Burned BBQ Drumsticks

It does help to add the barbeque sauce at the end, but if he won't do that, pre-cook the chicken most of the way in the microwave, oven, or boiling water and finish on the barbeque.

boil the chicken first . Then put the bbq sauce on before on the grill . Also use tin foil on the grill .

The best way I have found to BBQ chicken drumsticks is to first boil the chicken for about 10 minutes then then BBQ them with the BBQ sauce. the sauce gets a little dark but not burned and black. Hope this helps you out happy BBQing to you.

Here's what we do:
Precook the chicken for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Then just throw them on the grill for a few minutes to brown them up and add flavor. Yes, adding the sauce at the end also helps, as will closing the lid on the grill. Most BBQ sauces have a lot of sugar, and therefore are made to be warmed (in a pan) and added to the meat AFTER it comes off the grill. If you want extra flavor during cooking, try a dry spice rub instead of a liquid sauce.

Good luck getting your DH to try any of the above. :^)

I'm sorry to tell your husband that you are right on this one. NEVER put the sauce on at the beginning! It should only go on the last 5 minutes or else it will burn. I'm sure you can find this info on a cooking website and give it to your husband.

Marinade and season as normal, and only add the BBQ sauce at the end.....I happen to like the burn on the chicken so I do my pieces seperatly.

E.,

I read an article recently that stated that eating the charcoal from burnt bbq'ing can up the risk for cancer. Even scraping it off doesn't always help. We have started cooking our food until done and putting the sauce on last, which really does help. So tell your husband that the burnt parts of the chicken up everyones risk for cancer, and that putting the sauce on last really does help! Good luck to you!

If you read the directions on the BBQ sauce, it says to put it on in the last 5 minutes of grilling. It is the sugar in the sauce that makes it burn. If you wait until the end, the flavor of the sauce gets cooked into the chicken without burning it. You can watch any cooking show on grilling and it will tell you that. Good luck with the eternal struggle of husband/wife/grill!

Hi! My husband turns the flame to low and cooks them slowly. This has helped in not burning any grilled food. And, maybe put your sons piece on later so it's not getting as darkened as the other ones.

LOL...my husband is not that best at BBQing either...your are right wait until the chicken is fully cooked and then add the sauce, turn the heat on low and let cook a few more minutes. Just a 'health tip' the carcinogens that come from burning meat on the grill are proven to be cancer causing. Turn down the heat and don't burn the meat to a crisp.

Your husband is right, however you can turn the heat wayyyy down and apply the BBQ sauce, so that the chicken is cooked and you are just heating the sauce with the chicken. Or, you can cook the chicken legs in a different method. Oven preparation will not have the dark color, nor will the crockpot, but each will have a slightly different texture. The crockpot will make them fall apart. Good Luck

Hi E. -

Your wonderful guy probably just needs to turn down the heat on the gas grill. The trick is to use medium-lo heat and baste often. If you are using charcoals rather than gas, consider adding some water soaked woodchips around the sides of the grill to give a smoke flavor (and cool off the grill a bit) and pulling the chickens away from the hottest part of the grill.

Try cooking the chicken off the grill and then grill for color and to carmelize the sauce - medium-low heat around 10 minutes is all it should take. Cooking the chicken off of the grill also gives you the freedom to cook the chicken the day before and reheat on the grill. You might also consider separating your son's drumsticks from the others by placing them on an upper rack or wrapping them in aluminum foil to keep the sauce from burning.

If you like to cook the chicken on the grill, consider butterflying your chickens (simply cut out the backbone with kitchen shears and spread flat) Sprinkle with salt and pepper and lay them on an oiled grill skin side up using medium-low heat around 15 minutes. Baste the tops often. Turn them skin side down and cook for another 10 minutes, again basting often. It's very important to keep a close eye on these because the rendering fat as well as the sugar in the sauce both burn easily.

bon appetit!

Bar B Q them yourself! Or , at least yours and your son's. Let your husband make his the way he wants.

My husband taught me when we first got together to boil your drumsticks first. By cooking them in the water, you retain some moisture and ensure that the leg is cooked all the way through. You can always add a few spices to the water to give them a little more flavor. Then you throw them on the grill, crispyfying =) them a little and towards the end, add the bbq sauce. Your husband is correct - it is the sugar in the sauce that is burning, but if he waits till the end to put it on, you'll still get the flavor without the burn. Hope this helps your little battle! :) A.

My husband says the key is to cook it very slowly, and turn it every few minutes. I marinate it in BBQ sauce before we cook it...only the ends seem to get black, everything else it perfect. You may also try making your own sauce (Emeril has a good recipe) with honey instead of sugar-not to mention it tasts a lot better and is better for you.

My hubby is king of the grill. He says convince your hubby to wait for the last second to put the sauce on. It wont burn that way. Make sure the chicken is done and only leave on the grill a couple of minutes after you put it on.

