Barbecued Chicken Thighs with Tupelo Two-Step
Paula: In most recipes, grilled meats are brushed with sauce towards the end of the cooking process so the sweetners (sugar, honey, molasses, etc.) don’t scorch and blacken over the fire. This time-honored method is solid, but what if you want your chicken to sing with more sauce? Marinating chicken thighs (or drumsticks) in sauce infuses the meat with a deeper hot-sweet flavor and results in a richer, more tender texture. To avoid the scorched skin scenario, cook the chicken over indirect heat.
Bonus: the meat needs less babysitting (“can I get anyone another beer?”), because it’s cooking at more moderate heat. If the skin needs additional crisping, give the thighs a quick spin over direct heat the last few minutes of cooking, flipping as needed to prevent the skin from becoming overly black.