Chicken Thighs tomorrow


 

John Furdyn

TVWBB Pro
Want to cook some chicken thighs tomorrow.
Usually would cook with no water pan. Want to use empty dbl. foiled water pan and cook at 350, with some apple wood.

Question is can you really get much wood smoke flavor for such a short cook with only the wood chunks. It seams if I use no water pan you get a good taste but you wouldn't get any apple wood flavor.
 
For chicken pieces, I leave the water pan out. You won't really get a smoked flavor from the short cook. It'll be more a grilled flavor. But the apple will add something to the party.
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Kevin

These are Bone in, skin on thighs. I have mixed emotions about the skin on or off. Seams like with it on the smoke really doesn't penetrate the meat on the skin side, but the other side does get some flavor.

What has you experience been like with the skin.

Thanks
 
2 nice sized pieces split into 4ths should be enough. On short cooks I like to split em down so they burn faster to get some smoke flavor on the short cook. If you have chunks around the 2x2x3-4" range That'll do Donkey, That'll do.
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Second time this week I used that line from Shrek.
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Bryan

I use apple from my brothers apple trees, that were trimmed earlier this year. The limb pieces are about 2 in round and 3-4 in long just right ?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John Furdyn:
Bryan

I use apple from my brothers apple trees, that were trimmed earlier this year. The limb pieces are about 2 in round and 3-4 in long just right ? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Cool Beans Man. Now about your choice of charcoal.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John Furdyn:
I'm using Royal Oak briquettes !! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Once you go lump, you never go back!
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bryan S:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John Furdyn:
I'm using Royal Oak briquettes !! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Once you go lump, you never go back!
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
That's not the way I heard it...
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Bill
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John Furdyn:
Kevin

These are Bone in, skin on thighs. I have mixed emotions about the skin on or off. Seams like with it on the smoke really doesn't penetrate the meat on the skin side, but the other side does get some flavor.

What has you experience been like with the skin.

Thanks </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I am a skin fan. I typically cook thighs, other chicken pieces and whole chickens at >400? because I like crisp skin. Smoke doesn't really penetrate meat (it sticks) so, true, one gets more smoke on the skin and little on the meat under it (though, also true, it gets on the meat on the bottom). I'm fine with this. If you usually remove the skin anyway you can do so ahead of time and smoke that way, applying rub, or not, as you choose.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
I am a skin fan. I like crisp skin. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It's the only reason I make chicken.
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Kevin

I'm curious about a few things.

1. Does Rub have any influence on the Amount of smoke that sticks to chicken or any other meat?

2. You cook your chicken pieces, at 400>. What temp do you cook it to ? I would imagine that at that temp there would be more carry over cooking ?
Do you let it rest or foil before eating ?

My GrandMa use to say the skin is the best part of the chicken. She lived to 95, maybe there's some health benifits to it as well. Ha Ha
 
Did some thighs on the kettle last night turned out great nice smokey flavor used hickory chip only ooked for 30- 45 minutes. Chicken is so delicate it takes on flavor very easy. Did with skin on and a light rub.
 
John-- Generally, I don't think most rub ingredients affect smoke adherence much--with the possible exception of sugar. Sugar melts and becomes sticky as it loses moisture and one would think this might have the potential to increase particulate adherence. (I don't use lots of sugar in most rubs and virtually never in rubs for chicken.)

I've never seen much, if any, temp rise during resting of most poultry (but I haven't often checked this). There will be carryover cooking regardless. Whatever, I'm more concerned with hitting minimum safe internals so shoot for 158-160. I'll pull breasts at that point; dark pieces I allow to cook longer fr palatability purposes (once they hit a safe internal I rarely probe again I just cook longer). For whole chicken I tend to test the thigh area first and judge from there.
 
Bryan
Just to clarify a point--fire ring at the bottom position or the mid position? Also, about 45 minutes,350 dgrs and lid on?
Thanks much
dick b
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dick B:
Bryan
Just to clarify a point--fire ring at the bottom position or the mid position? Also, about 45 minutes,350 dgrs and lid on?
Thanks much
dick b </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Dick, This thread should splain it all for you. If you still have some questions, just ask. For chicken about 45-50 min. The lid temp is not really accurate for the lower grate grilling/smoking setup. It'll be alot hotter on the lower grate without the water pan in there. I do chicken, steaks, burgers, chops, Tri-Tips etc this way. I haven't used any of my charcoal grills in years. HTH link to lower grate, grilling/smoking on the WSM.
 
Bryan
Thanks for the quick reply and I'm going to give it a shot this weekend. Your pic of the pork chop bone is a classic example of the old adage of a picture is worth a thousand words.

Like I said,I going to give it a shot as I usually use my kettle for grilling. And if the effort doesn't turn out just right, you can still eat the mistakes--sometimes.

Thanks again
dick b
 

 

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