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Food
Grilling
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Food
Grilling
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Food
Grilling
Yesterday we introduced you to Rick Browne -- the doctor of barbecue -- and shared his must-read tips on grilling. Today, he dispenses advice on grilling our go-to ingredient: chicken.
Choosing Cuts
Chicken cutlet lovers will find Browne's following statement tough to hear -- but no tougher than eating a dry, leathery dinner: “I very, very much do not like boneless, skinless chicken.” For reasons of “moisture and flavor,” he suggests grilling whole bone-in, skin-on pieces, and then removing the skin after grilling if you prefer not to eat it.
If you’d like to grill a whole bird rather than parts, try beer-can chicken (a.k.a. beer-butt chicken), which Browne is credited with popularizing. “People magazine called me the godfather of beer-butt chicken,” he says. You can find the whole recipe at barbecueamerica.com (search for “beer butt chicken”) and at msnbc.com. “Just please open the can,” he cautions. If you don’t, “It explodes and you’ve got chicken salad with aluminum croutons.”
Perfect Prep
Browne likes to marinate chicken pieces in a simple mixture of olive oil, lemon, and garlic. And if you’ve disregarded his advice and are cooking boneless, skinless breasts, Browne says, “I would marinate the bejesus out of them.”
Chicken can be marinated anywhere from an hour to 24 hours, but if your marinade is highly acidic (if it contains a large amount of lemon juice, tomato juice, vinegar, or cola), don’t let the chicken soak for more than an hour. Otherwise, the acids will start to “cook” the meat and make it mushy, he says. Marinades that are predominantly made of oil or contain less acidic fruit juices, such as apple, can be left on longer (most recipes will have a recommended marinating time).
Get Grilling
Put oiled and seasoned chicken pieces skin-side-down over direct heat on an oiled grill and cook for about two minutes; turn and cook for an additional three minutes. Then move the pieces to indirect heat, turning once during cooking, for a total of about 12 to 15 minutes. (Reduce the cooking time by 20 to 30 percent for boneless, skinless breasts).
Add barbecue sauce, if you’d like, in the last five minutes of cooking (any earlier and it’ll burn). The best way to judge doneness is to use an instant read thermometer. The USDA recommends letting all chicken parts and whole chickens reach an internal temperature of 165°. Once you’ve removed the chicken, allow it to rest for at least three minutes before serving. (Note that some experts, including Browne, recommend slightly lower internal temperatures since the temperature will continue to rise once the meat has been removed from the grill).
Tomorrow, we'll give the low-down on grilling steak, including how to achieve that perfectly medium-rare piece of meat.
PLUS: Watch how to prepare chicken breast
