Page 45 - Barbecue Chicken Made Easy

The next logical step, and the method we recommend most often, is to go one step further and cut the bird into six or eight pieces. First, remove the wings. Removing them makes a lot of sense. The charm of the wings is that they are wrapped in skin that can be made crispy, and because they are so thin, they will easily overcook while attached to the breast.
Removing them is a bit tricky because the shoulder joint is buried into the breast. The way to do this is to grab the wing by the drumette near where it joins the body and wiggle it aggressively, pressing under until the ball and socket joint until it pops. You can then easily get a knife in between the joint and cut through any meat and skin. You can cook the wings alongside the other pieces. Just get them away from the heat sooner, or toss them on after the legs and breasts have been cooking for about 15 minutes.
If you want, you can remove the drumsticks from the thighs. We rarely bother because the thickness of the meat at the joint is about the same as the thigh so it will cook at about the same rate. Yes, it tapers towards the end and that part might overcook, but remember, dark meat is forgiving. We only do this if we know there is someone at the able who likes to eat drums like Henry the Eighth.