HOW TO GRILL A CHICKEN
“Then, of course, there was that great Southern specialty, barbecue. How can I do justice to this food, steeped in tradition, surrounded by myth and lore, subject of a million arguments and stubborn opinions….. I came to love the process of barbecuing and the atmosphere around it as much as the actual food. Barbecue taught me what I consider one of the cardinal principals of cooking: It’s the cooking, not just the eating, that is to be enjoyed.” Chris Schlesinger, The Thrill of the Grill
Men, especially, seem to hold stubborn opinions about grilling in general, and grilling chicken in particular. These are my husband’s.
If you don’t plan to marinate the chicken, brine it to keep it juicy (obviously, do not brine if your recipe calls for a marinade). To brine a 3-1/2 pound chicken, cut it into 8 serving pieces and dissolve ½ cup sugar and ¾ cup kosher salt in 2 quarts cold water in a large container or bowl. Submerge the chicken in the brine and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, but no longer than 1 hour. Rinse the chicken under cool running water and pat it dry with paper towels. Bring chicken to room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
Prepare the grill for cooking. If you are using a charcoal grill, open the vents in the bottom of the grill, then light the charcoal: Loosely ball five sheets of newspaper and put them in the bottom of the grill kettle. Place the lower grill over the newspaper and make a mound of charcoal in the center of the grill using about 20 to 25 briquettes. Light the newspaper in three or four places and monitor the flames, making sure that no pieces of burning paper fly out of the grill. Check to see that all the paper has burned and that the center of the charcoal mound has ignited (It should have an orange-red glow).
Scrape the cooking rack and scrub it with a wire brush to remove any previous grilled food. When the coals are all ignited and covered with a layer of fine gray ash (about 15 minutes after lighting), hold your hand 5 inches above the coals. Fire is medium-hot when you can hold you hand there for just 3 to 4 seconds. If more heat is needed, add 5 to 10 more briquettes. Build a two-level fire by pushing the coals onto half of the grill, piling them about 3 briquettes high. Oil the cleaned cooking rack lightly, position it over the coals, cover the grill and heat until the grate is medium-hot, about 5 minutes.
Grill the chicken. Place the chicken, skin side down, on the hotter side of the grill and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken pieces and cook until browned on the second side, about 3 minutes longer. Move the chicken, skin-side up, to the cool side of the grill and cover. Continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast (not touching the bone) registers 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes longer. (This process, using hot then cool parts of the grill, avoids the problem of a charred exterior and an undercooked interior). Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest 10 minutes before serving.
If you’re using a gas grill, turn all burners to high, close the lid and heat until the grill is very hot, about 15 minutes. Scrape the grill rack, scrub it with a wire brush to remove any previous grilled food and oil it lightly. Turn all but one burner to low. Place the chicken, skin-side down, on the hotter side of the grill and cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
Using tongs, flip the chicken and cook until browned on the second side, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Move the chicken, skin-side up, to the cool side of the grill and close the lid. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast (not touching the bone) registers 160 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes.
If you aren’t able to grill outdoors, chicken can be seared in batches in a hot, well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer chicken as seared to a large baking pan and bake, skin side up, in the middle of a preheated 375* oven until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
