How do you barbecue your chicken? Share your method by taking this poll. You can also offer comments by adding a reply to the message thread.

Regards,
Chris

Question:
What is your favorite method for barbecuing chicken?

Choices:
Whole body chicken
Butterflied
Halves
Quarters (breast+wing, thigh+drumstick)
Entire chicken in individual pieces (2 wings, 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks)
All pieces of the same type (e.g. all thighs or all boneless breasts)

 

Never thought about it really--till now. My favorite method is all thighs (so I voted that way since that was the question) because I prefer them. But I do probably 90% whole chicken cooks.

Whole chicken on the rotisserie is my favorite way to go. Next would be legs and thighs.

Q'n, Golf'n & Grill'n.... too many choices!
Gary

Hind quarters, which falls into 2 catagories so I didn't vote.

Bill

Doing pieces seems to offer more control,
so the breasts and wings are not dried out
while waiting for the thighs and drums to
reach proper temps.

Whole, trussed and either done on the rotisserie or on the grill, both using the Performer. My favorite preps involve Weber Grill Creations Chipotle or Mesquite marinades, and using their Kickin' Chicken after lightly brushing the bird with a mustard/olive oil emulsion.

Beer-Canned

quote:

Originally posted by Eli:
Beer-Canned

All these years i've been doing this, and I never did a beer canned chicken. I do like to get canned by beer though.

Beer can chicken: so easy, yet so tasty, yet so hilarious!

I smoke whole & thighs! The last few smokes I've done Thighs!

halves, as that is the way of the cookoffs here(TX), always a practice run when cooking at home that way

I usually do either a beer butt chicken or chicken thighs.

I either do beer butt or rotisserie on the gasser. It's all good though.

Bnls, Sknls thigh. I finish it on the grill for some char. Then slap it in a bun with sauce and slaw. So good. My kids fav minus the slaw.

Spatchcock

Usually do it on the WSM without the water pan.
Looks and tastes great. My wife likes dark, I like white. Makes two great meals. We picked up a couple whole Amish (whatever that means) at Kroger this week for less than $4 per bird.

Les Stubby

Halves:

They're easy to marinate or brine (in gallon or half-gallon bags)

They cook-through relatively quickly

They cook relatively evenly

Smoke & marinade permeates them relatively well

You can fit four or five chickens into a standard WSM this way (two or five halves on each grate)

You can point 'em breast-in or breast-out for even cooking, relative to where the water pan is. (Although I still need to try high-heat sans pan.)

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Bramley:
Whole chicken on the rotisserie is my favorite way to go.

Same here, I usually use a simple rub and let it spin for an hour. I get rave reviews on my birds so I must be doing something right. I alt between woods depending on my mood.

Tried "beer can" a few times in the wsm but have been really turned off by the rubbery skin. Now, when I smoke ribs on my wsm, I roast the chicken in my gas BBQ with indirect heat at 350 degrees. The skin comes out crispy & the meat is succulent. (I rub spices under the skin also).

I much prefer to do chickens (whole) on the gasser's spit than in the WSM, or anywhere else for that matter, but once or twice a year I'll do a few in the WSM, always whole.