Chicken thighs on Weber Q

[ernisj]

Hi,

I've bought new Weber Q 3200 last week and need some advice on how to cook boneless and skinless chicken thighs (never owned Weber before, lid down method is new for me).

Should I bbq them on a grill or use a trivet? What heat settings should I use and for how long should I cook it? Book that came with BBQ doesn't have anything about chicken pieces other than roasting whole chicken. OTOH instructions for steak looks very simple.

Thank you for any help, I've party next weekend so want to make it right.

[bobbbq]

Hi ernisj, welcome to the forum.

Cooking chicken thighs is dead easy, and a great choice for the BBQ. Just apply some seasoning (I usually use Slap Ya Mama Cajun dry seasoning) to your chicken and leave while the Q heats up for 10 minutes on high. Then place directly on the grill, approximately 3-4 minutes per side, lid down. I turn the temp down a little (maybe 3-4 "bars" on the control knob) after I have placed the chicken on the grill. Nice grill marks and tender chicken. I cook to a temp, not time, usually aiming for 75 to 80C. If you have a sticky/sweet marinade on the thights its better to use the trivet, same instructions but place on the trivet instead. Cook time is about the same.
Another great party food is chicken wings. I cook these on the trivet exactly the same way and they are perfect. A forum search for wings will yield lots of other ideas too.

[ernisj]

Hi Bob,

Thank you very much for your reply, very helpful!
Haha, I like the name of those spices, never heard of them before, where can you buy them in Australia?
Regarding temperature, I've bought cheap meat thermometer from eBay (~$10), but not sure if I can trust it or to invest into something better?

[beachbums]

Hi Bob,

Thank you very much for your reply, very helpful!
Haha, I like the name of those spices, never heard of them before, where can you buy them in Australia?
Regarding temperature, I've bought cheap meat thermometer from eBay (~$10), but not sure if I can trust it or to invest into something better?

Hi, Check the thermometer in a pot of boiling water, should give you an idea of how accurate it is. Should read around 100 degrees Celsius.

Cheers,Wayne

[bobbbq]

No worries ernisj.

I buy mine on line here. http://4dflavours.com.au/slap-ya-mama/ but you can sometimes find it at specialty outlets like BBQ Galore.

A cheap thermometer is fine to begin with, just do as Wayne suggested.

[Gumb]

The advice about the Slap Ya Mama is spot on....goes great with chicken. There are vendors in the vendor section on here who sell rubs too, check them out.

[Smokey]

You can't kill thighs.
I like to grill not to hot or get some colours then turn down low until the thighs become a little like this.

[ernisj]

Thank you everyone!

Smokey Mick, chicken in that picture looks so yummy!

Quick question regarding Slap Ya Mama (I've ordered some online) - do you just rub chicken with it and add nothing else? I've seen some recipes where first you cook with dry seasoning and before end add some sort of ketchup mix, for example like in this link http://www.thepauperedchef.com/article/ ... ue-chicken. Or do you use Slap Ya Mama only and is good by itself?

Cheers.

[Smokey]

I generally wet them up with some oil then sprinkle over the rub.
Then baste with oil or melted butter mixed with some rub during the cooking.
Often I'll add a little acid like lemon juice to the baste.
basting helps build a flavour coating and the dripping baste sends up puffs of BBQ flavour.
Lid down cooking helps retain that flavour.

[ernisj]

Thanks mate!

According to Bob, it only takes ~4 minutes each side when cooking directly on a grill and lid down, so when do you usually baste them? When you turn on other side or after few minutes of cooking and do this few times?

Sorry for dumb questions

[Smokey]

Bob just does it another way to me.
Chicken thigh has a lot more fat and can stand cooking a little lower and longer without drying out.
I've not timed it but I'd grill them for twenty minutes or more.
Turning often after they release and baste each time.
Not to be confused with "low and slow", I'm still grilling. Just giving it time to render fat and build up a flavour profile.
I do the same with pork spares, Lamb forequarter chops and some sausages.
I wouldn't do the same for chicken breast as it will dry out.

Luckily Thighs are cheap so they are great to practice on. As long as you take them to 83c you really can't loose.

Thigh skewers and spares

[ernisj]

Thank you, understand now!

I found on Weber support page for grilling that skinless/boneless thighs are 8-10 mins on direct medium heat (350-450F), so to cook slower e.g for ~20 mins I need to reduce temp even further.

Will experiment with both methods and see which one we like most. Thanks for all the help, appreciated!

[Smokey]

Thank you, understand now!

I found on Weber support page for grilling that skinless/boneless thighs are 8-10 mins on direct medium heat (350-450F), so to cook slower e.g for ~20 mins I need to reduce temp even further.

Will experiment with both methods and see which one we like most. Thanks for all the help, appreciated!

Yep, you got it.
Just watch the flare ups when basting, Stay near and be prepared to move them around.
You don't need to pour on the baste, just paint a little on, then turn and baste the other side.
Lid down cooking still requires peaking and lid up time when is comes to grilling on a gas BBQ .
As long as you close the lid when your not doing anything, your sweet.

[Gumb]

Just watch the flare ups when basting, .

A set of grill grates solves that one. I did some chicken on skewers last night in the weber Q220, coated in oil (just once) rubbed with some Slap Ya Mama and had the grill grates in while it got up to temp (around 210c), bunged them on for a few minutes, turned them over a couple of times (lid shut as has been said) and they cooked to perfection with nice grill marks.

[Tasmaniac65]

Hi ernisj
I and my family are big fans of Skin on bone in Thighs.
Indirect on a trivet skin side up in the Q300 with any seasoning or marinade you like, pretty much fool proof, set Q at 3-4 down from from high close the lid and open again when the internal temp probe says 80c usually about 45min and if you don't want or need to eat the skin it just pulls off.