Grilled Chicken with Barbecue Sauce

Here's another quick "non-recipe" post. 

Two weeks from know, I will be attending Kingsford University in Vegas, learning from pit master, Chris Lilly.  To say I am excited would be a massive understatement.  I feel like a kid the night before Christmas...and dagnabit I want coal in my stocking NOW!  It is a gorgeous day today so maybe some grilling will "take the edge off" of waiting for the next two weeks to pass. 

I received a sample jar of Albukirky Seasonings BBQ Rub from fellow Egghead and blogger, Kirk Muncrief.  (See?  His name is Kirk and he lives in Albuqurke....um...Albuqurque....ah forget it, Albukirky is easier to spell anyway!)

I'll do a full post about it later after I have tried it a couple of times but couldn't wait to try it today.  The boys wanted "bbq chicken*" sandwiches for lunch so I seasoned a few boneless skinless chicken thighs with the Ablukirky rub.  

I fired up the Big Green Egg to 350f direct heat and grilled them for about 6 minutes per side.  Then I glazed them with some Smoky Mountain Smokers Barbecue Sauce, moved them to the cooler spots of the grill and let them cook another 2-3 minutes to let the sauce "set" onto the chicken.  

Only add bbq sauce in the last few minutes of grilling so it won't burn.
The boys loved the chicken and it disappeared.  I tasted a piece and it was quite good.  The rub is either sugar free (I'll find out) or low in sugar which made it perfect for grilling (won't burn).   That is why I used a sweet sauce like Smoky Mountain Smokers at the end to balance out the flavor.


Here are my quick tips for grilling boneless, skinless chicken thighs:
  1. Trim excess pieces of fat from the thighs but don't stroke out over getting it all.  A little fat is a good thing.
  2. Wipe the chicken as dry as possible.
  3. Season with your choice of rub and let rest while starting your fire.
  4. Grill over direct heat (preferably charcoal fire) at 350-400f for 5-6 minutes per side.
  5. Often, one of the thighs in the package is the runt of the litter and it will cook faster than the others.  Keep the runt in one of your cooler spots.  
  6. When grilling, tuck that little flap of chicken on the back under the thigh.  This piece may fall off near the end of cooking.  If so, move it to a cooler spot of the grill so it doesn't burn and dry out.  When no one else is looking, pop it in your mouth and eat it.  Chef's treat.  
  7. Glaze with your choice of BBQ sauce and move to indirect heat or the cooler areas of your grill.
  8. Remove at an internal temperature of about 170f in the fattest part of the thigh.

*What most people call bbq chicken is actually grilled or oven roasted chicken with bbq sauce.  True "bbq chicken" is smoked.    I'm just pointing out there is a difference.  I'm not a hard core traditionalist that is going to correct someone for calling their grilled chicken "bbq chicken".  I know what you mean.




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