It's not what, but how...

... you cook your meat that really matters in bbqing. In the past few days I have made two different kinds of chicken and prepared them in 2 very different ways. Both were prepared with very few ingredients. I have also been doing my homework and I have learned a lot!! In BBQ its not necessarily how you spice your meat that matters the most, or necessarily the meat itself... in BBQ its all about the smoke. So before coming up with a recipe... consider what kind of wood you plan on using. No matter what crazy rub, sauce or spice you flavor your meat with a large part of the meat will be flavored by the wood itself (remember this is specific to pellet and wood burning grills, not charcoal or propane).

I have been using my trusty traeger pellet chart to determine which type of pellets to use:

However... the big green egg has their own opinions on the subject as well:

As you can see Traeger and BGE don't share the same opinions on flavor. So I think its probably ok to experiment on this one... 

Also the amount of smokey flavor will have to do with how long the meat is on the grill. If you are cooking it at a higher temperature you aren't going to get as much of the smokey flavor for the simple fact that the meat will not be in the smoke as long as if you were cooking it at a lower temperature. Which is why the process of smoking meats takes much longer than a simple quick and easy high temp recipe. 

Chicken x 2

Traditional BBQ chicken (whole)

Time: 24 hours

Pellets: Pecan

1 whole fryer chicken

3-4 tbsp olive oil (you can also use flavored... I used lemon, but garlic would also be great!)

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt 

Your favorite BBQ sauce (I like Stubbs or Sweet Baby Rays)

The day before you cook this chicken take the fryer, wash it, and completely remove each side of the chicken from the cage of the bird. Most people would leave the bones but the only bones I like on the finished product are the legs and wings. Its an easy process and it leaves you most of the carcass to make chicken stock if you would like! Start at the breast bone and slice down the bone as close to the bone as you can. Slice all the way down through the back of the fryer leaving the wing and the leg still connected to the breast. Do the same on the opposite side. Lay the pieces flat side down and douse in olive oil, salt, and finally bbq sauce. Let sit overnight. 

The next evening... fire up the grill and set the temp to MEDIUM. This recipe isn't for smoked chicken, but we want to cook on the lower temp side so it will absorb up some of the smokey flavor from the wood pellets and also have it be more tender and juicy. Once the grill is fired up and warm (around 275 in temp)... bring out your chicken... and put it on the Q.

Let the bird cook for about 1.5 to 2 hours or until the meat gets to 175-180 degrees using a meat thermometer (I have a thermometer fork that is awesome!). Keep your eye on the temperature of the grill... if it gets too hot the bottom of your bird could burn. We will also not be turning them so its important to keep that lid closed as much as possible so that the heat circulates evenly and the chamber stays hot. 

Once the meat is finished... remove from grill and let cool. Most books say 15 minutes... but I think 7-10 is fine. 

Fool Proof Chicken Thighs

Time: 48 hours

Pellets: Pecan

1-2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs (as fresh as you can find... they will be marinating for 2 days)

Your favorite teriyaki sauce 

The majority of my BBQing side of the family is from hawaii, not texas or carolina. So you will be seeing some of the hawaiian influence in my bbqing- ergo cooking with a lot of soy and teriyaki sauce, especially in family recipes. No we do not put grilled pineapple on everything... in fact I can't say I have ever seen a family member actually grill a pineapple. When it comes to the budges, despite the fact that Great Grandpa Budge was the President of Dole... we believe that the pineapples place in this world is paired with rum. 

However I might have to experiment with the pineapple later on just to try something new and different!

Moving on with the recipe:

2 days before you plan on grilling, submerge the chicken thighs in teriyaki sauce. Don't brush it on, don't spoon some on each one... SUBMERGE. You might have to use the whole bottle of sauce depending on how much chicken you have. Let it sit for 2 days. 

On the third day fire up the grill on High. Let the meat cook for 15 minutes on each side and you will be set. THATS IT! 

Thighs are thin and they have been marinating for 2 days. The chicken will be moist even at high heat. Because of the wood chips working with the sauce you are going to get both the sweet from the sauce and the grill flavor from the wood. It will be very similar to the chicken you get at a traditional hawaiian bbq. 

Bbq Chicken Thighs served with smoked brie and spinach portobellos, and chili parmesan corn... all cooked on the traeger... those 2 recipes to follow!

This recipe is a prime example of how its really about the process of cooking the meat... with just teriyaki and chicken you can make the most delicious piece of meat through patience and the right amount of smoke. 

Thanks Everyone! Have a lovely rest of your weekend!

The Pit Mistress