Kettle Fried Chicken Questions


 
ChristopherC

ChristopherC

TVWBB Super Fan
Gonna try some kettle fried chicken for the first time tomorrow on the Performer and have been watching lots of videos, etc... and am not sure exactly how to proceed...

I see some people soaking the chicken in a buttermilk and seasoning mixture for several hours and then tossing in flour and seasoning and then onto the grill.

I see others doing the seasoned flour, then into a batter of milk, egg, flour (or beer instead of milk) and then back into the seasoned flour then onto the grill.

Just not sure which way to go? Any advantages/disadvantages to either method?

Also trying to decide between the vortex and the SNS method.

Lastly debating lump vs briquettes and whether I should throw a chunk of wood on the coals.

Help!!!
 
Here's the original thread from 10 years ago.
Simplest way is to make a batter and roll in the dry like the package recommends.
I've done this indirect on the kettle and now prefer the vortex.
 
Lots of ways to do KFC. We use Louisiana Fish Fry. Coat the chicken with mustard and roll in the fish fry to coat. Another is Crush corn flakes in a bag with a roiling pin the add your seasoning of choice, we used Weber's salt free chicken seasoning last time and it was great. Coat the chicken in mustard and coat the chicken with the mixture.
We only have the vortex so that's what we use.
 
When you guys do KFC on the kettle with Vortex....how long do you cook for or does it vary depending on how much you are cooking? Or do you just probe the chicken?

I cook wings with the Vortex and pretty much every time I cook vents wide open for 45 min...then flip the wings and cook another 15 min....and they come out great. Would KFC cooking be similar?
 
Kyle in Woodstock said:
When you guys do KFC on the kettle with Vortex....how long do you cook for or does it vary depending on how much you are cooking? Or do you just probe the chicken?

I cook wings with the Vortex and pretty much every time I cook vents wide open for 45 min...then flip the wings and cook another 15 min....and they come out great. Would KFC cooking be similar?
Click to expand...

Rich is the one who converted me to buying a vortex after seeing some of his cooks.
I've only done KFC thighs and those take roughly an hour.
 
Everything I have read is 45 mins to 1 hour. Temp at 180-200.Talking legs/drums and thighs only. Would temp a breast at around 170.
 
I was inspired by this thread yesterday and made KFC!! I picked up chicken on my way home from work and made my basic fried chicken batter....................................... holy buckets it was awesome!!!

I would have never thought about doing this thanks!!
 

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Welcome aboard Dan, looks great!
One question, why did you offset the Vortex?i always sue mine centered and work the perimeter with the chicken.
Just curious.
Like the avatar too!
 
Last edited:
ofsetting the vortex was a last minute decision.

I figured I would initially wrap the meat around the vortex and then move the legs out further away being they cook faster. I'm not sure if it is any cooler further away from the vortex but sounded like it made sense in my head!! haha
 
Dan L NY said:
I was inspired by this thread yesterday and made KFC!! I picked up chicken on my way home from work and made my basic fried chicken batter....................................... holy buckets it was awesome!!!

I would have never thought about doing this thanks!!
Click to expand...

Sharing your recipe?
 
I used a basic batter I usually use for my fryer and I normally soak in buttermilk over night. I did not dredge in flour before dumping in batter.

Batter
1 C FLOUR
1 C CORN STARCH
3 TSP PEPPER
1 TSP PAPRIKA
1/2 TSP CAYENNE
2 TSP BAKING POWDER
2 TSP SALT
1 3/4 C +/- WATER OR BEER NEED THE CONSISTENCY OF PANCAKE BATTER

I also tossed 2 TBS of Rub Some Chicken rub to the batter for good measure I might use more next time. I sprayed the grates down with a S ton of oil cranked up the Vortex and let it roll turning every 15 minutes until I got a 165 internal temp.
 
Another Vote for the Vortex and I would recommend the Medium Size filled with a Large Weber Chimney of lit Kingsford Blue. By all-means add some chunks of flavored wood like apple or pecan.
 
Dan L NY said:
I used a basic batter I usually use for my fryer and I normally soak in buttermilk over night. I did not dredge in flour before dumping in batter.

