Korean Style BBQ Chicken Thighs

 

Korean Style BBQ Chicken Thighs

One of the great things about BBQ is its versatility.  Sometimes you may want something spicy or you may want something saucy or even a combination of the two.  BBQ gives you those options and much more. 

Most cultures have some form of BBQ or smoking or grilling.  There are lots of thoughts on what the difference is in these cooking methods. 

I think it is somewhat universally agreed that grilling is done over a heat source.  The heat source can be charcoal, wood or even a gas burner like you will find on a someone’s patio gas grill.  Sometimes a grilled item will be basted with a sauce of some kind while it is cooking.  This type of cooking is classified as cooking with direct heat.  The item being grilled is directly over the heat source and is usually a quick cooking, naturally tender item.

Smoking can be accomplished by using hot or cold smoke.  When hot smoking, the air/smoke temperature in the chamber where the meat is, is hot enough to cook the food item.  Sometimes the item being hot smoked will be basted with a sauce.  It is a matter of personal taste and what the item being cooked is. 

Regardless of basting with a sauce or not, the item is fully cooked and ready to be consumed when it comes “off the fire”.  This type of cooking uses indirect heat.  The item being smoked is not directly over the heat source.

When cold smoking, the air/smoke temperature in the chamber where the meat is, is not hot enough to cook the food.  The smoke acts as a flavoring agent not a cooking medium.  Cold smoking takes place in a chamber, with an air/smoke temperature of less than 90°f.  This is also an indirect heat cooking method.  But it is done at lower heat.

So, I mentioned smoking and grilling.  What about BBQ?  In my mind BBQ is a generic term that can encompass the both smoking and grilling.  We may start an item over high heat as in grilling, and then move it to a cold side of the grill where it is cooked by indirect heat, as in smoking.  We may use charcoal, wood or even a gas burner as the heat source.  Sometimes a smoke agent is also utilized.  The smoke agent may be wood chips or even wood pellets.

When I BBQ chicken, as an example, I sear it over high heat, and then finish it away from the heat source.  In the case of BBQ chicken, I am basting it with some type of sauce while it finishes cooking.  This is how the chicken thighs in the picture were made.

For this dish I used two products sold by Daesang America.  I seasoned the thighs with O’Food Korean BBQ Kick seasoning mix.  I seared them over mesquite lump charcoal and then moved them away from the charcoal so they could finish cooking by indirect heat.  While they were finishing cooking, I basted them with spicy Chung Jung One Premium Korean BBQ Sauce and Marinade.  The sauce formed a really nice glaze on the thighs!  I turned the thighs over four times while glazing them.  It was truly finger licking good!

#LifeLongLearning #LifeLongTeaching #FamilyFood



I hope you enjoyed this short article.  As always your questions or comments are welcome. 

Until next time,

Bon Appetit Y’all

Leslie Bartosh


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