Help - chicken

Hello, my name is KC Bobby and I hate chicken. :icon_pissed My hatred for chicken started with my very first competition. I started out brining chicken and all my turn ins were dry. :evil: Then I tried marinating chicken and the results were the same. :frown: I've even tried injecting and the darn thighs are still dry.

This year we're cooking them in a Country Smoker at about 300 til 160. Start them in butter with spray with AJ, then directly over the cooking surface and then brush a glaze over them.

Here's an outline to what we've done earlier this year:
________ 6:00 pm inject with commercial product
________ 7:00 am take out of baggie and pat dry – put on pan and back in refridge
________ 9:00 am season
Meat side up
Medium coat of rub

Skin side up
Sprinkle light coating of rub under skin
Straighten out skin
Med coat of rub

Put in pan skin side up with butter around each piece (back in refridge til ready for smoker)

Time/Temp
____________ 9:30 start WH with Pecan pellets
____________ 10:00 on WH @ 300
____________ 10:20 turn pieces over and spray with apple juice (bottoms up)
____________ 10:25 sauce in smoker to warm
____________ 10:40 turn pieces over and spray with apple juice warm in smoker
____________ 11:05 out of pan and glaze with sauce on skin side
____________ 11:20 flip - glaze meat side up (bottoms up)
____________ 11:45 dust bottoms, flip and lightly glaze skin sides
____________ 11:50 very lightly dust with rub
____________ 11:51 arrange 2 rows of 3
____________ 12:00 turn in


Here's whats happening:
App scores - averaging a 41 of the possible 45 (top 5 judge overall scores)
Taste - averaging 38 of the 45
Tenderness - averaging 38 of the 45 again
Total score average - 155.8095

These are coming out very dry and doesn't taste all that well either. Don and I have discussed making taste and technique changes are are thinking of something like this:

________ 6:00 pm put in brine
________ 7:00 am take out of brine and pat dry – put on pan and back in refridge
________ 9:00 am season
Meat side up
Medium coat of rub

Skin side up
Sprinkle light coating of rub under skin
Straighten out skin and pin
Med coat of rub


Time/Temp
____________ -0:30 start WH with Pecan pellets get up to 400* (to help mark skin)
____________ 0:00 on WH no pan, skin down for marks – turn down temp to 300* right away
____________ 0:10 put in butter pan (skin up)
____________ 0:30 turn pieces over and spray with apple juice (bottoms up)
____________ 0:35 put sauce pan in smoker to warm
____________ 0:50 out of butter and into sauce pan on skin side down (around 135-140* internal)
____________ 1:10 flip in sauce pan (check temp and change temp as needed)
____________ 1:30 very lightly dust with rub and take out of pan/direct grill to set sauce
____________ 1:35ish (at 152* internal) take off grill
____________ 1:40 arrange in box
____________ 12:00 turn in


Were thinking of switching rubs (less salty), change from an injection to a brine and go from directly on the grate after the butter bath to a sauce bath and just back onto the cooking grate for the last few minutes to set the sauce.

For those of you who use the butter pan technique, would you provide the temps you use to turn over in the butter and take out of the butter? This is going to be a trial and error process but we're wondering if less time over direct flame and more time in moisture will help.

Any thoughts from the experienced competitors who are familiar with these or similar techniques and ideas would be most helpful. Or if it's easier to just list your steps and timeframe ...:biggrin:

Jay, too low? Doesn't the thigh dry out after taking it above 160? I've heard from a few different cooks that do well with thighs to keep the final temp low.

I'm about ready to head home for a chicken practice cook. Put the thighs in brine this morning before leaving for work.

Wish me luck.