Friday, March 16, 2012

How to Cook Chicken Legs on the Grill

Grilled chicken legs are not only a yummy summer meal, but they are also economical as legs are one of the cheapest parts of the chicken. Just because they are cheap, does not mean they have to lack in flavor. Actually, the dark meat of poultry has more flavor as it contains more fat.

One of the biggest problems grilling enthusiasts face however is with cooking times and temperatures. One of the most frequently asked questions is: how long do you grill chicken legs?

Cooking Charcoal Smoker

It admittedly isn't possible to give an exact riposte to this interrogate as it admittedly depends on the type of grill you are using, the grilling method and how big the chicken legs are.

How to Cook Chicken Legs on the Grill

It admittedly is an exquisite idea to invest in a good quality cooking thermometer. I personally own a voice alert electronic thermometer. It admittedly is a splendid petite cooking tool and I would be lost without it. It is extremely precise and eliminates all guessing, and guessing is not an selection when cooking meat, especially chicken.

Chicken Grilling Methods

Boil the Chicken Legs First

The goal with this method is to cook the meat all the way straight through before it goes on the grill. This greatly reduces the risk of any food born illnesses and also cuts down the grilling time significantly. The downside to this method is a serious lack of flavor. Since you will be cooking the meat on the grill for a much shorter period of time, the meat will not have a opportunity to pick up that yummy grilled flavor.

Marinate Then Grill

Marinating your chicken legs first is all the time a good idea. Not only does it give your food a splendid flavor, but it also keeps the meat moist during the cooking process. For the best results, marinate the chicken over night. Below is an exquisite marinade that I use often and it is quite versatile. It works well with seafood like shrimp and scallops as well.

Citrus Herb Marinade

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Legs

1/4 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 1/2 Tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice

1 1/2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice

1/3 Cup of Freshly Chopped Parsley

1/3 Cup Freshly Chopped Cilantro

2 Cloves of Garlic Minced

1 Teaspoon of Salt

1/4 Teaspoon of Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except the chicken legs. Add chicken to the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat. Refrigerate for any hours, over night if possible.

Let's Start Grilling!

I have found that the best method for cooking chicken legs on the grill is to first sear the meat and then finish the cooking process over indirect heat. The ensue is a nice moist chicken leg with a delightfully crispy skin.

Step 1: take off chicken from marinade and rinse. This is to take off any ingredients from the marinade that are stuck to the chicken. If left on, this can burn. Coat the chicken with some oil to preclude it from sticking to the grill.

Step 2: Clean the grill. The best method for cleaning a grill is to turn the grill up high and allow the heat to burn off any grease and grime. Use your grill brush to scrape the grates clean. For charcoal grills, just light up the charcoal and allow the fire to heat up the grates and scrape the grates clean.

Step 3: Heat the Grill. We are going to set up our grill for the searing/indirect cooking method. For gas grills, this is pretty easy. All you do is turn one burner up high and leave the others off. For charcoal grills, it is a petite more involved, but not rocket science. All you do once your charcoal is ready, is push all of your charcoal over to one side leaving half of the grill without charcoal. The side with charcoal is for searing and the other side is for the indirect cooking.

Step 4: Begin Cooking. Once your grill is good and hot, go ahead and put your chicken legs on the hot part of the grill and sear on all sides. Only sear your legs for a few minutes per side. You are finding for a nice sear, so avoid burning the skin. After you sear them, go ahead and move them on over to the cool side of the grill and cover.

Let them cook for a good 20 minutes and then get out your basting sauce. If you used the citrus herb marinade from above, try and find a thick basting sauce that compliments the citrus flavors. Baste the legs on all sides and then cover. After someone else 20 minutes or so, using your thermometer, go ahead and check to see if the legs are done. You are finding for an internal climatic characteristic of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once the legs are done, If they aren't as crispy as you like, put them on the hot side of the grill again for a few minutes before removing them from the grill.

Enjoy!

How to Cook Chicken Legs on the Grill

How to Smoke Chicken Using An galvanic Smoker - Enjoy Perfectly Smoked Bbq Chicken Every Time

Chicken has constantly been a popular dish combined with your salad and smoked chicken may offer the salad an perfect touch, combined with perfect taste. Studying how to smoke chicken is not hard to do if you have an galvanic smoker or perhaps a griller and wood chips.

However, smoking the chicken is an perfect choice to grilling and roasting. An galvanic smoker makes it potential to profess the proper cooking temperature. Having a consolidate of uncomplicated preparing methods, you will be able to create a juicy chicken that your guests to enjoy and would come back for more.

Cooking Charcoal Smoker

Make sure to purchase a chicken labeled all-natural or organic at your local grocery or meat shop. These products comprise low water content. The preparing of the chicken sizes will depend on the occasion if you want to buy a whole chicken, buy quarters or thighs only. Buy a bird with skin, as it will aid in sustaining the moisture within the poultry and aid in producing an perfect outer crust.

How to Smoke Chicken Using An galvanic Smoker - Enjoy Perfectly Smoked Bbq Chicken Every Time

Brine the chicken through soaking it in sugar, salt as well as water for almost four hours. For each gallon of water, use 1 cup of salt and sugar. If perhaps, you wish to comprise more flavors, try wine, juice or some other spices. After brining the chicken for almost four hours, remove it and using paper towel, pat dry the chicken.

Season the chicken cordial using any dry rubbing you want. It may be as easy as salt combined with pepper. This compound is composing of ¼ cup of salt, ¼ cup of paprika, ¼ cup of pepper and ¼ cup of brown sugar. Keep in mind; administer the compound outside and inside of the chicken cavity, in case you will be cooking a whole chicken.

Ready the smoke in accordance to the guidelines of the maker on how to smoke a chicken. Make sure to set all the requisite materials you need prior to beginning to smoke a chicken and place it onto the smoker properly. In case, you will be using a whole chicken, position the breast side down, right after an hour and half turn the breast side up to avoid drying out the meat of the chicken breast. If perhaps, you will be using quarters or maybe chicken thighs, position the meat in singular layer to prevent the pieces from touching. This will enable the smoke to drill all of the side of the chicken meat perfectly.

Check out the chicken using the meat thermometer prior to removing it from the smoker. The chicken should reach the internal temperature of about 170 degrees. As for the whole chickens, this must take almost four hours, for the chicken quarter is about three hours and an hour and half for chicken thighs.

How to Smoke Chicken Using An galvanic Smoker - Enjoy Perfectly Smoked Bbq Chicken Every Time