"Im"-Perfect Chicken Skin


 
Charles Howse

Charles Howse

TVWBB Wizard
I've been wanting to try Chris' method for Perfect Chicken Skin for a while, so today was the day.

I followed the method exactly, except I used 'Poultry Perfect' rub from Smoke & Spice.
This rub was too hot for the wife, and even a tad too hot for me. Note to self: cut back on the cayenne next time.

This was also an opportunity to try out my new Maverick, which performed just fine.
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The weather was 40°, fair, North winds @ 8-10.

I had to run get my 35 lb. windbreak when the smoker temp started to drop from 280'ish to below 260. I set up the windbreak, and removed the door to the WSM. That got the temp back where it belonged, hovering around 300°

I set the meat alarm to 160°, which I thought was 5° too low, but I wanted to follow the method. About an hour later the Maverick alarm went off, and I pulled the birds to rest.

Results:
The skin had a really good flavor, but, as I said, was a little too hot.
The real issue was, the skin was rubbery, not crisp at all.
The meat wasn't done next to the bones in the leg, and red juice was running out, even though I let the chicken halves rest for about 15 minutes.
We put them in the oven to cook some more.

Should I have done anything other than cook hotter, and cook them until the temp in the thigh was 175°?

--
Charles

You might be a redneck Jedi if...
You ever lost a hand during a light saber fight because you had to spit.
 
I think you needed to cook hotter. Also, when I redo that article someday, I will suggest that you finish the chicken skin-side down directly over the hot coals for a few minutes to crisp the skin. That's about the only way to guarantee crisp skin in the WSM.

Regards,
Chris
 
I agree--cook hotter. 300 doesn't usually do it. Above 350 works better (I like 400+). You can also cook without the pan and start skin down for 20 min then flip to skin up. (Some people do not like the flavor produced by the drippings hitting the coals. I do.)

Test the chicken in the thigh. Note though that the chicken might very well be done and still be red near the bones. Young chickens do this frequently.
 
160 is the correct temp--for me (your tastes might tip toward a higher finish). On a high-heat cook there will be a bump during the rest which (since the bird is brined) I do not worry about causing an overcooked bird. Mostly I check the thigh though--175.
 
My taste does indeed need a higher finish. I'm not fond of a bird that's too juicy, and the wife will not eat any meat that's not "done" (read: well done).

Looking back at some of my logs, I have done the 'no pan, start skin side down, finish directly over the coals to crisp' cook with good and bad results. The bad meaning I looked away for a second, and charred the skin.

Speaking of logs, Chris, I want you to know what a good tool the cooklog is. I use it to reference what not to do again.
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Do you still log each and every cook?
I think I sort of have Boston Butts 'down pat', so I don't use it much on those, nor on things that are real simple, or that don't take much time.

--
Charles

You might be a redneck if...
You own a membership to a chaw of the month club.
 
Yes, I still log every cook. I am starting on my second big ring binder. I've found it to be very helpful over the years when I want to repeat a success or avoid repeating a failure.
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Regards,
Chris
 
A couple things about cooking birds. First make sure you have the probe in the deep thigh. Also make sure it is completely thawed.

The doneness may be due to where you took the temp. Personally I would go to 165º. I like my birds well done. No slimmy fowl for me.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris Allingham:
I think you needed to cook hotter. ... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
If you have a kettle available and it suits your quanity needs, you can achieve a higher temp cook using the indirect set up than with the WSM, ime.

Paul
 
Paul,
I agree with you on using a kettle. I do that quite a bit.
In this particular case, I was trying to duplicate Chris' Perfect Chicken Skin method. :-)
 
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