Frustrated on chicken skin

Smellwhatscookin · Posted: Mar 23 2009 Post subject: Frustrated on chicken skin

Howdy All. I have been practicing my chicken here lately. I think what is killing me at the comps is the skin. I cannot get it crispy. So I have been here at home practicing and trying different things. I was brining it and thought too much liquid on the skin is why it wouldn't crisp up. I am wanting to get it crisp without taking another cooker to comps to get the temps up higher on it. I am cooking at 250 to 275. Today I cooked some same thing rubbery skin. WHat I done today was injected the chicken thighs after washing them and drying them. I cooked them at 275 today with the skin up. Then at the end of the cook flipped them skin down and put on my glaze. Which is my barbeque sauce and some honey. The time before this cook I even stuck them after the smoke process on my little weber grille. That kind of worked but it burnt the skin up. Do I need to cook them first with the skin down and then flip them about half way threw the smoke. I dont' know, any help will be appreciated. Scores on the taste and tenderness have been from 6's to 9's. THe last one was in the 7's and 8's
Thanks

clam man · Joined: 24 Feb 2009 Posts: 17 Location: St. Pete, FL

I always start my chicken skin-side down. I usually don't flip them until about an hour and a half left on the smoke. The skin down will help keep the juices from falling through. Also, are you cooking on an offset? When I do chicken on my offset, I usually will move them around during the cook, which will adjust your cooking time. I give them all equal time near the heat to help crisp them up. Hope that helps.

Canadian Bacon · Posted: Mar 23 2009 Post subject:

I am not a comp bbq guy Smellwhatscookin but I do cook tons of chicken,I do not like soggy ,chewy skin,but I find cooking direct on hot coals for a minute or two gives me that crisp skin I desire,If all it takes is a cheap grill to get a crisp skin is it not worth it ,if it will get your scores up.
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Pit Boss · Posted: Mar 23 2009 Post subject:

I asked this question on here once as well. I did that before thinking back to a place I used to work where we did bbq chicken. I finally remembered that we cooked skin down for the entire cook except for the last 30 minutes or so. We sauced the birds and went skin up for the final half hour. No problem with tough skin.

You can also try smoking (roasting) at temps as high as 350. It will slightly change the texture of the meat, but might change the texture of your skin as well.
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loomis1228 · Posted: Mar 24 2009 Post subject:

I have been working on that too. But at comps, I don't think that it's generally a "crisp" skin thing--that I once thought. I think that there needs to be a "bite through". I'm working on a new technique that basically steams the chicken for the last part of the cook. I'm finding out that it gives it a texture that allows a pure bite through.......

just something to think about. I can't tell you how--just a thought.
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Big Fella · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 10

You're on the right track with the steaming, but I suggest doing it first before getting it up to temp. The skin will shrink up a bit but not a lot (kind of like your fingers after a long bath) and then when you smoke them it should add some crispness. One key - COOL them before getting them to reheat. An hour is the minimun if you can.

I do wings this way in the oven. Steam, cool, cook up to temp, plate.

HoocheeQue · Posted: Mar 24 2009 Post subject:

Tenting pan with foil is a good idea. You can aso marinate them in plain yogurt or rub some balsamic vinegar on the skin a couple hours before you cook. You can also cook them skin down in some sauce for about 45 min. to an hour. Lots of ways to achieve bite thru. Remember that crisp skin isn't crisp after steaming inside a box for ten minutes waiting on judges to do their thing.
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Smellwhatscookin · Posted: Mar 24 2009 Post subject:

Thanks for all the help guys. Yes that is what I was meaning a bite threw skin instead of crispy. I will try some of your suggestions and see how it goes. Got about a month before my next comp. So will have time to do more practice runs.

DawgPhan · BBQ Super Pro Joined: 12 May 2005 Posts: 3444

Bite through skin is tough..I always had good success with bite through skin using the jumping jim method of chicken cooking....

I would say that a very large portion of folks cooking chicken in comps are using a foil pan and a lot of butter at some point in the cooking...

Skidder · BBQ Super Pro Joined: 10 Feb 2008 Posts: 1720

I've seen some remove the skin (on thighs) all together then scrape the fat off then put the skin back on and wrap tight. Check this out for advise
http://www.thepickledpig.com/forums/bbq-contests/894-award-winning-competition-chicken.html

roxy · Posted: Mar 25 2009 Post subject:

I don't think crispy skin is truly attainable with most BBQ methods. Edible is what I shot for. Poaching chicken in sauce can make the skin way more tender and I have tried it in comp, just not excited about its texture. I am still working on a method that I like.

Good luck.
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crashpilot · Posted: Mar 25 2009 Post subject:

roxy · Posted: Mar 25 2009 Post subject:

Tony · Posted: Mar 25 2009 Post subject:

roxy · Posted: Mar 25 2009 Post subject:

Hey, no problem Tony.. anything for you my friend.. Well, almost anything. Wink

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Tony · Posted: Mar 25 2009 Post subject:

Pit Boss · Posted: Mar 25 2009 Post subject:

The skin will "poach" in it's own juice/fat if you cook it upside down. You can actually see the liquid boiling under the skin since it reaches boiling temp much faster than the interior meat.
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crashpilot · Posted: Mar 25 2009 Post subject:

roxy · Posted: Mar 25 2009 Post subject:

Darth Kahuna · Posted: Mar 26 2013 Post subject: Chicken Skin

This is three years or so later, but if you cook over 325deg for a couple of minutes on each side and then move to the smoking chamber, Yahtzee! You have perfect skin and moist meat. Seriously, people at my BBQ's know to poke the chicken first as juices fly out when bitten into. Oh, and a brine with a >5% salinity helps crisp the skin, too.
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