<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Phil R.:
At 265, how long do you leave them on? I can never get bark at that temp unless I leave something in for a long time, say 5-6 hrs. And bark is what I'm lookin' for! Maybe I'm not using enough rub? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Now, that I think about it, there are a couple factors, 1) I always do chicken and turkey legs on my Chargriller cooking indirect in the main cooking chamber. It has cast iron grates and I let it get very hot before I put anything on - say 350*-400*. Then the temp backs down to about 265* for closer to 3 hours maybe 4 hours depending on the size of the meat. So, the grill is very hot and cast iron grates are sizzling. 2) I cooked these turkey legs closer to the chimney. You can see in the picture that they are on the closer to the chimney. So, I think the chamber temp overall is 265* but I think closer to the chimney is a bit hotter because the heat and smoke is escaping. Oh yeah and 3) I rub the legs with olive oil and then with lots of rub - not just sprinkled. That may have alot to do with the firmness of the skin and the nice bark too.
So, I think the cast iron and the indirect grilling rather than smoking is a big factor. I found this to be true with chicken too. I have not tried this yet, but I am going to cook my next batch of chicken on the WSM without the water pan in at all. Currently, I use the water pan with nothing in it, just wrapped with heavy duty foil, but for chicken I think I will try removing the pan altogether and cook the chicken on the top rack. I'll bet I get the same results as I do with the chargriller. If so, then I wont have to take my chargriller to comps with me.
Tony
