Krispy turkey skin


 

Ash in Chico

New member
Just about time for my annual grilled rubbery skin turkey using 22” kettle this yr will use lump instead of briquettes in charcoal baskets all tips gratefully accepted gonna be grilling practice chickens to try out any tips that come my way thanks
 
What do you do to end up with rubbery skin?
I’ve been doing them for thirty plus years and I can’t think of one that was rubbery!
They have had nice crispy skin, just enough smokiness, nicely moist. No complaints on a hundred fifty plus turkeys. Virtually nothing left of most of them but bones for soup! If the bones are picked that clean, sometimes I don’t bother with soup.
If there’s enough meat left for one small casserole I’m usually happy.

I make sure the ash pan and bottom are swept and empty.
I sometimes leave a half basket of “leftover” coal in the bottom of the baskets.
Full chimney, totally involved, poured over the baskets.
Place drip pan, sometimes elevated for safety (I have had an errant briquette fall in and ruin the opportunity for good gravy)
Place grate, cover and, heat for as much time as it takes to go inside and get the bird back out.
Load the critter, prepped in whatever manner you prefer, I am brining this year, in the midst of summer I don’t generally for no particular reason.
All vents fully open, 11 minutes per pound.
Rest as long as it takes to make gravy or, assemble the guests.
Carve it like you would treat a fish, lift the breast off whole and slice.

The carving analogy is one that a guy I was showing my technique to at a serious party, I saw them just destroy a turkey that was picture perfect by using the “Norman Rockwell” method.
My band timed out our set to end when one of the birds was rested and I went over and showed this guy the method and he was impressed!
Ten years later, I saw him at a show we played and he remembered me as much for the music as the carving tip!
Is that enough oddball information for one post?;)
 
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Sounds as if you have serious heat going with a full chimney between the two baskets also thanks for the breast carving idea
 
I usually do, but it usually loses it's crisp when I have to rest the bird for too long because nothing else is ready. High heat is definitely the way to go and I usually cook mine on the kettle like you do for this reason.
 
High heat is your friend to get good skin.

Another good tip is to make sure that the skin is dry prior to cooking. I like to air dry and dry brine poultry. 24 hours prior to cooking the bird I pat dry the bird and then season. For a 14 pound bird you want to use around 2 tablespoons of salt (fine grind), mixed with 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Add what ever other seasonings you want. Rub all over the bird. Place the bird on a drying rack over a pan and place in the fridge, uncovered.

Spatchcocking the bird also helps. It spreads out the surface area and allowsd the skin to render the fat better.

I run my smoker/grill at around 350°-365° for poultry. If you can't get up to those temps finish the bird in a high temp oven, 425°. Put the bird in the oven when the internal temp hits around 115°-120°. You'll still get the smokey grill flavor and good skin.
 
I usually do, but it usually loses it's crisp when I have to rest the bird for too long because nothing else is ready. High heat is definitely the way to go and I usually cook mine on the kettle like you do for this reason.

Since the whole show is usually up to me, I have a little advantage and, can plan the timing without being encumbered by someone arriving late! If they get there late, tough!
 
Thanks everybody for the discussion gonna do a chicken probably tomorrow plan to air dry overnight-is it ok to leave poultry uncovered in fridge?-will employ salt/baking powder idea should I brush it off Case T before grilling over high heat
Thanks
 
Neat story!

Do you add a little unlit during the process?

Depends on wind and weather, I’ve gone with adding a few after an hour or so and then other times I’ve just let it roll out, with about a third of each basket holding “leftover coal” it seems to work pretty well without adding much, if any.

Yeah, having the guy (obviously he understood the fish filleting analogy) remark, “Hey, I’ve never been asked to carve a turkey so many times since you showed me how...” I replied, I show people then I’m always asked to do it!
Oh well, some things you just have to do!
 
The rest period can definitely cause krispy sikn failure.
I steal the krispy when I take it off and since most of my family doesn’t eat the skin, it’s not a big deal.
I don’t tent for a short rest, totally rubberizes the skin, no matter how perfectly it came off the heat.
 
Ain’t that the truth! Try keeping skin on when you lift a whole breast off and then slice across! It simply doesn’t happen, so, I enjoy it when no one is looking!
 
Like CaseT says: I do the salt/baking powder dry brine on 6-7lb chickens all the time. It works great. I put them on my Genesis 1000 and rotisserie. I have a 14lb Turkey in the freezer now, just waiting for Thanksgiving and the dry brine method, just like the chickens.

Here is the "chicken" recipe that I have been using. I just plan to adapt to my 14lb "chicken".

HOW TO DRY BRINE A CHICKEN
If wet brines aren’t your things, dry brines are just as good, maybe even better. They’re easier, faster, and result in richly flavored meat due to only retaining its own natural juices. Here are the basics to a dry brine.

Step 1: Use 1/2 cup of kosher salt, two tablespoons of baking powder, and any herbs or spices you want and mix together in a bowl.
Step 2: Use paper towels to pat dry your chicken.
Step 3: Generously sprinkle the brine mixture over the entire bird, rubbing it into the skin, until the outside of the bird is completely covered. Depending on the size of your bird, you may not need to use all of the mix; too much and it may end up over salted, so don’t cake it on.
Step 4: Loosely cover chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 3 days.
Step 5: Rinse off the brine, pat the chicken dry, and cook. (Make sure the skin is very dry before cooking so that it will get nice and crispy.)

Add a rub or any spices to the chicken you desire. (I didn’t add any spices). Cook at 350 with smoke if you desire. Expect cooking time to be about 1.5 hours – 2 hours depending on size of chicken. Check with a meat thermometer for 165 internal temp.
 
I do a wet brine which may be a lot of my problem. I've cooked wings on my grill that get "crispy" but I can cook wings in my fryer where the skin is almost like pork cracklin's and they can stand up to any sauce and still be crispy. I get spoiled by that. I definitely don't wanna fry a turkey though. I had some buddies burn down their garage back in the day.
 
It's looking more and more like I'm going with the kettle this year. I think I'm sticking with a wet brine and I'll try to get a good air dry in the fridge before I cook it.
 
In a house with teenage boys---especially during times of Holiday get-togethers---it is extremely challenging to find space to brine a big item. I could manipulate a cooler but then I would fret over keeping safe temps, especially given that it would feed over a dozen relatives. I've tried it just with our household and used a remote thermometer and still lost sleep and watched for people running to the bathroom after eating.

What do you guys do on tight space?

Having said all that: after smoking Thanksgiving turkeys for the past 3 years I am toying with the idea of deep frying this one for a changeup. If I do, I will spin a full turkey breast or two, or smoke a few turkey legs. I'm familiar with spinning breasts but have yet to smoke a leg.
 

 

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