Roadside Chicken questions for a Rookie


 
M

Mike_L (Big Mike)

TVWBB Fan
Ok, So i only have 2 cooks in on my OTG. I have done steaks and chicken breasts. I did the chicken indirect the whole time with a crisp at the end. I have been reading about roadside chicken and i would love to give it a try. i am still new at grilling on the kettle and i know you are supposed to do all your cooking with the lid on. But it sounds like you leave the lid off on the roadside chicken cook unless the flames get out of control. Is this correct? are you shooting for around a 45 minute cook with the lid off turning and basting around every 5 minutes or longer?

Thanks for any info you have on this as i want this to be my next cook on the weekend.
 
The marinade is very flammable so you will be putting the lid on a lot. I usually start it direct basting and flipping every few minutes and then move it indirect to finish cooking once I have it crisped up a bit. If your going direct the whole time it won't take 45 minutes to finish unless your not using many coals. Make sure you have long tongs or a glove on or you'll burn all the hair off your hand.
 
I think your current chicken method will work fine for the roadside chicken. I'm new to this recipe too(a few weeks ago) and your method is how I've done it too. The only thing you(and I) are missing out on doing on an all direct cook is the juice and marinade constantly dripping onto the coals and producing that great smelling smoke flavor. Next time I do roadside on my kettle I'm going to try to go back and forth so I get some of that flavor but still have my indirect area to protect the chicken from getting too charred.

Another option which I tried for the first time this past weekend is to use the WSM for the roadside chicken and take out the water pan. The drippings were constantly hitting the coals and I didn't have to worry about flare ups. My only mistake is I didn't ramp the temp up enough at the end to get it quite crispy enough but it was still very good.

By the way the roadside recipe to me has the best flavor I've ever had in a chicken recipe.
 
I normally do thighs only when I do RSC. I leave 1/4 of the grill without coals and cook them over direct heat. It usually takes 25-30 min. I move the smallest ones to the indirect area while the big ones finish up. You will get flare ups, but you can easily knock them down. The Mrs. likes a good bit of char on hers, so she gets the ones hit most by the flares.
 
Using the WSM is a very good idea. I usually adda bit of Xanthan gum to the basting mixture to prevent all the dripping when using a regular grill. The flare- ups is much easier to control.
 
I've done many batches of RSC without oil in the marinade with great results.

I usually do mine on the Performer and leave 1/3 to 1/2 with no coals, periodically rotating on and off the heat........usually a 30-40 minute cook.

Cook time is shortened if I'm not tending the fire, but it tends to get too burnt if you're not willing to hang out and flip.....and turn......and re-position......repeat....and so on.
 
Thanks guys. So it does sound like you keep the lid off and just move it around. I do plan on leaving a indirect area so that i can make sure the chicken doesn't burn.
 
I usually do wings with the marinade, and exclude the oil from the marinade. Then I make another batch of the solution, with oil, for basting. The last few times, I've piled the wings up in a pile on the indirect side, cooked with the lid on for 5-7 minutes, lid off, disassemble pile, baste, re-pile, lid on. Did this for however many times until the chicken was done, then went lid off, grilling the wings direct to get a little char on them. Lastly, I collect all the cooked wings in my bowl/tray and toss them in a little more basting liquid. The Roadside marinade is terrific, and the wings are always gone quickly.

One of the tricks in that thread suggests using an empty worcestershire bottle for basting, since the dispensing cap allows for shaking it out in moderate amounts. I've found that helpful.
 
Danny, what temp and how long did you cook on the WSM,That sounds like a great idea ? Did you get the good smokey flavor? What type pieces did you use?
 
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