Chicken thighs - skin dilemma!!!


 
K

Ken Scates

New member
I have tried a dozen different techniques, various heats, rubs, sauces, oils and butters! the skin is always soft and fatty or like leather and all comes off with the first bite! anyone have any other tricks to a perfect skin for competition BBQ chicken thighs?

(two 18.5 and one 22.5 WSM's)
 
Ken the only way to get crisp skin on chicken is to render all the fat off the skin, even if you happen to get crisp skin it will not last unless you eat it with in a couple of mins. Most people start with the chicken to wet to begin with, let the chicken air dry in the fridge at least 24 hrs.
 
I'm a newbie, but when I smoke pieces, I get skin with a feel and texture like a store bought rotisserie (but not exactly "crisp"). I like it. But if that's what you mean by "soft and fatty" I definitely can't help you.
 
I get crisp skin all the time but I cook quite high - well over 400 - and put compound butter under the skin, and either butter or oil plus rub on the skin.

For comps the approach needs to be different in most cases. As Noe notes, crisp skin won't last. What will is tender, bite-through skin. There's a bazillion discussions here on the subject. The salient point, imo, is that the skin needs to cook long enough so that it thins (both from fat and water reduction and protein reconfiguring) and this can be done several ways. It can also be helped along. Marinating with a acidic marinade for some time can help the process along, simmering in a bath (water- or stock-thinned sauce, e.g. is a possibility; one member here uses a butter bath, iirc), along with slow-smoking can allow the skin to thin nicely as it cooks making a tender, bite-though result much more achievable. Thighs are quite forgiving so don't worry about overcooking if your cooktemps are reasonable; milk the cook time.
 
We had a fair bit of success in chicken last year. I believe we finished top five in all but one comp, although with not a single first place. We did manage a couple second places though (there are much more succesful team on this site than me though!). Anyways I adapted our method from Adam Perry Lang. It is a decent place to start playing with if nothing else. Remember though the most important thing is the taste......Anyways I do:

1. Coat a pan with butter, salt and a thin layer of water

2. Put thighs in skin side down, place rub on the side facing up, cover the pan with foil

3. Cook at 300 degrees for 45 minutes

4. Take off the cooker and let rest for 15 minutes still covered

5. Take the thighs out of the pan, dry, put rub on both sides and place back on the cooker with a smoke wood for 45 minutes

6. Give each thigh a bath in sauce and put back on the cooker for 30 minutes

7. Hit each thigh with some kosher salt and spray with apple juice

Clark
 
Wow! Thanks Everyone, a couple new concepts here I haven't tried. I may just put Tyson out of business with this chicken thang! LOL
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Matt Sanders:
I'm a newbie, but when I smoke pieces, I get skin with a feel and texture like a store bought rotisserie (but not exactly "crisp"). I like it. But if that's what you mean by "soft and fatty" I definitely can't help you. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'd like to hear your rotisserie method Matt. thanks.
 
Ken,

This seems to work better on pieces than whole chickens, so this should work for your thighs.

I brine the chickens for a long time; about 20-24 hours. Simple brine; for 2 gallons of water, about 1 cup kosher salt, and 1.5 cups sugar.

After the long brine, rinse, and pat dry with (lots of) paper towels. I rub them with Weber's Beer Can Chicken seasoning and let them sit at room temp. for about 1 hour

I smoke them low, about 225 for 2.5-3 hours for wings, 3+ hours for legs. I'm guessing your thighs would be more like 3+ hours. The wings come out better than the legs for me, but I LOVE wings.

Oh, my fuel is Royal Oak lump, and I use 2-3 chunks of oak, with a dash of oak chips as soon as the meat goes on. No basting, no high heat, no spraying. Don't lift the cover for the first 2 hours. I do put water in the pan.

The meat is so juicy, the last time I had a wing spritz juice out when I grabbed it with tongs. The skin is similar to rotiserie. Niiice blend of sweet, salty, and smokey.
 
some people will scrape the skins and put them back on

we usually just brine/ rub cook at 300 325 mist with apple juice hit it with sauce near the end.
 
Oh, I also cut the wings into individual sections (separating the 1st and 2nd sections). I suspect that smaller pieces are less susceptible to getting chewy/leathery.
 
Everyone above has some great suggestions. During last years competition season, we de-boned and scrapped the fat off the skin. Man was that a lot of work! After doing this a couple of times, I realized although the result was good, it was not worth the effort. Now, before cooking, I pull the skin back and score the fat side with a sharp knife making sure I don't poke through. I then lightly salt the fat side to help break down the fats. The most important part though is to finish on High Heat. If done right, even your leftovers will have bite-through skin. Whatever you end up doing, just make sure to have enough bee with you. You'll certainly need it!!
 
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