Getting the skin right on chicken

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Bruce B

Master Chef
Joined
Jan 4, 2005
Messages
6,759
Location
Utica, MI
On your offset you might try moving the chicken closer to the firebox..now this probably won't get you crispy skin but it should get you more "bite through" skin. I'm sure others wil chime in, but I would try this and see how it turns out. Good luck!
 
I do mine direct about 18 inch's from the coals so I can't help you.
I have had Wittdogs and Uncle Bubba's chicken they do on a off set and it's excellent! They may be able to help you out. I also do the "swim cap" method.
img_179920_0_6a440cd6555ecc06a92d9e0e3732f8da.jpg


Pigs
 
I just cook em over the coals then move em to the side to finish cooking
 
at home I grill em indirect and then direct to get crispy skin.
But they don't look good enough for comps. I think it looks fine but
judges would kill me for it. Still, it's the best chicken for me.



For comps, I use a modified Jumping Jim method and
finish direct for color and extra texture.
I have never had an offset, so my opinion doesn't really
count here, but I don't believe they are set up for chicken.
I like a different cooker for all the meats, and chicken
needs direct heat to get crispy. You can fire up the offset and
get it real hot, but are you gonna cook all your meats at the same
time on the same pit?
 
I have seen chicken come off a offset and then to a grill to get the skin right. But only at a comp. cook. I swear, chicken at a comp is the most hard thing to get right.

Pigs
 
Captain Morgan said:
it's just imho....but if you are doing just a home cook, I think
you can do it with an offset if you crank up the heat.

I agree with Cappie... I try to do my chicken at 325-350 if I am only doing chicken on the offset for catering or home cooking. You'll still get smoke flavor even cooking at higher temps. The skin won't be "chrispy" but will be more edible. If you are cooking for a comp and your smoker is running at lower temps and you want better skin, then you need to grill it direct to finish it.

that's my .02
 
peavley said:
Wow, thank yall for all of the responses. I am just doing this at home, not good enough for comps yet, but would love to do that one day. It sounds to me like so far the best way would be to typically grill'm. If I were just doing chicken I will do that, but what do yall do if you are cooking more than one meat. For instance, if I put the pork shoulder on first, then many hours later, put on the brisket and leave the pork shoulder on as well, then when do I add the chicken?(I am guessing about two hours or so before eating time) And how would yall go about attempting to get the skin right then? Maybe I just need to talk the wife into getting a grill, then I will have a amoker and a grill....now that's an idea!Thanks again for all of the suggestions. I will try my hand at chicken again this weekend and if I can figure out how to post pictures I will.

You only have one piece of outdoor cooking equipment :shock: :shock: :shock: You need to DEMAND to the wife you are going to buy a grill. There is just no other way to approach this dilema.
 
Well dang you getting a lot of good advice here. Now if you want the grand prize winning chicken your going to need to spin it on the Rotess. Preferably direct over a bed of S. Texas mesquite coals. Now that make a person want to slap somebody's Mama..not our own of course. That is how the Good Lord meant for us to cook all filthy dead poo poo eating barnyard avians if the scenario be right. Not saying a person couldn't eat it warm and raw if they was starving to death etc. Weber has prob the highest class grill Rotess designed for home use. Now Home Depot also got a good one for about half the price of the Weber and aint that much shy on quality. Long spitrod..big motor blah blah blah. Seems like it called a Chargriller or something to that effect. Do not buy the cheap ones from Academy. They are pure junk. Now most of us city slickers are stuck with charcoal and chunks or a gasser to get a decent direct twirl. Not sure whut would be accomplished to spin em in the slow smoke method...gag heave sputter. So whutever grill you decide to buy..get a Rotess with it. I would not own a charcoal grill where a person had to move the meat to tend the fire. You need that Ranch Kettle like a person needs a hole in the haid. Hope this helps. Also check at Home Depot for a clamp basket or two. If they dont have any go to BBQ Galore. Clamp halves in the basket and give em a ride. Its the cat's meow.

bigwheel
 
I beg to differ. All of my cookers for comps are indirect. Well one of them can go direct but that don't matter cause I don't use it that way.

I am a 250 guy. It's all about time and temp and you can get rice paper skin at this temp if you do it right. Bite through skin. Maybe not crispy like fried or grilled, but bite through.

How you ask?

3 words:
Smoke
Steam
Bake

Bite through or using a cheap plastic fork,don't matter.When you cut or bite, you get what you want. The skin and a piece of chicken.

Now when I'm at home I like to burn it and knaw on the crispy bits using my trusty Weber Kettle or the Primo.
 
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