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Recipe

Barbecue Chicken Thighs on the Grill

bbq is an art my friend!

Thighs, not breasts. A thigh has enough fat in it to survive a grill, and it tastes like chicken instead of like the sauce you put on it.

The only real rule is sauce goes on at the end. Barbecue sauce is sugar and tomato, and sugar burns black and bitter in about four minutes over flame. Cook the chicken naked, sauce it twice in the last six minutes, and you get what is in the picture — glossy red with char along the ridges, not a carbon shell.

Two coats. One coat is wet chicken. Two coats is a glaze.

Feeds
6
Hands-on
20 minutes
On the grill
25 minutes
Sauce
Last 6 minutes only

Forty-five minutes including getting the grill up. The sauce only touches it at the very end.

Barbecue chicken thighs on the gas grillSesame barbecue chicken resting in the pan indoors
Shot the night it was made. Open any picture for the full photograph.

What you need

The chicken

  • 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp coarse black pepper
  • 2 tsp granulated garlic
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika

The sauce

  • 1 1/2 cups ketchup
  • 1/3 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • Black pepper

How it goes

  1. 1 — Trim and flatten the thighs

    Cut away any loose flaps of fat and open each one out so it lies flat and even. A folded thigh cooks at two speeds.

  2. 2 — Oil and season, half an hour ahead

    Oil, then salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. Half an hour on the counter — cold chicken straight from the fridge seizes on a hot grate and sticks.

  3. 3 — Simmer the sauce while the grill heats

    Everything in a small pan, fifteen minutes at a bare simmer until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. Keep it warm; cold sauce on hot chicken sets in streaks.

  4. 4 — Indirect first, smooth side down

    Over the cooler half of the grill with the lid down, about eight minutes a side. They should be almost cooked through and lightly marked before any sauce appears.

  5. 5 — First coat, over the fire, three minutes

    Brush the top, flip onto direct heat sauce-side down, three minutes. The sugar catches on the bars and that is where the black stripes come from.

  6. 6 — Second coat, three minutes more

    Brush the side now facing up, flip again, another three. The glaze goes from matt to glossy and some of it will blacken along the high points. That is correct.

    pro tip — If it is going black faster than it is going glossy, move everything back to the cool side and finish it there. You cannot undo burnt sauce.

  7. 7 — Off at 175°F, not 165°F

    Thighs are not breasts. All the connective tissue in them wants a higher temperature, and at 175°F they are more tender rather than less. Rest five minutes before anyone touches them.

Made bbq. Come get some. LFG.

More of what comes out of this kitchen on the food wall.

Every picture on this page is one of mine. I paint for a living the rest of the time — that is the gallery, and the originals are for sale.