Competition BBQ chicken is more than just being a good cook - what you want is to turn in something that will wow the judge. Here we'll walk you through how Kosmo has been turning in winning boxes, so you can too!
Winning a BBQ competition starts in how you prep. For chicken thighs, this means trimming to the size you like - remove the knuckle and joints to make your chicken as uniform as possible and square off the edges.
After the chicken is trimmed, you will want to brine the chicken. For this, grab a large large plastic bag or container. Mix 1 cup of Kosmo's Q Chicken Soak with 40 oz of distilled water, and pour over the chicken inside the container. Brine the chicken in the fridge or cooler for 4-6 hours.
When that's done, remove chicken from the soak and place skin side down onto a sheet pan. Apply a light coat of Dirty Bird and Killer Bee Chipotle to the bottom side of the chicken, and place the chicken skin side up in a foil half size hotel pan. Tuck the chicken close together so the chicken stays in its shape.
Time to inject the chicken! Use the Chicken Injection recipe from above, and inject the chicken in the pan. Then apply a medium coat of Killer Bee to the top side
Cook the chicken at around 250-275ºF (121-135ºC) until the color is good and the rub is set on the chicken. Now apply a layer of Kosmos Q Killer Bee Chipotle on the top side of the chicken, and cover the pan in foil.
The chicken will be done when the internal temperature is around 170-175ºF (77-80ºC). When the chicken hits that temperature, remove it from the pan and place it on a sheet pan. Then place it back on the smoker for a couple of minutes to tack up the rub.
After the rub has had a chance to setup a little, take the chicken in and dunk it in the heated Chicken Sauce (find recipe above). When all chicken is fully sauced, let it set up for a couple minutes to tack up.
Finally, pick your best pieces out of the batch, and box them up. Turn them in to the judges, and remember that #itjustwins!
Catch you on the next one!
Have you worked with Kosmos for a while, and come up with something even better? Many of our recipes are submitted by our wonderful customers, who come up with all sorts of ideas that we could never think of.
Go here to submit your own recipe. If accepted, you'll get 10% off the whole store.
Everyone wishes that they could have award-winning competition BBQ at their backyard barbecue parties. With Kosmo’s BBQ, that's exactly what you'll have, every time.