# Does marinating reduce chicken barbecue cooking times ?



## redmike (Apr 24, 2007)

I went to a party last night and chicken was amongst other things cooked on a barbecue. 

It was raw inside and I and many others said 'no way Jose'.

I spent a year in Brazil and the Brazilians are experts on barbecuing.

Chicken is an exception there and they boil it for 10-15 minutes in water to which they have added garlic and coriander - and maybe other things.

Then they barbecue it and it comes out with the taste of barbecued chicken (plus the garlic and herbs) and it never has blood oozing out of the bones.

Finally, my question 

Would marinading give the same results as the 'boiling'  ?

thanks,

Mike


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## letscook (Apr 24, 2007)

In my experience parboiling would give it the flavor and it is cooking the flavor in it and then the addition of barbque adds.  I have done both ways and have had good results.  The only thing not precooking is you will have to cook it longer.  I only precook it when I have alot of people to feed then I know it is cooked. It also help getting alot of the prework done before company arrives.


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## Andy M. (Apr 24, 2007)

Marinating chicken will add flavor to the chicken.  It does not effect the cooking times.

Parboiling chicken before grilling it is a waste of time and kills some of the flavor.  Parboiling results in the chicken's flavoring the water.  It is, after all, how we make stock.

I grill chicken with a combination of high and low heats.  The high heat gives nice color to the skin and crisps it up and the lower heat ensures the chicken is cooked through without incinerating it.

Whould you boil a steak before grilling it?


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## Uncle Bob (Apr 24, 2007)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> Marinating chicken will add flavor to the chicken. It does not effect the cooking times.
> 
> Parboiling chicken before grilling it is a waste of time and kills some of the flavor. Parboiling results in the chicken's flavoring the water. It is, after all, how we make stock.
> 
> ...


 
This is so good it needs repeating!!!!

I might add; Please do not par boil chicken, ribs, etc prior to bbqing!!! It borders on sacrilege!! Practice and learn the art of proper bbqing! You will be highly rewarded!!


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## Chopstix (Apr 24, 2007)

redmike said:
			
		

> It was raw inside and I and many others said 'no way Jose'.


 
This could also have happened because before bbqing, the chicken pieces were still frozen inside as a result of rushed defrosting.  Best is to let chicken come to room temp for half an hour or so before cooking to achieve more uniform cooking.  (This is what I do when roasting whole chicken and I've never had raw interiors despite short roasting times at high heat.)


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## RMS (Apr 24, 2007)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> Marinating chicken will add flavor to the chicken. It does not effect the cooking times.
> 
> Parboiling chicken before grilling it is a waste of time and kills some of the flavor. Parboiling results in the chicken's flavoring the water. It is, after all, how we make stock.
> 
> ...


 
When you're right, you're right!


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## YT2095 (Apr 24, 2007)

Slashing the meat through to the bone will reduce the cooking time a little and is also good to get plenty of marinade flavor in there (Increased surface area).
 beyond that, everything that`s been said above is quite correct.


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## Barbara (Apr 24, 2007)

I have pre-cooked chicken in the oven with barbecue sauce and finished it on the grill when I have a lot to do. otherwise I prefer doing it all on the grill as has already been said - combination of high and low temps.


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## Mirandgl (Apr 24, 2007)

There is no substitute for heat especially when it pertains to poultry.  About a year ago the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service established 165F degrees as the safe minimum internal temperature to kill food-borne pathogens and viruses in poultry.  This lowered it from 180F which had been the standard since the early 1980s.  A sustained temperature of 15 seconds is needed to accomplish the cleansing.
 
A some marinades have ingredients that break down cellular structure which emulates the process similar to when heat is applied and is sometimes referred to as cooking.  Some marinades that I use have ingredients such as soy sauce that will cause a color change within the meat like a chicken breast.  Judging the proper doneness is always best with a thermometer.


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## CharlieD (Apr 24, 2007)

I have baked chicken before putting on the grill to about half done. But that was only once and only because I did not have enough room on the grill and no time either (read unexpected guests). It did speed up the grilling of course and actually did not affect the taste in the end, but I would not do that on a regular bases.


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## cookmex (Apr 24, 2007)

For chicken, there is only one sure way to know if chicken is cooked.  Test it with a meat thermometer and make sure it's heated to 165 degrees minimum.  Also, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before eating and the temperature will raise a little more on it's own and the chicken juice won't run out all over your plate.

Linda


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## jennyema (Apr 24, 2007)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> Parboiling chicken before grilling it is a waste of time and kills some of the flavor. Parboiling results in the chicken's flavoring the water. It is, after all, how we make stock.


 

Andy is right.  Plus, boiling chicken makes it tough and rubbery.  You shoul dnever boil chicken under any circumstances.

The chicken you has was just badly cooked.  Probably because the grill was too hot.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Apr 24, 2007)

I have cooke a lot of chicken on the bbq.  What Andy said is correct.  We also don't know hwat kind of barbecue you are using.  If using charcoal, cook the chicken over a solid bed of coals.  Imediately cover the grill and adjust the vents to about half open.  Cook for 5 minutes and turn the chicken over.  Cook another 5 minutes and check with an instant read meat thermometer in the thickest meat.  Remove the chicken when the thickest piece reads 165. 

This gives you the initially intense heat needed to create that great outer skin.  As the fire is starved of oxygen, it cools, allowing the chicken to cook through.

If using a gas grill, just follow the same routine, except that you will have to have the grill hot to start, and then turn the gas down to get the lower temperature.

In both cases, avoid puting any kind of sugar on the skin as it will quickly scorch.  And if you are using a marinade with the chicken, remember, if it contains any acidic ingredients, i.e. tomato, vinegar, citrus fruit or juice, or wine, then 30 minutes will provide maximum flavor.  This is because when the acids touch the meat protiens, they tighten into a barrier and keep the marinade from penetrating more than about 1/16th of an inch, no matter how long the meat is exposed to the marinading liquid.  It still tastes great though.  If you want herbal or spice flavors to completely penetrate the meat, use a flavored brine solution instead.  It will be absorbed throughout the meat tissue.

Add any sugary glazes, or sauces, such as comercial bbq sauces, fruit glazes, etc. for the last couple minutes of cooking time to keep the sugars from burning.  If you want the basting liquid to cook into the meat, remove the chicken from the grill, place in a large, covered roasting pan, after brushing with your sauce or glaze, and bake at no more than 200 degrees, preferably closer to 170 or so, to keep from overcooking the meat and drying it out.

Hope that helps.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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