Description
BBQ chicken thighs recipe. Chicken thighs with a spice rub and glazed with BBQ sauce, grilled with indirect high heat.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
Barbecue Rub
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Serve with
- Barbecue sauce (Store-bought, or make my easy homemade bbq sauce recipe, or my espresso BBQ )
Instructions
- BBQ Rub the chicken thighs: Mix the barbecue rub ingredients in a small bowl until completely combined. Sprinkle a heavy coat of the barbecue rub over the chicken thighs. Gently pat the rub to help it stick, and work it into any natural seams in the meat. (Don't vigorously "rub" the chicken, or most of the spices will wind up on your fingers.)
- Set the grill up for indirect high heat (450°F): Set the grill up for indirect high heat, 450°F, with a drip pan in the middle of the grill and the fire on the sides.
In my kettle grill, I light a chimney starter full of coals; when the coals are lit and covered with gray ash, I pour them into two piles on the sides of the grill, with the drip pan in the middle. (If your grill comes with charcoal baskets, use them to keep the piles together.)
In my gas grill, I preheat with all burners turned to high for 10 minutes, then I turn off my middle burners, set the drip pan under the grate, and leave the outside burners on high. (I have a 6 burner gas grill, so I turn off the middle two burners, leaving burners 1, 2, 5, and 6 on. Adjust this as needed for your grill and burner configuration) - Add the smoking wood: Brush the grill grate clean. If cooking over charcoal, add the smoking wood to the coals. If cooking on a gas grill, wrap the wood chips in foil to make a pouch, poke a few holes in the pouch, and put the foil pouch under the grill grate, directly on the burner cover over a lit burner.)
- Cook the chicken over indirect heat for about 45 minutes, brushing with sauce for the last 15 minutes: Put the chicken thighs on the grill grate over the drip pan in the indirect heat section and close the lid. Cook the chicken with the lid closed as much as possible until the skin is browned and the chicken has an internal temperature of at least 175°F, about 30 minutes. Brush the chicken with a layer of sauce, close the lid, and cook for another five minutes. Brush the chicken with a second layer of sauce, close the lid, and cook for 5 more minutes. Brush the lid with a third (and final) layer of sauce, close the lid, and cook for 5 more minutes. (About 45 minutes total, brushing with sauce during the last 15 minutes).
- Serve and enjoy: Move the chicken to a platter and serve, passing any extra BBQ sauce at the table. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Grilling
- Cuisine: American