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Smoked Chicken concern


 
M

Mike Burnham

New member
At what temp do most people feel comfortable eating Chicken off the smoker? I pulled at 165 but the chicken looked red near the bone but was super juicy. Any one else note this? Anyways, I pulled it but then felt sick and through it in the oven until it hit 180.

Maybe I am just too sensitive because I am used to dry overcooked chicken.

Note, on my last cook I used the WSM and used split chicken breasts on the bone.
 
many don't like the red. its fine. i cook mine to 165 deg or when the juices are clear. never had an issue. getting rid of the red is hard and results in over cooked chicken.
 
At the CBJ class I attended a while back, the test was to take a white napkin and test the juices - if the juices on the napkin were clear - good to go. If the juices on the napkin were pink or red, no go.

I'm sure there are more scientific methods (good excuse for a thermapen) but the KCBS folks like that test for an on the fly test.

Pat
 
I usually pull my chicken off at 165 but I like to put it on a grill for a little to crisp up the skin some I have had no complains
 
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 test was to take a white napkin and test the juices -
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And the 'test' is silly, often resulting in overcooked chicken. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>If the test is for palatability it doesn't seem silly to me.

How could you crown even safe bloody chicken the winner in chicken? It isn't appetizing to the majority of people.
 
And why would you test the juices for palatability? The presence of pink juices, e.g., does not denote unsafe chicken, nor does the lack necessarily mean the chicken is safe. So it doesn't work for safety. Once the chicken is (properly) determined to be safe then palatibility is in the mouth of the beholder. Using a napkin to test palatability is illogical.
 
It isn't appetizing to the majority of people.
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Neither is meat candy, but that's what wins.
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We're dealing with several different issues here.

1. Mike's original ? on temp.
2. Q judging rules.
3. Appealing or appetizing to the 'majority of people'.

Mike, I pull around 160.

Shawn, as far as Q judging rules/criteria; my understanding is there are no standards (nationwide). But, and this is a big but, if you are in a competition; you're in it to win. You are not trying to appeal to the majority of people, rather, only the panel of judges. So as Kevin stated, even if it's a nonsensical rule, you play by those rules if you want to place. The successful teams learn this and adapt their recipes accordingly. If the judges like sweet sauce; give them sweet sauce. If they don't want any pink in chicken; cook it longer chancing a dry piece of meat.

Mike, you stated you felt sick after initially pulling the chicken. Did you sample it and how soon did you fill ill?

Paul
 
chicken is done at less than 165. the reason you cook to 165 is to kill any food borne pathogens. if you pull at 165 your chicken will be perfect, anything past that and your going to overdone territory.

the redness tends to come from the chicken not being butchered and bled correctly by the proccessor. you will get some that will have redness at the joints and some not. either way it doesnt matter much that colour is purely cosmetic if the thickest part is hitting 165.
 
When I said I felt sick it was a mental thing. I just couldn't enjoy the chicken. Some weird germophobia kicked in.

I'll keep trying...maybe I'll bring down the next batch from 180 to 175 and gradually get used to the fact that the chicken is "OK".

Somewhere from childhood my brain has determined that if a chicken breast isn't dry it's under cooked.

Even though I cooked the piss out of the chicken to 180 in the oven it still came out pretty moist. I think my brine saved the day. Time to eat any mistakes and try again!
 
Chicken is safe at less than 165. Like with other foods cooked for safety, it is a time @ temp issue, i.e. a number of minutes and/or seconds at a particular temp to achieve a kill step. The time shortens as the temp rises. See here. Chicken breast can be nicely palatable at much lower temps. Most people find dark meat too chewy/greasy at low temps. (A tip-sensitive therm should be used when testing thin items, like a chicken breast, for safety. Bimetal therms are unreliable in thin items.)


Chickens can tens toward 'bloody' or pink or red after cooking due to their relative youth at slaughter.

Paul, probably one of the main reasons why dark cuts of chicken are used most at comps is that they can be cooked well past the point of safety and well past the point of color retention and still be moist and tender. Thighs, especially, are quite forgiving, and can be held in the upper 170s to low 180s for some time.
 
When I said I felt sick it was a mental thing.
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That's what I was assuming. Like you suggested, try a lower temp and see what you think.

Kevin, good point. Plus, ever try to get 6 breasts in one of those foam boxes?
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Paul
 
I use 145 in the leg joint-165 in the thick of the breast. If you like it more cooked ,texture wise, then cook it more. My wife does not like the chicken brined. She says it gives it a rubbery texture. She likes it cooked more. I am the opposite. Do what makes you happy. Maybe try brining it for added juicyness and cook it until 175. DH
 
Originally posted by Dave Hutson:
I use 145 in the leg joint-165 in the thick of the breast. If you like it more cooked ,texture wise, then cook it more. My wife does not like the chicken brined. She says it gives it a rubbery texture. She likes it cooked more. I am the opposite. Do what makes you happy. Maybe try brining it for added juicyness and cook it until 175. DH
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i hope you meant 175 in the leg joint
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For Kevin - do you have recommendations for a good thermometer for chicken? Thermapen? Something else?

I guess the point at the CBJ class was how to make do with what is available. By the time the chicken is presented for judging, it undoubtedly will have been off the heat for some time and there is no way of knowing to what temperature the chicken was cooked or how long it was held there.

Pat
 
Originally posted by Mike Burnham:
At what temp do most people feel comfortable eating Chicken off the smoker? [/QUOTE
White meat, 161*(you say you cooked bone in breasts). If I am curious, I cut a piece near a bone. If the meat looks white, I'm fine, otherwise I'll cook a bit longer
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Correct, Pat, there is no way of telling. But pink on a napkin is meaningless in terms of safety -- that's my point. Yes, I am a fan of Thermapens. Alternatively, for less $, I like the PDT300.
 
The red discoloration often seen around the bone of cooked chicken is for the most part caused by the increased porosity of the bone and subsequent staining of the meat by marrow blood pigments when cooking young chickens. This is not as often seen when cooking more mature birds having harder bone. Using older birds, fresh not frozen, and brining may be helpful. Some people cook boneless to ensure their meat is not discolored.
 
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