Barbecued Chicken Kebabs

With weeks of constant rain seeming to transform overnight into instant summer, my party for 30 of my closest friends could have been nothing other than a barbecue.  For the kids, I cheated, and simply grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. But for the adults I tried a new recipe (from May 2011 issue of Cook’s Illustrated); Barbecued Chicken Kebabs. Of course, I tripled the recipe and cooked 6 pounds of boneless chicken thighs, which was the upper limit of the 22″ Weber grill.  The result was perhaps the best BBQ chicken I’ve ever had, though the chicken ran out before two or three of my guests ate  (a serious faux pas; I know). Overall, 4-1/2 stars, with a promise to make it again for those who only ate Arroz con Pollo.

Maybe the best BBQ chicken I've ever had.

Issues:

1. I only had one type of Paprika, so used 2-2/3 tablespoon of regular paprika. I’m not sure if it was smoked paprika or sweet paprika.
2. While I tripled the chicken, I only doubled the BBQ sauce recipe. I still had a little left over, so it was the right choice.
3. I am having issues with the new formulation of Kingsford charcoal. They claim that it “starts even faster, and burns even longer”. Using my chimney starter, I am finding takes 50% longer to start. (30 minutes instead of 20 minutes), and that the coals usually go out (self extinguish) when I cook any meat that is even slightly juicy. Whereas, the prior formulation worked perfectly.

Rating: 4-1/2-stars.
Cost: $12 for 6 pounds of chicken.
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess?  Low/Medium.
Start time 4:00 PM. Ready at 6:00 PM.

Chris Kimball’s original recipe is here. My descriptions of how I prepare it are given below (except that I cut the measurements back down to the original 2-lbs of chicken):

Homemade BBQ Sauce:

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons grated onion
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar

Kebabs:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
4 teaspoons sugar
2 slices bacon
4 skewers

1. To make the sauce: Cook all the sauce ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sauce has reduced to 1 cup; about 7 minutes. Add 1/2-cup sauce to small bowl (to be used during barbecuing), setting the remaining sauce aside to serve at the table.
2. Trim any excess fat from chicken and cut into 1-inch cubes. Put chicken cubes in a large bowl, add 2 teaspoons kosher salt and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Light a large chimney starter three-quarters filled, about 75-coals.
4. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Combine paprika and sugar in small bowl.
5. Cut the bacon slices into 1/2-inch pieces, and process in food processor until it forms a smooth paste; about 45 seconds. Scrape the sides of the food processor twice during processing to ensure an even paste. Sprinkle spice mixture over chicken, then add the bacon paste. Using your hands, mix until spices and evenly blended and chicken is completely coated with paste.
6. Thread the chicken cubes onto skewers. Chris Kimball recommends metal skewers, but I used wood skewers without problem. Some oddly shaped chicken cubes required rolling or folding meat to maintain even thickness of the skewers.
7. Once charcoal is fully ignited and partially covered with thin layer of ash (takes about 30 minutes with new Kingsford formulation), dump all charcoal over half of grill bottom, leaving other half empty. Replace the cooking grate and scrape clean with grill brush.
8. Place chicken kebabs directly over the coals. Grill, turning a quarter turn every 2-1/2 minutes (for a total of 10 minutes for thighs). They should be well browned and slightly charred. Brush the tops of the kebabs with 1/4-cup of BBQ sauce. Flip the kebobs (sauce side down) and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Brush the second side with another 1/4-cup sauce. Flip and cook until a thermometer registers 175 degrees (for thighs)
9. Remove kebabs from grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve, passing reserved barbecue sauce separately.