Barbecue Chicken Basics Pittsburgh PA

Learn how to grill your poultry with these techniques.

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Poultry -Fire Checklist

Preheat grill

Trim poultry of excess fat

Brush poultry all over with olive oil; season with kosher salt and pepper, if desired

Place poultry on cooking grate and cover grill

Grill all pieces except boneless skinless breasts using Indirect Heat

Wait until the final 5 to 15 minutes of grilling time to brush with any sweet barbecue sauce

Test for doneness with an instant-read thermometer: It should be 180°F in the thickest part of thigh

Let all poultry rest a minimum of 5 minutes before eating (whole turkeys should rest 20 minutes)

Tools of the Trade

12-inch locking chef tongs

Instant-read thermometer

Silicone or natural-bristle brush

Heavy-duty oven mitt

Common Problems

Using the wrong cooking method

Burned on the outside, raw on the inside

Dry, overcooked poultry

Flare-ups

Cross-contamination of cooking and serving utensils (see page 33) Barbecued chicken is as all-American as baseball and apple pie. However, it is the food that gives backyard cooks the most trouble. It seems as if it would be easy to grill; but it often doesn’t turn out the way the cook and the guests envisioned it. So what does a backyard cook need to know? First, start with the most basic seasoning: olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper (aka the Grilling Trilogy, page 19). Second, have patience.

On the Fire: Direct or Indirect Heat
A boneless skinless chicken breast takes just a few (five to seven) minutes on both sides over Direct Heat; but any piece of chicken with a bone in it (bone-in pieces) or a whole chicken will take longer. Anything that takes longer than 20 minutes to cook uses the Indirect Method. I sometimes refer to this method as grillroasting, because you are essentially roasting a large piece of food on the grill. The Indirect Method is the most versatile, as it is how you “barbecue,” “grill-roast,” and “grill-bake.”With Indirect Heat, the inside of the chicken will be done and still juicy at the same time as the outside turns a golden brown and the skin gets crispy. The added bonus is that you don’t need to turn the chicken. Place the pieces bone-side down in the center of the cooking grate, and let the grill do the rest. This is what I call “walk-away” chicken because you put it on the grill and do other things while it cooks. This technique is basically the same for all whole poultry; but, remember, the larger the bird, the longer it will take to cook. Fattier birds like duck and goose need to be grill-roasted in a pan on almost every grill to prevent grease flare-ups. There are a few grills with advanced drip pan systems that can handle the excess drippings. But I love catching them in a foil pan because then I can use the drippings for sautéing and other recipes. Indirect Heat also reduces the incidence of flare-ups since there is no direct flame under the chicken. The juices and fats that are naturally rendered create a little smoke to flavor the food and then run into the drip pan system of the grill.

Testing for Doneness
Bone-in chicken pieces will take between 30 minutes for legs and 60 minutes for a large leg quarter or half a chicken over indirect heat. Depending on size, boneless chicken breasts should be done in 15 minutes over Direct Heat, and a whole chicken usually takes between 11⁄4 and 11⁄2 hours to cook (Indirect Method). Because the timing depends on a set of variables including weight and size of poultry, heat of the grill, and weather (wind slows down the cooking time), I recommend using an instant-read thermometer. A thermometer will take the guesswork out of testing for doneness. Refer to the chart on page 35 for chicken or poultry end temperatures. For example, chicken is done when it registers 170°F in the breast and 180°F in the thigh. However, since the heat varies from grill to grill, start checking for doneness ten minutes before a recipe says it should be done.

Give Your Bird a Rest
Ever since my years working with the Butterball Turkey Talk Line, I have been a big believer in letting meat rest before carving or cutting into it. I watched as an army of turkeys were carved too hot, too cold, and just right in the Turkey University test kitchens. The turkeys that were carved after resting 20 minutes were just right—tender, juicy, and still warm. Here’s what happens: As the bird cooks and comes to the right temperature (180°F in the thigh) all the juices are propelled toward the exterior of the bird.When the meat is taken off the fire, it “rests” as it cools, and the meat fibers reabsorb the juices, making each piece juicy. If you don’t wait, you’ll have all those juices pooling around your plate or carving board, and the meat will be dry.

