BBQ Chicken

Skin must dry completely before bagging or it'll never crisp on the grill. The trick is uncovered overnight in the fridge - the cold air pulls moisture out and leaves a leathery surface that turns shattering-crisp under high heat. Skip this and you get rubber.

Brine for 12 h before sous vide. A simple wet brine of 5% salt by weight (about 1/3 cup per quart of water) seasons the meat from the inside out. Sous vide alone won't penetrate seasoning past the surface, but brining will.

Sous vide at 150°–155°F for 1 h 30 min–2 h. Lower and the texture is too soft for grilling; higher and you've lost the juiciness. Dark meat is more forgiving than white, so if you're cooking thighs only, you can push to 160°F.

Sauce in the last minute over direct fire, never longer. BBQ sauce burns easily because of the sugar, and you want char marks, not a layer of carbon. Brush on, flip immediately, brush again, pull. Three turns max.

Anti-tip: don't sauce in the bag. Cooking BBQ chicken in sauce gives you a steamed, gloppy texture and ruins the bark you're trying to develop on the grill. Save the sauce for the finish, where it can caramelize properly.

Works with breasts, thighs, drumsticks, or whole pieces

Don't put sauce on too early or it will burn

Thighs stay juicier than breasts