Chicken Thighs

doubleA

Hey Everyone,

I have been egging it up for about 6 months now and totally addicted (so is my wife). I have cooked 2 butts, 2 briskets, bunch of ribs, and my favorite item: roast chickens.

To the point: I recently saw a BBQ competition on TV and everyone did the same things: Ribs, pulled pork, and chicken thighs. There were some thighs on sale so I bought a pack. Anyone have a good recipe (rub?, direct/indirect, wood, and temp). Thanks for the advice in advance.

Thanks.

Wise One

Thighs are quite easy to do. The easiest thing is to use a good rub to liberally coat them and let them sit for about an hour in the refrig uncovered. Then place direct on a raised grill (or indirect if you would prefer) at about 350-400. Should take 30-45 minutes with turning them once. If you want to get fancier, bone them, pound them flat and then stuff and roll.

Davekatz

These are some of the best thighs I've cooked, but I say that about almost all of the thighs I've ever cooked .



Thighs and Veggies

Crispy Thighs
8-10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue rub (Dizzy Pig’s Shaking the Tree in this case)
1-2 tablespoons kosher salt
Olive oil

Lay the thighs out in a baking pan. Coat both sides with olive oil. Dust both sides with the rub, working it in with your hands. Dust each side with a little kosher salt. Set in the fridge uncovered while you prep the veggies.

Mixed Veggies
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Fresh ground back pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a disposable foil pan. Mix well.

The Cook

Set up your grill for an indirect cook over medium-high (400°F) heat. On the Big Green Egg I use about half a fire box full of lump charcoal, an inverted plate setter to diffuse the heat, and a trivet for the roasting pan.

Set the pan full of veggies on the trivet. Place a small wire rack or grill grate on top of the pan. Lay the chicken thighs skin side down on the grate above the veggies.

Hungry Celeste

My favorite chix thighs (boneless, skinless) are Vietnamese style ga nuong: combine 1/4 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 T fish sauce, 1 T fresh lime juice, and 2 T oil in a bowl and add the chicken thighs, stirring to coat evenly. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temp or up to 2 hours refrigerated. Grill over high heat for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway through. Attempting to attach pic, if that fails click here to see: http://bouillie.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/ga-nuong-simple-but-delicious/

Carolina Q

I love these... marinate thighs for 3-4 hours in Goya Criollo marinade. Cook at about 400° raised grid, direct. Flip a couple of times. Cherry wood for smoke. Delicious!

BYC

That Mojo marinade is da' bomb. It also now comes in a dry rub version, which I sometimes mix in with the liquid mojo.

Okay the thighs! I open air dry in the fridge overnight and then marinade in the mojo an hour or 2 before cooking. Started using the plate setter and run at higher temps of 400 just like spatchcock chicken. The overnight open air dry and the higher temps provide a great skin with just the right amount of crisp/crunch. Never rubbery.

David
Go Gamecocks!!

Capt Frank

I like my chicken w/ crispy skin. Two things that help me to achieve this consistantly are, 1. placing the chicken pieces in the refrigerator uncovered fro a couple of hours after I have put on my rub. 2. Cooking them as high in the dome as I can. I don't know for sure, but I think being close to the hot ceramics in the dome plus the convection effect of the hot air rushing towards the upper vent opening is what makes this work.
Here are some wings and a few ABT's on my BGE three tier setup. These racks rotate, which is a nice feature although I am of the school of "don't open, don't peek, the egg is smarter than you!" :laugh:

P6270008 by Capt Frank1, on Flickr
Hope this helps a little

doubleA

what does raised grid mean exactly? i normally have the grate on top of the fire ring.

Davekatz

Looks tasty!

Where are you getting mojo rub?

Thanks,

Dave

Carolina Q

I just means raising it above the fire ring. I Macgyver'd three steel posts that raise the grid to gasket level. You could also use an adjustable rig or fire bricks... or just use less lump (so the meat is farther away from the heat).

I made three of these...

Bacchus

Pure genious.

Carolina Q

So glad you like it! You forgot to add Rod's sig line though.

Capt Frank

"Raised Grid" generally means cooking at the felt line or higher. An inverted platesetter [legs up] gives you a raised grid, but not a direct cook.
www.ceramicgrillstore.com has several ways to accomplish this that will give you lots of options [and you will never deal with nicer people].
The BGE three tier setup is one of their better eggcessories IMHO, and works well.
Here is a simple and inexpensive way to to get a raised grid/direct cook.
Hope this helps
P6110017 by Capt Frank1, on Flickr

doubleA

I like that. Thanks

Misippi Egger

DoubleA,
Just posted a thigh cook last night, trying a new rub. My 'go to' rub for chicken is a mixture of Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head and Shaking the Tree, or Jana prefers Cavendar's Greek seasoning +/- lemon pepper. Technique is the same, though. Higher in the dome, the better, as mentioned above.
Here is the link to last night's post:
http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=983595&catid=1

doubleA

Those look amazing! Tomorrow is the day... I will post some pictures (assuming I don't eat them all before I remember!).