BBQ Chicken Thighs
The USDA says that chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Meat thermometer manufacturers tell you to test the temperature at the thickest part of the meat without touching the bone. Problem is, the part that cooks last on a chicken thigh is the part right next to the bone. In the past, when I’ve tried cooking chicken to 165 degrees at the thickest part, I still end up with blood around the bone. This doesn’t make me very happy. All that work and it’s not done!
Being tired of seeing blood in my BBQ chicken, I decided to over cook them this time, then adjust backwards from here til I get it right. I’m going to cook them to 180 degrees and see how it turns out.
Picked up some chicken thighs at the grocery store and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
The next day, I removed one of the grill grates so we can cook at a lower temperature.
Salt and pepper both sides of chicken.
Preheat the grill, then reduce heat to as low as it will go, around 300 degrees.
Place the chicken thigs skin side down on grill grates.
After 10 minutes, sauce the side facing up, close grill for 2 mins.
Open grill, flip chicken onto an empty spot on the grill and wait for any fast flare ups to die down. There is usually a bit of grease that has accumulated on the top while cooking which is why we want to flip them to an empty spot so the grease goes over there and not where we are going to continue cooking.
Move them back to wherever you’re cooking them.
Sauce the other side, then close the grill and wait 10 minutes.
Sauce again.
Increase heat slightly and wait til temp hits 180. Test with a meat thermometer at the thickest part of the thigh.
Sauce again, close grill for 1 min, then remove from grill.
Fully cooked but not quite as moist as I’d like. I think next time I’ll try 175 degrees instead.