Cooking Chicken Pieces Without The "Grease Fog" ?

[ChrisD46]

My attempts to cook chicken pieces in the Pit Barrel resulted in chicken tasting like grease / smoke and not a good BBQ taste . I believe next I will try putting the chicken pieces on the grill grate elevated on a wire rack sitting inside  a pan with a half inch or so of water to catch drippings . This approach using a couple of smoking wood chunks (Apple / Pecan) in the charcoal should yield a BBQ taste and not a grease taste in the finished chicken pieces . *Have you done similar - your thoughts ?

[pmillen]

This question has generated quite a lot of discussion on other forums.  The two opinions on renderings hitting the coals, vaporizing and coming back up as a "fog" –

• Makes the best chicken.  No other cooker can match it.  (Several competitive BBQ teams cook their entries this way.)
• The grease taste is horrible.  We'll never do it again.

IDK if some variable enters into the mix and changes the imparted taste or if it's simply a matter of personal taste preferences.

Perhaps it's genetic—in the same manner that some people think cilantro tastes like soap.

[smokeasaurus]

Chicken is a smoke magnet for sure.

Having a drip pan on the cooking grate will surely tame the smoke and grease dripping on the coals and should work out fine

I do my chicken in an air fryer these days.

[sparky]

My family doesn't like the grease fog.  I only put charcoal in 1/2 my charcoal basket and cook on the other side.   No grease fog.   My family likes chicken on the Weber kettle now.

[tlg4942]

My family doesn't like the grease fog.  I only put charcoal in 1/2 my charcoal basket and cook on the other side.   No grease fog.   My family likes chicken on the Weber kettle now.

Its just downright difficult to beat a kettle....

[cookiecdcmk]

As Tommy will probably agree with, my Charbroil SRG is my go to way for poultry both wings and pieces.  I also use my Weber Deluxe Poultry Roaster in my Weber Kettle and SRG with excellent results.  I can also use it in my pellet grill.  It is an excellent way to cook.