Crisp chicken skin


 
I have made the crispiest chicken wings in the past (different ways) but once in the sauce you have really really short time to eat them crispy. My best current method is to dry them out in the fridge for several hours followed by a medium direct heat on the kettle. This seems to crisp them well ... I think it is because it gets the fat out. I could be wrong (official disclaimer).
 
Corey, all I do for thighs,breast, even a whole chicken. Pull out of package, thin coat of olive oil, sprinkle some ole bay place on weber with SNS get heat to around 350. Usually takes about an hour for chicken to cook. Never had an issue with mushy skin. Wings for some reason have to spread out in pan let sit in fridge for couple hrs. I do have problems with kamado Joe classic getting crispy skin but that`s another topic.
 
Vortex is a pretty great accessory for a kettle. I hung some half chickens in my WSM this past weekend (6 chicken halves). I dried it with paper towels, seasoned with Kosmos' Dirty Bird, refrigerated for about 3 hours, then blotted dry again, put a little more dirty bird on, then loaded on the smoker. Skin was not chewy, but was not crisp either. Definitely better than most store bought rotisserie chickens I've had. I'll try poking some holes in the skin next time around to see if that helps, and maybe try to dry/brine, season a little longer, and get the smoker a little hotter to begin with.
 
I rarely cook chicken under 400 degrees. For bits and pieces, or spatchcocked, I dry the chicken carefully, usually toss liberally with lots of herbs, spices, S&P and olive oil, and on the grill indirect at 400+. Always nice and crispy.
 
Agree with Bob C.. Wings no problem. We even do thighs, coat with mustard roll in a combo of plain panko and S&B crispy coating. Or panko and your favorite seasoning. Full vortex gets me 500-575 on the performer. About 30+ minuets later perfect crispy thighs.

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Kyle in Woodstock said:
I just made vortex wings tonight. Crispy skin, juicy inside. Wife said they were my best yet…I thought they were good, but not my best.

Rinse wings
Dry with paper towel
Lightly toss in aluminum free baking powder
Put on sheet pan, lightly cover with parchment paper or foil
Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours, I actually let the last batch sit in fridge overnight due to bad weather and it turned out great.

get the kettle going, vents wide open
I toss a handful of wood chips on top the charcoal to boost the heat and add a little flavor
Put wings on perimeter of the grate
Cook 45 min
Flip and cook another 10 min
Remove wings, toss in sauce and eat away

FYI, I’m using an actual Vortex. Not a bootleg
And GBS grate with middle piece removed
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Don’t the wings get soggy as soon as you put the sauce on? I can get my wings crispy, but as soon as I sauce them with anything, it seems like the steam gets held in and makes the skin soggy.
 
Corey Elks said:
At what point do you add the duck fat spray?
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I add a light spray before adding the SPG rub
Chicken sits on a rack uncovered in fridge with dry rub overnight.

Then when grill is up to temp (400+) I add chicken, let them cook about 10 minutes, spray with duck spray cook another 20 minutes inside probe temp to around 145, then brush with marinade, cook until around 170 - 175 internal.
Chicken is safe and cooked at 165, Chicken thighs are very forgiving and I find that leaving them on a little longer give them that extra crisp finish while still being juicy tender bite.20230930_161429.JPG20230930_165457.JPG20230930_174738.JPG
 
Corey Elks said:
Don’t the wings get soggy as soon as you put the sauce on? I can get my wings crispy, but as soon as I sauce them with anything, it seems like the steam gets held in and makes the skin soggy.
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With wings I put them in a zip lock with corn starch and seasoning then on a rack in the fridge. When they are just about done I put Franks Red Hot mixed with some butter and honey. they come out quite crispy but not as much when we reheat the leftovers in the toaster oven. Maybe if you have a air fryer for re-heating them?
 
Kind of the antithesis of adding fats like duck fat spray, I've been using the Asian method of pouring near-boiling water over the skin to render the fat layer that is under the skin shortly before spatchcocking and roasting in the pellet grill. I've had excellent results, and my wife, who has never liked chicken skin, is now my competitor.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I’ve not tried the boiling water tip yet…YET! Maybe next time, I do like the concept.
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You will not be disappointed. We only do whole chickens because my wife likes the white meat and I like the dark.

My current workflow is to first separate the skin from the chicken with my hand, trying to avoid tearing the skin. I separate as much as I can, including the thighs, drumsticks, wings and back. I dry-brine by applying the salt under the skin, then refrigerating uncovered for 24hr, although applying salt on the skin works, too.

I don't know whether it is the pour-over method, or separating the skin from the chicken first, or a combination of the two that gives the results we are getting, but we are both very happy with the crispy skin.

The pour-over method causes the skin to shrink somewhat and become more easily torn. I usually end up with a tear at the thin end of the breast but spatchcocking lets me arrange the skin to cover the exposed area to keep it from drying out.
 
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