Preparing chicken pieces for a big bbq

[s1962a]

Hello Chaps,

I've got a family bbq coming up and I wanted to slow cook some chicken legs+thighs and wings (indirect on weber), and then eventually finish them off on a high heat bbq grill (direct on weber). Because I have limited bbq space I was wondering if I could slow cook the chicken beforehand till it's nearly done and then let it rest for a few hours (or overnight) till it's time for the actual bbq and then put it on the high heat grill.

Any tips on whether this is a good idea, or another way I can have lots of chicken ready in time for the bbq?

Cheers

[jogon]

Thighs and Legs can take alot of heat without ruining them, I would just cook them indirect, c200, for about 1.5h-2h and they will be nicely crispy.

Alternatively why not try a couple of whole chickens using the beer can method - if you have a 57cm weber you can just about squeeze two chickens in, go for short plump ones rather than tall ones, they will also take about 1.5h-2h.

[S1_RS]

I was going to suggest doing whole chickens as an alternative. I recently cooked a huge turkey I bought cheap after xmas, took about three hours cooking indirectly, was bootiful!

[Mobile Chicane]

I'd say cook it in the oven - all the way through - the day before, then refridgerate overnight and reheat on the BBQ when you want to eat it.

The last thing you want is part-cooked chicken hanging around for any length of time.

[bigandclever]

I spatchcock chicken for the BBQ, very easy to control and uniform(ish) cooking.

[Melman Giraffe]

Mobile Chicane said:

I'd say cook it in the oven - all the way through - the day before, then refridgerate overnight and reheat on the BBQ when you want to eat it.

The last thing you want is part-cooked chicken hanging around for any length of time.

this for sure

[s1962a]

Thanks for the tips!

The main problem I have is that I have a 57cm weber, and don't want to put any chicken on for more than 15 mins around bbq time, so cooking it from scratch wouldn't really work.

My thinking is that I would pre-cook all the chicken (say 3 loads that fill a 57cm weber), and then just baste it on a high heat around bbq time. Sounds like this is a bad idea and I need to cook it all from scratch?

[s1962a]

Mobile Chicane said:

I'd say cook it in the oven - all the way through - the day before, then refridgerate overnight and reheat on the BBQ when you want to eat it.

The last thing you want is part-cooked chicken hanging around for any length of time.

This is what I want to do!

Have you tried this yourself, and how much do you cook the chicken the day before? The skin will be on, so I guess I could cook it till it's about 80% done and then do the rest on the bbq?

Could I alternatively slow cook indirect on the weber the day before? I'd like the chicken to turn out nice and moist if possible

cheers

[TIGA84]

Poach whole until cooked, allow to cool, then joint it up as you want to BBQ would be my thoughts, should retain some moisture as a whole more than chopped up first.

Its only an idea though, I might be wrong.

[Mobile Chicane]

s1962a said:

Mobile Chicane said:

I'd say cook it in the oven - all the way through - the day before, then refridgerate overnight and reheat on the BBQ when you want to eat it.

The last thing you want is part-cooked chicken hanging around for any length of time.

This is what I want to do!

Have you tried this yourself, and how much do you cook the chicken the day before? The skin will be on, so I guess I could cook it till it's about 80% done and then do the rest on the bbq?

Could I alternatively slow cook indirect on the weber the day before? I'd like the chicken to turn out nice and moist if possible

cheers

Choose the right joints - thighs are best - leave the skin on, cook them thoroughly, then pack into a bowl, cover and fridge overnight.

It won't dry out.

If you wanted you could loosely wrap each piece individually in foil, cut a few slots in the top so the smoke can penetrate, and reheat (indirect) on the BBQ on the day.

The thing with chicken in a domestic setting is that you need to cook it all the way through in one session. Professional kitchens have blast chillers that will cool part-cooked meat fast enough that no bacteria can breed. A domestic fridge is nowhere near powerful enough for that, so you really can't leave anything 'part-cooked' for any length of time.

[Sonic]

I've cooked many hundreds of chicken thighs indirectly on my performer and never made anybody ill

You want to use fresh obviously (i.e not frozen, and straight from the fridge), and cook indirectly for about 45 minutes.

You get beautiful tender meat with a lovely crispy skin.

I always tend to cook the chicken last due to the time it takes, but it always goes bloody quickly!