Barbecue Chicken
Bone-in chicken is grilled low and slow, then glazed over the coals for tender meat, crisp skin and sticky barbecue sauce in every bite.
Prep 15 min · Cook 1 hr · Total 1 hr 40 min · Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, trimmed and breasts halved
- 4 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue rub
- 4 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce
Directions
- Pat the chicken well with paper towels, then coat the pieces generously all over with the barbecue rub. Fill a chimney 3/4 full with charcoal and light it. Once the coals are completely ignited and ashed over, dump them onto the charcoal grate and bank them to one side, leaving the other side bare. If you want a smoky note, add 1 chunk of mild smoking wood, such as apple or cherry, or a handful of soaked chips, to the fire. Scrub the cooking grate clean and oil it.
- Set the chicken on the cooler side of the grill with the skin facing down, then cover the grill. Cook until the pieces start to take on color, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Shift the chicken nearer to the coals, but do not put it directly above them. Start turning the pieces and painting them generously with barbecue sauce every 5 minutes, continuing until the coating is tacky and sticky, about 20 minutes.
- Move the chicken directly over the coals and keep brushing it with sauce until the glaze is crusted onto the surface and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in the breast meat and 175 degrees in the legs, thighs, and drumsticks, about 5 minutes. Place the chicken on a platter and rest it for 10 minutes. Serve the extra sauce alongside.