed for at least 1 full hour before we check on things.  I mean it!  Don’t look, let it go.

At the one hour mark, open the lid and take a look.  Your bird should be nicely dark from the smoke and the heat.  You’re well on your way.  Take your meat thermometer and stick in the the thickest part of the breast, near the thigh, careful not to hit the bone as your readings will not be right if you do.  We’re looking for an internal temperature of 160 degrees.  I know I know, they say 165, but trust me a minute.

After this first check, I would recommend checking every half hour.  Add more charcoal if necessary to keep the heat up in your cooker.  Once your bird reaches 160, remove it from the grill and wrap loosely in foil.  Set it on the counter and let it rest for about 20 minutes.  After it’s rested, you may begin slicing your chicken up for serving.

Personally, I always just pull the meat off the bones and serve it as pulled chicken.  We sometimes drizzle a little sauce on it for sandwiches or we’ll eat it just as it is. It should be the moistest and juiciest chicken you’ve ever had.

I hope this helps you get the BBQ Bug.  Let me know how it goes when you decide to try it.  I’d love to hear back from you!