Moist BBQ Chicken

We all love bbq chicken but once in a while it doesn't come out as moist as we would like. We can attribute this to the long cooking time that chicken requires. When cooking chicken on a BBQ, we have to cook it slowly for a long time so it doesn't get burnt on the outside. This is what causes it to dry our, it is similar to putting something into a dehydrator.

It is possible to make delicious moist bbq chicken if you take one easy step before cooking it on the grill. The trick is to brine it first, then you can bbq your chicken to perfection. Brining is very similar to marinating your chicken except that it is done with salt water, herbs, and sugar. Kosher salt is the best for brining but if you don't have that, regular table salt will also work in it's place.

To make a brine you add 3/4 cup of salt and 3/4 cup of sugar to each quart of water. Make enough brine to cover a whole cut up chicken. Make the brine in a large airtight container by adding the sugar and salt to the water and stirring it until it dissolves. The container should be large enough to hold the brine as well as the chicken. If you don't have a container suitable for this, you can also use the one gallon size self sealing type freezer bags. put your cut up chicken into the brine and soak it overnight. After the brining process is completed, remove the chicken and rinse it well under cold running water. This process binds the protiens together and will keep your chicken moist when cooking it slowly over a grill. Sprinkle with herbs of your choice and grill on the baebecue. Once your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160, apply your favorite barbecue sauce recipe and cook for about 20 more minutes(longer if necessary). Chicken should always be cooked to an internal temperature of above 165 degrees. Since your chicken is going to remain moist, it is perfectly ok to cook it to as much as 180 degrees to be safe. It will still be moist and juicy.

If you love great bbq, go to this site to get recipes for bbq sauce from the SauteMaster.