TFF: Worth killing my bbq over?

Remember last month when I killed my bbq after it set on fire? I never did say what I was cooking when it happened, did I?


Well don't hold this against Tyler, but it was his Ultimate BBQ Chicken I was making. Doesn't it look "ultimate" to you?

I made very few changes to this recipe. While the recipe calls for a full chicken cut into pieces, I used some chicken legs and cut them down to drumsticks and thighs instead. And that is the only change I made. I even went out and bought two packages of fresh thyme to make this. (Oh, I didn't have any kitchen twine, so I used a toothpick.)

I hadn't planned on finishing it in the oven, as Tyler's instructions say to do (please, Tyler, why, oh why, would I want to turn on my oven on a hot day, when making bbq chicken, when I can just let the heat of the bbq be my oven for me?) But the fire extinguisher forced me to do just that.


Despite my big pile of chicken, I had alot of sauce left over. Fortunately, I had kept more than was recommended aside for use at the table afterwards, so I had left over sauce that I was able to put into the fridge and use a few days later with some ribs. Yummy! (Sorry, forgot to take a picture of the ribs, sometimes that happens!)

Was the chicken worth killing my bbq over? Sorry, no. NOTHING would taste so good it would be worth the death of my summer kitchen. And despite that tragedy, this was still some very tasty chicken.

Before I direct you to the recipe, big congrats to Pam for being last week's winning Tyler Florence Friday entry, which has been posted over on Tyler's website. If you haven't seen Pam's selection, go see it, it is amazing looking and will be on my menu plan very, very soon.

The Ultimate Barbecued Chicken
by Tyler Florence, as found on Food Network

Brine:

2 quarts water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
4 sprigs fresh thyme
6 chicken legs and thighs, still connected, bone in, skin on, about 10 ounces each

The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:

1 slice bacon
1 bunch fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
Freshly ground black pepper

For the brine, in a mixing bowl combine the water, salt, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Transfer the brine to a 2-gallon sized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, close the bag and refrigerate 2 hours (if you've only got 15 minutes, that's fine) to allow the salt and seasonings to penetrate the chicken.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the chicken at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for basing the legs.

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue to a medium heat. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towel and carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill to make a nonstick surface. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry on paper towels. Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill and cook, turn once mid-way, and cook for a total of 10 minutes. Transfer the grill marked chicken to a cookie sheet and then place in the oven. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and then brush liberally, coating every inch of the legs with the barbecue sauce and then return to the oven for 25 to 30 more minutes, basting the chicken for a second time half way through remaining cooking time. Serve with extra sauce.