Batter
1 C FLOUR
1 C CORN STARCH
3 TSP PEPPER
1 TSP PAPRIKA
1/2 TSP CAYENNE
2 TSP BAKING POWDER
2 TSP SALT
1 3/4 C +/- WATER OR BEER NEED THE CONSISTENCY OF PANCAKE BATTER

I also tossed 2 TBS of Rub Some Chicken rub to the batter for good measure I might use more next time. I sprayed the grates down with a S ton of oil cranked up the Vortex and let it roll turning every 15 minutes until I got a 165 internal temp.
Click to expand...

Thanks Macho Man Dan!
 
Ok, so I finally got around to doing the "Kettle Fried Chicken"....and it sucked.

So...I would love some feedback please....

Here is everything I did:


Setup

- rinsed and patted dry 8 pieces of chicken (2 thighs bone-in, skin on, 2 legs/drumsticks, 2 breasts bone-in, skin on cut in half)
- lightly tossed in a bit of flour, corn starch, salt and pepper and left in fridge to dry out for about 4-5 hours
- dipped the pieces in a beer batter which consisted of (1/2 bottle ale beer, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup corn starch, 1 tbsp baking powder, 2 tbsp cajun seasoning, 2 tbsp onion powder, 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp pepper, 2 tbsp granulated garlic)
- then tossed the pieces in a light flour, salt and pepper mix
- lit a full chimney of KBB until flaming hot and dumped into the vortex (foil around the outside to collect any drip) in the Performer kettle added 2 small pieces of apple wood chunk and threw on the chicken around in a circle

The Cook

- the thermometer on the top reached well over 600...would estimate just under 700 if there was a number for it (wished I would have probed grate temp)
- to my surprise when I checked on the chicken at 20 minutes, most pieces read 180 internal with my Thermapen...a couple of the breasts read between 165 and 170
- I went and got tongs and a plate and pulled the pieces at about 22 minutes (still can't believe they cooked that fast)

The Results

- the coating was a bit dark...by no means burnt...but darker than fried chicken and pretty hard
- I found the seasoning to be "strong but bland" if that makes any sense at all
- as someone had mentioned in the original thread from years ago, the coating was more of a "shell" rather than a crispy coating...very UNLIKE fried chicken (almost like a crisp cardboard coating)
- the actual chicken meat was fine, but didn't really have too much flavor/seasoning to it, but both myself and the wife hated the crust/coating and we both love all fried chicken (Popeyes, KFC, home made, etc...)


So what in the world went wrong? Was it just too much batter and flouring? Was "dusting-battering-dusting" just too much? Was it the ingredients? Was it the incredibly hot temps the vortex gave off? Or am I expecting too much and too hooked on Fried Chicken in oil?

Disappointed, but eager to figure out if there is a fix...not that I mind just sticking to frying my chicken if necessary for the desired results.
 
I've noticed that corn starch/flour can contribute to a shell-like crust...maybe reduce the amount next time?

Also, if I read your process correctly it seems like you didn't season the chicken itself but relied on the coating to do that. If you season (or brine, as some like to do) the chicken a few hours ahead of time I think you might like the results a bit more.

I've eaten a lot of fried chicken in a lot of places over the years, and have noticed 3 typical approaches:

1. Season the meat but leave the coating fairly unseasoned.
2. Strongly season the coating but leave the meat relatively alone.
3. Season both the coating and the meat.

#1 and #2 work pretty good for people who tend to bite the crust and the meat at the same time, but as someone who tends to eat the components separately #3 works best for me.
 
22 minutes doesn't sound like long enough time to crisp that skin. I'd run it 45 min at least.

Hopefully Rich will chime in here, he seems to be the KFC expert.
 
Kyle in Woodstock said:
22 minutes doesn't sound like long enough time to crisp that skin. I'd run it 45 min at least.

Hopefully Rich will chime in here, he seems to be the KFC expert.
Click to expand...

Skin was very hard...and starting to burn in spots. The drumsticks were temping at 190 and thighs at 180+. Obviously the vortex was giving me temps between 500 and 600 at grate level. Usually I cook thighs for 37 mins at 400 in the oven and they are perfect.
 
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