Applying Rubs/Sauces that have sugar and searing

[chet87]

I am going to attempt to put some bbq sauce/rub that has sugar in it, onto some chicken thighs while on the grill.

One thing I like to do when cooking chicken that has skin is to give it a quick flash of direct heat over coals (I find this makes getting crispy skin idiot proof and it’s fun). But for my next cook I want to have the bbq sauce on the chicken at least some time on the grill to give it a nice sticky consistency with some caramelization that would not otherwise be achievers just adding it after the cook.

now I know the dangers of sugar and high heat resulting in carbonization. I know that for this reason the common approach is to add this near the end of the cook as your meat approaches temperature. But if I am to do a quick crisp over coals I worry about having the rub/sauce in there while I do that crisp. I think some folks will just do indirect high heat the whole way but I feel this can sometimes results in non crispy skin and that adding the sauce further complicates getting crispy skin, good carmaleization, and not overcooking.

sooooooo…..if I I cook my chicken on high heat indirect, crisp my sink on high heat maybe a little early, then place back on indirect and then sauce/rub near the end, will this solve that problem?

How are folks here approaching this with saucing and doing a sear? Being chicken vs steaks vs roasts; and sauces vs rubs.

thanks!

[LA Pork Butt]

I cook wings on my BGE at 375 indirect (With Diffuser) - 30 minutes then flip, 20 minutes and then sauce the last 10 minutes. The sauce gets thick, but doesn’t burn. Total cook is one hour.

[DaveD]

You're thinking very well here. You should be able to do what you want though - sear that skin as you normally do, then start laving the sauce on there after they've cooked a little while on the indirect side, and sauce them the rest of the way out. A lot of folks add the sauce late simply because they don't want to imbue the entire piece, just want it on the surface. So it's up to you when to start saucing.

Actually a perfect setup for an experiment! Do your sear step, then add your sauce when you want to some of the thighs, then only at the end for a couple, and then you can compare on your plate.

We expect a full after-action report!

[WI Bubba]

I can only echo what was already said. Direct heat for the crisp skin, and indirect to set the sauce. How much sauce and how long to let it set up is strictly personal opinion. There is no right or wrong answer.

[Oak Smoke]

I don’t use much sauce. I will sauce ribs once in a while on the smoker. I do use Meatheads Memphis Dust on skin on chicken thighs on the grill often. There’s plenty of sugar in it to give a slightly sweet taste and the thighs crisp up just fine.

[Ace]

chet87 You are right on target. As others have commented, crisp the skin and get close to your target temp then sauce.
You got this...

[TripleB]

I do a chicken dish that involves a sweet, sugar sauce. I cook my chicken indirect at about 400 degrees to roughly 160-165 degrees. Then use my gas grill that is preheated and toss on the chicken. Sauce each each quickly and then immediately turn the chicken over and then repeat the process until I get the caramelization of the sauce I want. If I'm doing a lot of chicken, I have someone help me turn and mop.

Pic below shows the chicken with some sweet glaze and caramelization.

[klflowers]

I do kind of the same. I rarely use direct heat though. I use the kettle/vortex when I cook thighs/wings/drums outside almost always. The vortex gets the kettle so hot that direct heat is not required. If I sauce, I take them off, toss them in some sauce in a bowl, then put them back on for a few minutes - 5 minutes tops. On the few occasions when I use the pellet grill for chicken parts, then I sometimes finish over direct heat or under the broiler, but I don’t sauce until after the direct heat and I give up the “tackiness” in favor of not burning the sauce. I inevitably burn the sauce when I put the sauce on before going over direct heat.

[SheilaAnn]

+100 for all of the above