Chicken on The Big Green Egg
on the Big Green Egg

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces



• 1/4 cup sugar



• 1/4 cup kosher salt



• 1 quart water



• John Henry's "Chicken Tickler" dry rub (sold at most outdoor-cooking stores), or any low-sugar dry rub made with salt and spices, to taste

Directions:

1. Place chicken pieces in a large zip-top bag, along with sugar, salt and water. Seal bag and mix the contents to combine thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes and no more than 4 hours (2 hours is ideal; longer than 4 hours will make the meat mushy).



2. Mack Yarbrough of Plano likes that the Big Green Egg can cook at high temperatures and that it does a good job at low temperatures, too. His chicken recipe calls for setting the grill at 300 F and below.



3. Remove chicken from the bag and rinse. Apply dry rub seasoning. Let chicken sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes (this promotes more even cooking).



4. Build a fire in the Big Green Egg. Heat the grill to 300 F, and maintain that temperature. (Open the bottom vent about one-eighth to one-fourth of the way, and leave the top vent completely open. Never completely close the top vent while cooking; it is the exhaust vent, and closing it can cause food to have a bitter taste.)



5. Place the chicken, bone side down, on the grill grate. Close the grill and cook for 5 minutes. Open the grill and flip the chicken so the skin side is down. Close the lid and cook for another 5 minutes. Open the lid and turn the chicken so the bone side is down again. Close the lid, and close all the bottom vents to extinguish the fire. Continue cooking (the temperature will gradually drop to between 200 and 250 F) for 8 to 10 more minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 160 F (the chicken will continue to cook, hitting 165 F as it rests, off-heat).



6. Let chicken rest on a plate for 5 minutes before serving or cutting; if the juices that accumulate on the plate are not clear, or if the internal temperature doesn't climb to 165 F, put the chicken back on the grill for a few minutes. If the skin is black, pull the skin off and throw it away. Serve chicken immediately.



7. The chicken can be easily pulled from the bone and sliced for salads or sandwiches.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

PER SERVING: Calories 336 (46% fat) Fat 16 g (5 g sat) Cholesterol 132 mg Sodium 1,311 mg No fiber Carbohydrates 3 g Protein 42 g

SOURCE: Mack Yarbrough

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