Need some help with whole chickens...


 
C

Chris Stanek

TVWBB Fan
I made four whole chickens this weekend... two on the rotis and two beer cans on the Weber gas grill.

They always come out fantastic with one exception... the inner leg/thigh area is never done enough. I've made dozens of these and tried different things, but I just can't seem to get the thighs done. If the breast is registering 165 give or take, how do I continue to cook the other parts and not dry out the breast? The breast meat is always absolutely perfect so I don't want to mess that part up.

On the rotis, the chickens are trussed and I have the coals banked up on either side. For the beer can chicken, I'm not sure there anything more to do than just sit them on their cans. This last time, I had the breast facing away from the lit burners, and still.. the thighs were pink at the joints. Same with the rotis chickens.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure there's gotta be a trick or two I'm missing.
 
I've done the ice packs on the breasts for oven roasted chickens and it seems to work. I think letting the dark meat rise in temperature as it sits on the counter while the breasts keep cool from the ice packs may not be the best idea as far as food safety though.

I think it was Jacques Pepin who puts cuts in the "armpits" of the chicken to quicken the time it takes to cook that area.
 
Oh and another thing. I've been spatchcocking chickens and turkeys when cooking them on the grill. Cut out the backbone, flip it over, and press down to crack the breast bone. When the whole bird is flattened like this, it cooks very evenly and much quicker too. While I've done this on the WSM using high heat, the best results I've had was on a kettle using medium, direct, heat.

I make a light layer of lit coals and put some plum, maple, or apple wood chunks on it. With a whole spatchcocked turkey, you have to turn it every 10 minutes, but the overall cooking time for a 12 pounder is only an hour or so.
 
I've never had a problem with spatchcooking like you're talking about. It's a fantastic way to make chicken. There's just something about rotisserie chicken though that I like so much better. Since getting the rotis I've been making them all the time. I've done beer can chicken for years, but with both methods, I run into that problem.

I may try scoring of the armpit trick next time.
 
I'm a total newbie to the art and science of BBQ, but so far I seem to have been lucky with cooking beer chickens. Each has turned out fully cooked and flavorsome with a tender breast, juicy thighs and crisp skin. I decided to try doing one on the gas grill, since they've been so good on the WSM.

I marinated the chicken in a beer, salt, sugar, pepper marinade for about 6 hours, lifting the breast skin to get the marinade in there. Then I spatchcocked it, and dried it off very well. I patted a good layer of dry rub all over both sides and let the rub settle for about 15 mins. It still looked dry and dusty with rub when I put it on to cook.

I sat it in an aluminum drip pan, with the empty beer can under the broken breast bone, so the chicken was angled with the thigh part lower to the pan. I then added some beer to the drip pan. My theory was that the steam in the pan would be closer to the thighs and cook them a tad faster, but still help keep the breast moist.

When the chicken was almost done, I took it out of the pan, cranked up the heat and gave it a few minutes on the grill to get the skin extra crisp. After I took it off, I let it rest for 10 mins, uncovered.

That chicken was really delicious.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">the thighs were pink at the joints. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
This does not mean the thighs aren't done.

You can always remove the leg quarters after the breast is done and chuck them back on the grate while you carve the breast (or hold the breast till service).
 
What Kevin says.

Else I ice pack the breast as mentioned above. I've done that with chicken and turkey with good results.
 
Hey Kevin, can you explain this a bit further?


<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">the thighs were pink at the joints. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
This does not mean the thighs aren't done.

You can always remove the leg quarters after the breast is done and chuck them back on the grate while you carve the breast (or hold the breast till service). </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
Sure. Pink - even red - can remain at the joints and/or near the bone after chicken has not only reached the safe point of pasteurization, but even the higher temps associated with best palatability of the dark meat of the thigh and leg. This is a product of the youth of the chicken and is rather common.

Check for safe temps by using a tip-sensitive digital thermometer, not an analog 'meat thermometer'.

Another thing you can do is to crack the joints before cooking: bend the legs back from the thighs till the joints snap. This can help with a little better heat transfer at the joint, diminishing or removing the color problem.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
Another thing you can do is to crack the joints before cooking: bend the legs back from the thighs till the joints snap. This can help with a little better heat transfer at the joint, diminishing or removing the color problem. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

THIS is how to do it, and I have no idea why it's not in every set of instructions on cooking chicken. No pink thigh joints on any of my chicken, and it only takes a second per leg quarter.
 
Cool, I'll have to try the cracking of the joints. I usually have some pink color, which I'm ok with, however it would be nice to not have to explain the pink color to others that arnt used to the color. Check the usda web site on internal temps. They say do not go by color only go by temp. If I remember right they say 165c.
 
After checking the temp of the breast, I use the "pull test" to determine if the legs/thighs are done. If you gently pull the leg and it separates from the bird, then its done.
 
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