I embarked on my barbecue chicken field research with one inviolable criteria: to eat chicken in actual pieces — not chopped or shredded.

We found it at Treehouse BBQ in northeast St. Pete and BJ’s Alabama BBQ in South Tampa.

Let’s ‘cue it up!

TREEHOUSE BBQ

It’s difficult to say how many restaurants have occupied this small space on 62nd Avenue North just east of 4th Street. Suffice to say: plenty. The most recent one was called Pasghetti, which I’m pretty sure never got past the hanging-vinyl-sign stage.

So it’s nice to see something that looks as if it’s going to stick. Owned and run by Mike Leander and Tina Vierus, a married couple, Treehouse is their first brick-and-mortar place after food-truckin’ it for a while.

Treehouse is only open Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or whenever the food runs out. We’d heard stories about lines, so showed up at 11:08 on a Thursday. The line wasn’t too bad. When we made it to the counter, a friendly woman took our order. A couple of bearded guys in ballcaps prepared the meals behind her, in plain sight.

We ordered the Half-Chicken Plate ($18), which came with one side (mac-and-cheese), and I tacked on coleslaw and baked beans ($3.50 each). We decided to eat-in and found a small table by the window. It only took a few minutes for our beeper to go off.

Appearance

A big tray of food for 11:30 in the morning. But I was game. With Bonnie not partaking, I knew from first glance I would have plenty of leftovers for later. That was okay by me.

Taste and Texture

In my experience, a “half chicken” can be kind of skimpy, leaving me to ask, “Where was the thigh? Was that the thigh?”

Treehouse’s was a more than substantial bird, with an even crust and lovely char that amplified the smokiness from the first bites. And importantly, that smokey flavor infiltrated the chicken past the skin. The breast meat was moist, not chalky in the least. The dark meat more than held up its end of the bargain. I even ate the tiny chicken wing down to the bone — just to indulge in some highly concentrated smokiness.

The sides were all up to standard, if not terribly memorable. They certainly made good company for the chicken. Kudos to the cornbread, which was moist and sweet.

All told, this was an examplar of a small-batch barbecue chicken meal.

BJ’S ALABAMA BBQ

We arrived at 3:30 Tuesday under pillowy clouds. The parking lot smelled like it had been recently asphalted, but that was quickly covered by the perfume of barbecue smoke.

BJ’s keeps its smoker out front of the restaurant, a sidewalk and a curb away from Dale Mabry Highway.

The restaurant is open Tuesday thriough Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with no mention of shutting down when the food runs out.

The black of exterior continued inside, and was accented by some brown and red. It seemed clear that BJ’s is more about the food than the ambience.

A woman took our order at the counter. I got the Half-Chicken Combo ($16.14) with mac-and-cheese and barbecue beans, plus a (house-made )lemonade ($4.15).

We sat at a two-top by a window, and the food arrived in just a few minutes. Let me compliment the lemonade, which came out first. It had an impeccable balance — not too tart, not too sweet, not to potent or mild. Sublimely drinkable.

Appearance

The styrofoam plate was crowded with grub. The chicken came slathered in the house barbecue sauce.

I clumsily cut a few bites of chicken with a plastic knife, a tool that wasn’t up to the task. After a short while, I abandoned all table manners and went with my hands. The sauce made for a messy endeavor. I quickly used up a couple of napkins, then returned to the counter, where a roll of paper towels stood, beckoning. I peeled off about two feet.

Delivering the chicken to my mouth might have been more of a hassle if the eating wasn’t so good. Once I gave in to my sticky fingers, I was able to focus on the beautifully smoke bird, and languidly at the thigh down to the bone. The sauce was luscious — thick, with a spot-on measure of of tang and sweetness. The only downside was that the sauce’s dominance prevented me from tasting much if any crust.

The mac-and-cheese was gooey and mild (and still warm). I detected considerable maple flavor in the beans, which was new to me. I ate heartily and still took about half the meal home.

And the Winner of the Battle Over BBQ Chicken Is …

BJ’s, no Treehouse … no — BJ’s.

As you can see, it was a difficult decision. The chicken was effectively a tie. Treehouse earned points by leaving it naked, but the BJ’s barbecue sauce was so good I didn’t really care if I was unable to inspect for char.

BJ’s won the sides battle. I preferred Treehouse’s square of cornbread to the muffin at BJ’s, which was a bit dry. But I was mightily impressed with the BJ’s’ lemonade, the best I’ve had in a very long time. I took a styrofoam cup of it home, and rationed it out over a couple of meals.