Breast dry when thigh is done


 
Brian Quintal

Brian Quintal

TVWBB Member
Hi all I have a question on smoking chicken. I've done it twice now roughly following Wiviott's lesson from his book. Both times I've found that when the breast is perfectly done and juicy the thigh is still running reddish juices. When thigh finishes up breast dries out. I have a 22" weber smoker and place the breasts
,as the lesson says, towards the middle. I was thinking of slicing between the drumstick and thigh before cooking to try and get more heat in there. Any suggests would be great, thanks
 
I never had that problem...cooking @ low temps and High ones. What size is your bird? Normaly only pull when breasts read about 176f Never temp thights
 
Brian, I see you were "roughly following Wiviott's lesson from his book". Did this rough following include the Mojo Criollo marinade or brining the chickens? Did you use water in the pan? What temp are you cooking at?

Sorry for all the questions but these answers may lead to your solution. For instance, brining or marinating can introduce moisture deep into the breast tissue which helps keep the chicken from drying out waiting on the thighs to get to temp. A simple brine = 1 quart of water, 6 oz honey, and 3.5 oz (by weight) Kosher salt for 1.5 hrs. Cooking at a higher temp can reduce cooking times giving the breasts less time to dry out. And water can introduce moisture in the cooker.

Something my grandma used to do with turkey is cover the breast with foil to protect it while she waited for the legs and thighs to get to temp. Another idea may be to go ahead and separate the thighs/legs from the breast and pull the breast off sooner than the legs/thighs.

Also, I recommend a young fryer.
 
Last edited:
The idea that chicken is fit to eat only when the juices run clear is a lot of hocum. It is fit to eat when it hits at least 160* in all parts. There is no crime in using a thermometer to check temperature. By hit 160* I'm counting on some carryover cooking after the chicken comes off the heat. When I do chicken on the kettle, I cook to 155*, tent with foil, and I'm still standing. If I did chicken on the smoker at low heat, I would go to 160* before taking the chicken off. If you like the dark meat a bit more done go for it, but you run the risk of dry breast meat
 
Dave/G said:
The idea that chicken is fit to eat only when the juices run clear is a lot of hocum. It is fit to eat when it hits at least 160* in all parts. There is no crime in using a thermometer to check temperature. By hit 160* I'm counting on some carryover cooking after the chicken comes off the heat. When I do chicken on the kettle, I cook to 155*, tent with foil, and I'm still standing. If I did chicken on the smoker at low heat, I would go to 160* before taking the chicken off. If you like the dark meat a bit more done go for it, but you run the risk of dry breast meat
Click to expand...

Alton Brown cooks chicken to 155* as well and let's it rest 5 minutes for carryover.
 
I find there is a vain between the thigh and leg that runs red regardless of temp. A slice at that point like you suggest helps dry that out.

Temp is what kills bacteria, so that is more important. The red juices test is just an eyeball proxy for temp but can be confounded by a vain.
 
Try "breaking" the joint between the thigh and the leg before putting it on the grate. That seems to work for me.

Ray
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top