Smoked Chicken ?

[Scotty W.]

Smoked a couple of fryers last year and they turned out great. Soooooo, smoked another pair last week. Pulled at 165 thigh temp and rested 45 minutes. Sliced breast and it was perfect. Pulled thighs and legs and although done and very tender they seemed greasy. After refrigerating and having a sandwich next day there was a jelly like substance on the dark meat. Is this stuff fat that didn't completely render out? Also, noticed when I dumped the cool drip pan the fat that had rendered was still liquid. Is this normal for chicken fat?
I'm thinging I got a couple of obese chickens.
Thoughts?

Scotty W.

 

[Dave Russell]

Whether in my kettles or on my wsm, birds are butterflied with legs pointed to the fire. This way, the leg quarters will be less greasy since cooked to a much higher temp than the breast. This is also one reason why brining is so popular. Cook out the fat without drying out the meat, especially the breast.

 

[Scotty W.]

I did brine the birds overnight and air dried in the refrig for 8 hrs. Temps at the vent averaged 290 and cooked for about 3 hrs. Still puzzles me. As you say think I'll try the "cut out the backbone method".

 

[Jim H.]

Originally posted by Scotty W.:
I did brine the birds overnight and air dried in the refrig for 8 hrs. Temps at the vent averaged 290 and cooked for about 3 hrs. Still puzzles me. As you say think I'll try the "cut out the backbone method".

a.k.a. spatchcocked chicken

I take this a step further, and separate the chicken into two halves by cutting the breast in two. They cook faster and you don't have to turn them over. I leave them skin side up for the whole cook and I get great crispy skin as well as very tender and juicy meat throughout.

 

[K Kruger]

After refrigerating and having a sandwich next day there was a jelly like substance on the dark meat. Is this stuff fat that didn't completely render out? Also, noticed when I dumped the cool drip pan the fat that had rendered was still liquid. Is this normal for chicken fat?

Yes to both questions.

More often than not, so I don't have to tend the grill, I separate dark from white at the get-go, loading the dark meat pieces into the cooker first, well before the breasts go in.

I haven't brined chicken in quite some time. I don't find it necessary - and it requires forethought (and time) that I rarely have anymore. I always make a compound butter (or butter-oil mix) to go under the skin of whatever pieces I am cooking, and for whole birds on the occasions I cook them whole.

 

[Rita Y]

I don't think that the jelly-like substance has been addressed. It is actually congealed and concentrated chicken juices, not fat - delicious! You can serve it in a small bowl with the chicken to moisten it further (or to spoon over mashers). Or you can enrich your next batch of chicken stock by adding it to your stock parts bag in the freezer for the next time you make stock.

Rita

 

[Scotty W.]

Originally posted by Rita Y:
I don't think that the jelly-like substance has been addressed. It is actually congealed and concentrated chicken juices, not fat - delicious! You can serve it in a small bowl with the chicken to moisten it further (or to spoon over mashers). Or you can enrich your next batch of chicken stock by adding it to your stock parts bag in the freezer for the next time you make stock.

Rita

Thanks for all the comments.

Kevin, you say the jelly like substance is fat that didn't render out.

Rita, you say it's actually concentrated chicken juices. I was about to pitch the remaining chicken till I read your post.

So I am still confused about why the stuff was there in the first place. Did I not cook the birds long enough? I did notice when I lifted the WSM lid to pull the birds there was still a thin liquid dripping from the body cavity?

 

[DaveB]

It's Jello...
When you cook a chicken, a lot of the water in the bird is cooked out. At the same time, there is something called collagen in the skin and bones. This is solid but breaks down and liquefies when heated and is then called gelatine (what they make Jello out of). The gelatine than mixes with the juices from the bird and when it cools, the mixture becomes solid. If you saved this fantastic substance and put it in your fridge, look at it and see if there is a white layer on top. This layer will be fat. The brown "Chicken Jello" underneath is pure gold. I like to make gravy the next day with it for biscuits.

 

[Doug Wade]

I'm with DaveB.

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by DaveB:
It's Jello...
When you cook a chicken, a lot of the water in the bird is cooked out. At the same time, there is something called collagen in the skin and bones. This is solid but breaks down and liquefies when heated and is then called gelatine (what they make Jello out of). The gelatine than mixes with the juices from the bird and when it cools, the mixture becomes solid. If you saved this fantastic substance and put it in your fridge, look at it and see if there is a white layer on top. This layer will be fat. The brown "Chicken Jello" underneath is pure gold. I like to make gravy the next day with it for biscuits.

His guidance... Follow it!