Basic BBQ Chix for 45 - Questions


 
D

Dupree

TVWBB Fan
So I have a birthday party for my daughter next weekend. Apparently she is tired of pulled pork (she will come around, she is only 6) and wants only chicken. Fine by me, actually, the basic BBQ chicken recipe on the main page is
A) simple
B) Results in moist tender delicious chicken
C) Gets raves every time
D) Takes little prep and only an hour to cook

However, A and D apply to doing 2-3 chickens. I figure to feed ~25 kids and 20 adults I need to do 10 chickens (Agree or disagree?) (we will also have corn on the cob, various side dishes and cake/ice cream). Which are 20 halves. I have 2 18" Weber Smokers.

I have always used the top grates and, depending on the size of the chicken, can get 5-6 halves up there. Have any of you cooked chicken on the lower grate? I have never really done any high heat cooking on the lower grate, is there any significant temp. difference that would cause concern for cooking chicken?

Also I usually just butcher (literally, it's not pretty) the final product into the natural parts. Again that is only 2-4 halves which need work, 20 is much more labor intensive. Anyone care to offer alternative presentations?
 
I'm with Jeff. I think I would do mainly legs, with maybe some thighs to give the adults another option. You can get pretty big packages of both at places like Sam's or Costco at good prices.
 
What's your daughters favorite part of the chicken, go from there. Even if you do legs, thighs and tenders, parts seem to be the way to go. For that many people, whole chickens seems like a lot of work.
 
I'd agree with the leg quarters and separate the drumstick and thigh in about half of them for the kids to eat.

If you have extra grills you can do 4 levels in each WSM, so WSM 8 grills and about 6 chicken pieces per grate, seems doable.

I would also cook in the mid 300s.
 
I'll jump in in agreement on the thighs.....And especially since it's for kids, you can find boneless-skinless thighs for short money - and they only take a couple hours to smoke, so you can even do two batches - one ready when the guests arrive, and one ready two hours later. I just did a ton with a lemon-pepper rub and they were a big hit.
 
Originally posted by J Reyes:
I'd agree with the leg quarters and separate the drumstick and thigh in about half of them for the kids to eat.
Click to expand...

Yep. That's a good plan, and you can't go wrong just starting off with leg quarters. They're cheap, great for smoking, and very forgiving.

Disjoint and straighten them somewhat when putting on the grate with the thigh to the outside of the grate, knuckle of the drumsticks meeting the others at the grate center like spokes. All "righties" or all "lefties" to a grate obviously helps in putting more on, and I can get over 20 lbs. of whole legs on my 18.5" with a three grate set-up, which is at least two dozen or so, total.

Leaving the chicken out on the counter for an hour+ and starting off with at least one chimney's worth lit of a fast-burning charcoal or lump will help with temps, but on the smoker, I'm happy to cook chicken anywhere north of 275*. Glazing that much chicken isn't worth the trouble, but most everyone likes a good squirt or two of white sauce (like Chris Lilly's) with it.

Good luck with it. I got to cook pork shoulder and legs for sixty second week of August.
 
When I do a large turkey, I put the breast on top grate and the leg quarters on the bottom grate. You could do that with the chix pieces, and all should turn out okay.
Ray
 
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