Back on the Grill

Well, after an extended lay-off (stupid cold, stupid hand) I got back on the grill today.  It was test day today, I recently took part in a sauce and rub trade with a friend from the BBQ Brethren. Marc, from the competitive BBQ team 'Life of Brine' sent me very generous samples of his competition rubs along with a local sauce.  This is a  great way to try other rubs and sauces than might be normally available. I decided to try his chicken rub. Here is a shot of the chicken ready to go.

 

After cooking for 40 minutes at 400F, indirect heat, the meat was sauced with a 50/30/20 mix of sauce/rice vinegar/bourbon to create a glaze.  I used a sauce from a new Humboldt County BBQ joint, which I am liking of  late. Here are the thighs fresh off the kettle.

  















You might also not that a couple of the thighs were cooked in tins. This is a technique that creates a very uniform shape and sized piece of chicken.  I have been seeing this type of preparation more recently and decided to give it a try. Here are the chicken muffins I got from my first try.

If you look at the top of the photos, you can see the tins, and, one of the reasons I believe that this method is catching on. Beyond the obvious fact that the chickens come out very uniform in size, they are also cooked in their own fat and juices. This technique feels very much like preparing a confit. There did not seem to be an appreciable difference in appearance of the flesh.  And quite frankly, they were both excellent.

The one thing I would do differently, is I would have used less rub.  Competitive BBQ is all about one bite impact which Marc's rub definitely has, it was a little too intense with the amount I put on (stupid Bob).