Keeping Chicken moist without brining?


 
C

ChadVKealey

TVWBB Pro
I nearly always brine chicken, which makes for very tender and tasty meat, but flabby, rubbery skin, esp. on thighs & legs. When I don't brine it, the skin comes out great, but sometimes the meat gets dried out. I'm planning to do a charity comp this Summer which is strictly chicken & ribs, so I want to find a way to have both moist, tender meat and crisp, bite-through skin. I've seen some YouTube videos where folks pull the skin off, brine the meat, then scrape the skin (to eliminate some of the subcutaneous fat) and wrap it back around the meat for cooking. First, that seems like a lot of extra work and second, feels a bit like cheating.

So, for those of you who do "competition style" chicken (esp thighs), how do you do it?
 
Why not brine, dry, refrigerate and salt the skin to draw the moisture from it then, fire it?
No basis for the technique but, the "salt the skin" method is more common for non brined product. Seems simple enough.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Why not brine, dry, refrigerate and salt the skin to draw the moisture from it then, fire it?
No basis for the technique but, the "salt the skin" method is more common for non brined product. Seems simple enough.
Click to expand...

That's a thought...I'm also considering dry-brining. I've done that on turkey (one whole and a couple bone-in breasts) with good results, but that was using a savory, sage-heavy, "Thanksgiving in granulated form" treatment. I'd have to adjust it a bit for a "barbecue" type flavor profile, but it'd be worth a shot.
 
Then again there's injection and dry brine the surface, best of both worlds? More stages of preparation but, if the end result proves delicious, it might be worth it.
 
I limit any brining time to 3 hours. After you brine, place chicken thighs skin side down in disposable aluminum pan with 2 tablespoons each of water and butter and a tsp of kosher salt. season meaty sides of thighs. cover pan with foil and cook 45 minutes. remove from smoker and let thighs rest in pan for 15 min. Dust skin side with a coat of rub. Remove chicken from pan and place back on smoker skin side up for 45 min. rest for 15min. Dip in sauce, place back on smoker for 30 min. Enjoy.

 
Last edited:
Chad,

As a judge, I can safely say that crispy skin almost never works. Might for your family and friends, but not in competition. Problem is getting crispy skin that gives a good bite through where the skin does not come off. It's not fun to take a bite, only to end up with a face full of skin.

Stay with the bite through aspect, just not crispy. Nice and tender with no rubbery texture.

Multiple methods used, but here's one that some use...

How to Cook Competition BBQ Chicken - Jim Elser, Grand Champion pitmaster of Sweet Smoke Q

There are others. Some cook their chicken in butter at an elevated temperatures.
 
I hardly ever brine chicken and I never have dry chicken.
I always use bone in chicken and I particulary like chicken thighs.
Just don't cook it over too hot a fire, you can always sear it later.

If you want to brine, I would also look at injecting.

But listen to the judge!!!!
(I am not one, I just cook at home).

Another thing to look at is using a rotisserie.... Self basting chicken
 
I only brine whole chickens or breasts.
I don't do comps, but what works for me on thighs or quarters is to do a garlic EVO baste followed by a light rub.
Start your pieces skin side down indirect on a med hot grill. Rotate-or flip every 2 mins ( set your timer ) or have a beer.
Bump your temp up after 25 mins while still going indirect and after 45-50-60 mins you should have perfectly cooked chicken with some nice crispy skin .

Tim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top