Preparing Chicken Thighs

[Doug KC]

Can someone provide information on the steps needed to prep a chicken thigh? I've heard of cutting off something before you cook them. I want to say the tongue but not sure. We always cook drumsticks in competition but are going to start practicing with thighs so we can use those.

Any tips for cooking. I've read jumping jim's thread which was very helpful. The biggest obstacle I see for me is to have a nice even color on the skin to put in the turn in trays. Any other concerns I should pay attention to?

I'll probably just follow Jumpin Jim's recipe to start and see where to go from there.

 

[Rob A.]

I can't offer info for competition type thighs but I do trim off the excess skin flap and the line of yellow fat that runs on the underside. I have seen people use toothpicks to keep the skin from shrinking during the cooking process. Other than that it depends on the rub and my experience is that I don't get the same crispy skin in the smoker that I do in the grill going indirectly.

 

[Kirk Boorman]

Jim's method is a great place to start. You do want to trim off the "oyster" before cooking and maybe a little cleanup and trimming just so everything looks nice. Try to avoid thighs that the skin is falling off of because it will shrink up. I haven't tried toothpicks yet but I prolly will someday.