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Broiler and Turkey Barbecue
4-H Competitive Activity
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Selecting the Grill  •  Preparing the Chicken  •  Preparing the Fire  •  Starting the Fire  •  Cooking and Controlling the Fire  •  Getting the Poultry Done  •  Making a Barbecue Sauce  •  Being Judged  •  Preparation Think List for 4-H Poultry BBQ  •  Official Score Card for Judging Broiler Barbecue Contest  • State 4-H Turkey Barbecue Cooking Skills  • State 4-H Turkey Barbecue Sensory Evaluation

Selecting the grill

A hooded-type grill may be best for beginning BBQ’ers. The hood provides more control of the fire.

A portable, adjustable grill works best for all 4-H Poultry BBQ Contests. This type grill is practical, easy to use and can be adjusted up or down for keeping the product the proper distance from the coals. Small grills which cannot be adjusted at least 4 inches from briquets can be used but are not the best choice for competition. Make sure your grill and preparation table are sturdy and will not tip over.

Preparing the chicken

You need a sharp knife to remove any excess fat from the inside part of the broiler half. The knife should be wrapped in aluminum foil for cleanliness and rewrapped after use until it can be washed properly.

Select ready-to-cook Grade A broilers, weighing approximately 2 1/2 pounds. Have broilers cut in half. 4-H contestants are required to barbecue either one or two broiler halves at the district and state contests, so 4-H’ers should practice with broiler halves. They should also use broiler halves at the county contest. Broiler halves will be furnished at district and state contests.

Beginning BBQ’ers may choose to cook only one half so they can devote all their attention to it. Experienced BBQ’ers will want to cook two halves, turn in the best half and enjoy eating the other. In the Turkey BBQ, select or prepare a 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pound turkey breast fillet (skin optional).

Note: Discard paper plate raw product was picked up on as soon as possible after raw product is on the grill.

Preparing the fire

Line the bottom of the grill with heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side up, to protect your grill and maintain an even heat. The foil helps reflect the heat up to the barbecue product.

Charcoal briquets are best for barbecuing since they provide a low, even heat. Note: Presoaked or ready-to-light briquets are not permitted in the 4-H BBQ Contest. Using a proper and safe fire lighting method is part of the contest evaluation.

Expect to use 3/4 to 1 pound of briquets for one-half chicken and approximately 1 1/2 pounds for two halves. Practice with the same brand of charcoal each time because some brands provide more heat and some burn longer than others. The wind and humidity will be the biggest factors for fire control. Practice is the best way to determine th@ amount of charcoal required. For beginners, a pre-measured amount of charcoal and starter may be prepared at home before competition.

Starting the fire

Pile charcoal briquets in a mound or pyramid in the center of the grill. Apply charcoal starter fluid liberally over briquets. Wait a few minutes (two to five) for starter to soak in, then light. This wait is very important. If starter fuel is lit before it soaks into the briquets, it will burn off quickly and the charcoal will not be properly ignited. The trick is to use enough lighter fuel in the beginning and wait long enough for it to soak in properly.

Precautions – (Do not use gasoline for starter.) Never apply more starter fluid to the fire or hot coals. Using too much starter fluid may be tasted in your finished product.

Approximately 20 minutes after lighting, burning coals should be covered with white or gray ash. At this point, you should evenly spread the coals in the grill. The fire should now be ready for cooking. A few dry briquets (with no starter fuel) may be added about midway of the cooking time if necessary for extended cooking time. It takes approximately 15 minutes for the additional briquets to reach the point where they will supply heat. These may be safely placed on the fire with a pair of tongs.

Cooking and controlling fire

Baste chicken (both sides) using a basting brush or mop with sauce or oil and place on grill, skin side up. Turn and baste with barbecue sauce or oil about every five minutes. Be careful not to allow blistering or burning. If chicken is cooking too fast, raise the grill if possible. If fire is too hot, spray a mist of water over the briquets to reduce heat. Be careful not to get ashes on your chicken. Keep the spray bottle of water handy to put out any flame that may be caused from drippings. Cooking slowly over a medium fire, basting frequently and turning often are some of the secrets to good barbecue chicken. This continued basting and turning helps prevent sticking, blistering and keeps the chicken from drying out. The use of tongs to turn the chicken is not recommended in competition because of the risk of tearing the skin in the latter part of the cooking process. Clean, white, cotton gloves are excellent for turning the chicken to prevent tearing the skin. CAUTION: Any equipment (tongs, gloves, etc.) used in preparation of the raw product and the early cooking period should not be used in the final stage of cooking to prevent bacterial contamination.

Getting the poultry done

Make sure chicken or turkey is done. Rare poultry is unsafe to eat. You will have 1 hour and 30 minutes cooking time without penalty for chicken. The penalty for going overtime is just 1 point for each five minutes over. For example, if you used an extra 20 minutes to get the chicken done, you would only lose 4 points. If your chicken is turned in for judging before it is done, you could possibly lose 25 points. Test the chicken for doneness by twisting the drumstick. If the joint twists or turns easily, the chicken is done. The wing joint may also be twisted to test for doneness. Remember the chicken must be done but not overcooked if you expect to win a blue ribbon.

The Turkey BBQ Contest will have the same penalties; however, you are allowed 2 1/2 hours for preparation and cooking. Always remember to place finished product on a clean plate before presenting to judges.

Making a barbecue sauce

A barbecue sauce may be as simple or as elaborate as you want to make it. You may use a commercial sauce or you may prepare your own. For competition it may be a good idea to select or prepare a mild sauce using marginal amounts (if any) of hot pepper, hot sauce, garlic, strong spices or other ingredients which some judges might find objectionable. In selecting a sauce, it’s a good idea to get several opinions of its taste before using it in competition. Put sauce in two plastic containers (in case of spill you will have a backup).

If you select or prepare a sauce containing tomato products or a high sugar content, charring and burning are common problems. These type sauces might best be applied during the last 20-30 minutes of cooking while the fire is very low.

Here are three examples of sauces you might try. These recipes make enough sauce for two to four chicken halves. Sauce 3 is recommended for turkey.

Being judged

Remember you will be judged at the barbecuing contest on the following:

Cleanliness of equipment
Did you start the fire properly and safely?
Did you maintain proper heat throughout cooking period?
Was chicken done in the 1 1/2 hour allowed time?
Appearance of finished chicken:

– Nicely brown
– Uniform in appearance
– Not burned or blistered
– Not speckled with ash or dust
– Skin not torn

Was chicken thoroughly done and not overcooked?
Taste of finished chicken:

– Good chicken taste
– Salt – enough, not too much or too little
– Flavor – pleasing, not too spicy
– Texture – moist and tender

Preparation Think List for 4-H Poultry BBQ

State 4-H Turkey Barbecue Cooking Skills

State 4-H Turkey Barbecue Sensory Evaluation

JERRY WOOLEY, Extension poultry specialist, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, is the author of this publication.

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