You should challenge your husband to a drumstick contest. Each of you cooks your own sticks with the same BBQ sauce. Whoever's turns out the least "black" at the end wins and that's how you cook them from then on. Tip: Before you put yours on the grill rub them with some grill seasoning. Grill them until they are done, then take them off and brush on the sauce, put them back on for about a minute just so the sauce will stick and warm up. They will turn out AWESOME!!! Good Luck!

E.,

You're right that the BBQ sauce will burn food if you put it on too soon. You can either pre-boil the chicken, or just cook the chicken at a lower heat, but definitely put the BBQ on just before you're ready to take them off the grill.

C.

You are right. The BBQ sauce we use, says to wait until the end to put it on. Also try cooking it longer on a lower heat setting. My husband tends to cook stuff on too high a heat. I try to take over the grill when I can. He likes to do it, so it's hard. But maybe you could ask him to wait on your son's drumstick if he's offended completly.

We've had great luck microwaving the drums for 2-3 minutes (with the BBQ sauce on them) before we throw them on the grill. They retain the moisture really well. Make sure he doesn't have the heat up too high on the grill either.

Happy BBQing!!

i would explain that that's just how daddy cooks them, and then cook it the way you want to. chicken is easy to cook. experiment and have fun.

Maybe ask your husband if he would mind doing yours and your sons bbq at the end and he can burn his all he wants, men tend to take things personal , so maybe tell he how its not healthy for your son to eat the burned part but that you understand he likes it that way...
Good Luck
S.

You're right, it is the sugar in the sauce that makes it burn. Put it on last and really watch the meat, it only takes a couple of minutes for it to burn.

It is absolutely the bbq sauce! You should never grill with the BBQ sauce on the meat. It should be added at the vey end!
I am SAHM of 5 and married toa bbq guru!!

Hi E. - I boil all of my meat before putting it on the BBQ. I can then be sure that the meat is done without the highly beautiful black color. That way you can leave it on the barbie just long enough for the bbq flavor and taste. Works like a charm. Plus it helps so that the meat doesn't end up hard as rock. Good luck

Don't mean to be alarmist, but I have definitely repeatedly heard information about the link between burned meat on the grill and carcinogens. Does that only apply to red meat? Is he burning the meat or the sauce? Maybe you could google the topic and make sure no one's putting your family at long-term risk for cancer.

As indicating in previous responses try precooking the chicken by par-boiling or microwaving prior to grilling. It will lessen the time needed on the grill and the chance of burning. My husband is a big fan of overcooking on the grill (he jokingly refers to it as cajun cooking) After 2 years of overcooking my steak I finally convinced him to butterfly his before putting it on the grill. We request his steak this way at restaurants too. Good luck with YOUR Cajun chef LOL

your fire is probably too hot, or he's cooking them too long, or both. Make sure to spray the grill rack before preparing the fire. He needs to prepare the grill for a medium fire using the direct method. Which means:prepare the grill and make sure the food will be placed above the heat source about 4-5 inches. To determine a medium heat, place your hand 8 inches above the heat source, directly above the coals. Keep your hand there until the heat just starts to feel uncomfortable, counting the seconds. The fire will be:
LOW if you have to move your hand in 5 seconds
MEDIUM if you have to move your hand in 3-4 seconds
HIGH if you have to move your hand in 2 seconds

marinade your drumsticks and then place the drumsticks on the grill rack (directly above the heat source) and grill, turning occasionally, and brush with more sauce. Grill until an instant read thermometer inserted in a drumstick reads 180 degrees. If the fire is prepared correctly, that should take approx 10-12 minutes.

You could also prepare them in the broiler. Spray the broiler pan, preheat. Put chicken 4 inches from heat, turning occasionally, and brushing with more sauce as needed. Also approx 10-12 minutes.

Also, bbq sauces tend to burn more than other sauces or marinades, so you wouldn't want to add that until about 5 minutes before they're done. Just brush it on.

Good Luck and enjoy!

Bake the chicken until it is almost done in your oven, then finish it up on the grill. In the alternative, "bake" your chicken on the grill by putting it over LOW heat and putting the grill cover over it, if you have one. Save the BBQ sauce until the very end. You are right. The sugar in the sauce carmelizes/burns on the grill.

Linda

From what I've read (and tried) you shouldn't apply the bbq sauce until the last 5-10 minutes or it will just burn. If your husband doesn't think that will add enough flavor, you can always marinate the chicken in a simple sauce or spice blend before grilling and then apply the bbq sauce at the end. Best of luck!

I love bbq sauce and It will definitely burn if you out it on to start. What I do is get the chicken crispy first, then add the bbq sauce near the end. I put it on lower heat and let it carmelize(not burn) a little then I add some more, warm it up and take then off. It really gives you all the good bbq flavor with none of the burn. Good luck!

A.

What about not putting BBQ sauce on the drumsticks and just letting your son dip the chicken in it while he's eating?