Chicken thighs best temperature & Lid on / off question

[Ummagumma]

I am transitioning from years of using gas, and am so very slowly learning my way around charcoal.

(This place needs a complete newbie's section... I feel embarrassed for asking some basic questions).

So, on Sunday we figured we won't have a chance to cook much on anything for most of the week, and I quickly marinaded about 10 lbs of chicken thighs. Monday got to grill and almost immediately it started raining (the rain that the weather man swore wouldn't be here until after 10 pm hit at 7). Nevertheless, I managed to get through all of the chicken + some burgers, even though I had to add brickets midway.

Now, here's two questions that are very basic..

1) Usually, when using my Weber kettle and about a chimney full load of brickets, I get about 400F or higher shown on the lid thermometer, that seems to be working just fine for steaks. However I always have many partially burned brickets left, feels like a waste. So I decided to use about 60% full chimney & keep the temperature around 300F. It came out well, however it seems to me that even a lower temp & perhaps longer grill time would work even better, especially for adding more smoke flavor & keeping the chicken juicy ?

2) My gas bbq does not have a thermometer. I used to keep the lid open & adjust the flame as seemed fit. I got pretty good at eyeballing the chicken (steak needs a thermometer). Now, with kettle I am a bit hesitant to keep the lid off. Seems this may result in the brickets burning faster & not being able to maintain steady temperature. Are there any tricks to grilling with lid off ?

Thanks !

(I just had some of the cold chicken & the taste is just so much better compared to the gas... I can actually taste the hickory smoke & overall flavor is great)

[Yendor]

There is some great advice coming, I guarantee it. I have a question first.

1) What configuration are you putting your charcoal in? Is this direct heat or indirect?

2) The thermometers on the unit aren't always the best way to know grill level temps, I think they can be a great guideline, but don't take them at 100% accurate.

Grilling with the lid off you can adjust the bottom vents to try to slow things down, but I always grill indirect with the lid on with chunks of smoke wood and lump charcoal. With the lid on is really the only way to 100% control your temps.

[m-fine]

With a Webber kettle and my new Kamado, I keep the lid closed almost all the time except for searing. My last batch of chicken thighs I did indirect at 400* grate temperature (which could be fairly different than lid temp) and they came out fantastic.

You certainly can cook lower and slower, but you may lose more moisture that way not less, and more smoke flavor isn't always a good thing. You don't (necessarily) want to over power the meat with smoke, but if you feel you need more, first try adding more wood to the charcoal.

[rickv14623]

Welcome to the forum and cooking! Here is a thread to start with: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=230015&highlight=kettle

[Ummagumma]

There is some great advice coming, I guarantee it. I have a question first.

1) What configuration are you putting your charcoal in? Is this direct heat or indirect?

Sort of both. Instead of spreading the coals evenly, I heap them in the center (partially the reason for using fewer of them) and leave them off the edges of the grill (slightly wider than the meat chunks). This way I can rotate the meat from the higher temp center to the lower temp side (this is how I used to do it with my gas grill, have only the left burners going).

2) The thermometers on the unit aren't always the best way to know grill level temps, I think they can be a great guideline, but don't take them at 100% accurate.

Grilling with the lid off you can adjust the bottom vents to try to slow things down, but I always grill indirect with the lid on with chunks of smoke wood and lump charcoal. With the lid on is really the only way to 100% control your temps.

That's what I figured.

The chicken came out great but a tad drier than I'd like (not dry but not as juicy as what I was getting on my old grill). OTOH, the smoke flavor from hickory chips is fantastic. I just need to adjust the way I use the grill I guess !

[Ummagumma]

Welcome to the forum and cooking! Here is a thread to start with: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=230015&highlight=kettle

Thanks ! Post #18 should be included with every Weber Kettle grill.

[Bludawg]

It came with a lid for a reason. As for the fire with your palm 4" above the grate start counting 1 mississippi 2 mississippi 3 mississippi & ouch. 1 mississippi = about 350 2Mississippi = 300 3 Mississippi = 250 ouch is for steaks. I cook chicken indirect at 300-350 lid on

[erniewilmington]

I cook them hot and fast, full chimney, dump it, even it out so lit coals are evenly spaced out. Put the grill on and lid on. Let it heat up 4 or 5 minutes to burn off some grease and ignite the rest of the charcoal.

Then just dump 'em on and cook to 170. Sauce them, flip them, caramelize the sauce, etc.

I usually use charcoal for this, lump gets too hot and the outside burns before the inside is cooked.

[mchar69]

Depends on how many you need to cook.
4 thighs is perfect for a Smokey Joe.
8 Thighs? Jumbo Joe.
More? 22 1/2" or a ranch kettle.
In all applications I stash a large pile of coals on one side,
and put the open thighs down, lid on.
I will move them closer to the fire if I think they need, I will rotate both sides.
Only toward the end will I put the skin down.
I typically never sauce. That Weber is like an oven...

[krex1010]

Nothing wrong with leftover coals, you can use them too. Push them to the side where your coals are and dump your lit coals on top, or throw them in he chimney on top of the new coals, use them up. For thighs I go indirect, maybe 3/4 to a full chimney of lit coals off to the side and on top of the coals from my previous cook, lid on with the vent opposite the coals, vents open. Rotate the chicken as needed so they cook evenly but don't keep opening the lid every 5 minutes.

[mchar69]

Rotate the chicken as needed so they cook evenly but don't keep opening the lid every 5 minutes.
+1 w/ Krex