Page 16 - Barbecue Chicken Made Easy

they don’t have much fat or myoglobin because they don’t need much energy. The lack of fat in chicken breasts makes them notoriously dry when cooked to a safe temperature of 160 to 165°F.
Dark meat, i.e. chicken thighs and drumsticks (together called legs), are slow-twitch muscles designed for steady movement and endurance. Dark meat contains more fat, myoglobin, and iron and for this reason, dark meat tends to be more juicy and more flavorful. It is also more forgiving, remaining juicy even when cooked to 170 to 175°F or more. For these reasons, most chefs prefer it.
It must be said that, although there are often globs of fat under the skin, there isn’t much fat in chicken meat overall. A boneless chicken breast is at most 5% fat and at most 300 calories for an eight-ounce portion. Lean cuts of beef tend to be 10% fat and 400 calories for the same portion. Ground beef is typically 20% fat and almost 600 calories for an eight ounce steakburger. No wonder chicken is so popular in a weight conscious society!
And when you do the math, boneless chicken breasts cost twice as much per ounce of edible meat than legs.
Keep these differences in mind as you follow the techniques and recipes in this Deep Dive Guide.
Most Common Bird Types
Chicken is the most popular protein in the US. In 1960 Americans
ate an estimated 28 pounds per capita per year and in 2019 it was
up to 96 pounds. By comparison pork went from 59 pounds in
1960 to 50 pounds in 2019, and beef from 63 to 58.