What Is Cross-Contamination?
You should be careful not to cross-contaminate your food no matter what you are preparing, but it is especially important with poultry because about 25 percent of both free-range and conventionally raised chickens test positive for salmonella bacteria. The good news is that cooking to the correct end temperature kills the bacteria. Cooked chicken rarely infects us with salmonella poisoning.What causes the problem is crosscontamination. Simply put, cross-contamination means mixing raw juices with cooked food or contaminating cooked food with the juices from raw foods. For example, this can happen when you take a platter of chicken to the grill, cook the chicken, then put the cooked chicken on that same platter. Although it may seem convenient to use one dish, don’t risk cross-contamination and mix the cooked with the raw. Another way that the raw juices get into other foods is when rinsing the chicken.Water and raw juices often splatter, and if you have other ingredients for the meal, such as salad fixings on the counter, you run the risk of contaminating them. For this reason, I never wash poultry, or other meats or fish, I will be grilling. The heat of the grill will cook and “clean” the food. If you are used to washing poultry, just be careful not to splash and spray the juices around your kitchen. You can prevent cross-contamination by using two separate platters or washing your prep platter immediately with hot water and soap. I have a set of four melamine (heavy-duty plastic) platters that I use to transport food to and from the grill. They were very inexpensive (under $5 each), and are lightweight, virtually indestructible, and go right into the dishwasher after each use. If you want to be extra careful, you can wipe your counters, platters, etc., with a diluted bleach solution (one part bleach to ten parts water).

Bone-In Chicken Pieces 101
I recommend grilling chicken pieces over indirect heat so that they are cooked on the inside and golden brown on the outside at the same time. Cooking over direct heat can result in a raw interior and a burned exterior—especially if you put the barbecue sauce on too soon.
Makes 4 servings
Grilling Method: Indirect/Medium Heat
4 Chicken breasts or thighs, bone-in, or other chicken pieces
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

1. Build a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Remove and discard any excess fat from the chicken. Pat it dry with paper towels. Brush lightly with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken, bone-side down, in the center of the cooking grate over indirect medium heat.
2. Cover and grill until the breast meat near the bone registers 170°F and the thigh meat registers 180°F, 35 to 45 minutes, depending on size. You do not need to turn the chicken pieces. If you don’t have a thermometer, cook it until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear. If preparing barbecued chicken, season with your favorite barbecue rub and brush the sauce on the chicken during the last 15 minutes of cooking time to prevent burning.
3. Remove and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts 101
The size of chicken breasts varies widely. Small chicken breasts will take six to eight minutes total. The larger and thicker the breasts, the longer they will take to cook—up to 20 minutes total cooking time.
Makes 4 servings
Grilling Method: Direct/Medium Heat
4 Boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Olive oil Kosher
salt Freshly
ground pepper

1. Build a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the center of the cooking grate over direct medium heat. Cover and grill for about 15 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Turn the chicken only once during cooking time.
2. If using barbecue sauce, brush on the chicken during the last 5 minutes of cooking time to prevent burning. Remove and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Whole Turkey on the Grill 101
Once you grill your first turkey, you’ll never want to prepare it any other way. The convection action of the grill cooks the turkey faster than a conventional oven and browns the skin picture-perfect! The turkey takes on a slightly smoky grilled flavor, and it is a cinch to smoke with wood chips if you prefer a more intense turkey. The grill will give the turkey that distinctive pride-of-barbecuers’ pink smoke ring next to the skin—so don’t think the turkey is undercooked if you see a smoke ring, just congratulate yourself for a job expertly done! This method works well with a whole breast of turkey, too.
Makes 12 to 15 servings
Cooking Method: Indirect/Medium Heat
1 whole turkey, 14 to 16 pounds,
thawed Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

1. Build a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Remove the neck and giblets; reserve them for other uses or throw them away. Remove and discard any excess fat. If desired, rinse the bird and pat it dry with paper towels. Twist the wing tips under the back—this is called “wings akimbo.”
2. Brush the turkey with oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Place the turkey breast-side up on the cooking grate on a charcoal grill or on a roasting rack in a disposable foil roasting pan on a gas grill. The grill should be set for indirect medium heat. There’s no need to baste it; the thin coating of oil will promote browning and keep the juices inside the bird.
Cover and cook 11 to 13 minutes per pound or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh (not touching the bone) registers 180°F and the juices run clear. Transfer the turkey to a platter and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving. TIP: Charcoal grillers will have to add about 12 briquettes to each side every hour; gas grillers don’t need to do any tending; but about 30 minutes before the bird is done, remove the foil roasting pan and place the bird directly on the center of the cooking grate. This allows the bottom of the bird to brown. Use the drippings in the foil pan to make gravy. Make sure to bring the drippings to a boil before mixing them in with the rest of the gravy ingredients.

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