Name: Barbecued Dry-Rubbed Chicken
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 2 teaspoons paprika; 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper; 1 teaspoon dry mustard; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces , breasts halved crosswise, leg quarters separated into thighs and drumsticks

Why This Recipe Works

UPDATE: This recipe has been slightly reformulated to be more failproof since its initial publication. The revision you see here was published in July of 2021. To please all manner of tastes, we used drumsticks, split breasts, and thighs in our Barbecued Dry-Rubbed Chicken recipe. Dark brown sugar added sweetness and helped create a glaze on the exterior of the chicken as it melted. For classic barbecue flavors, we went with chili powder, paprika, onion powder, dry mustard, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Allowing the chicken to rest after applying the rub both deeply seasoned the meat and drew some of the moisture from the chicken to its surface, thus jump-starting the glazing. Applying a second coat of dry rub during grilling was the key to a stellar glaze as the sugar in the second coat melted over the first.

Before You Begin

Do not substitute light brown sugar. Apply the second coating of spice with a light hand or it won’t melt into a glaze.

Instructions

Combine brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, dry mustard, onion powder, and cayenne in small bowl. Transfer half of dry rub to shallow dish; reserve. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and coat over and under skin with remaining rub. Transfer to plate and refrigerate, covered, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with 50 charcoal briquettes. When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over bottom of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-low.

Scrape and oil cooking grate. Arrange chicken skin side down and grill, covered, until skin is well browned and crisp, about 10 minutes.

Lightly coat skin side of chicken with reserved rub and return to grill, skin side up. Continue to grill, covered, until rub has melted into glaze and white meat registers 160 degrees and dark meat registers 175 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, transferring pieces to platter as they come to temperature. (Re-cover grill after checking pieces for doneness.) Tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.