chicken skin required

Hozman · Mar 22, 2012

When you do a turn in for thighs does it have to have the skin on it? If not does it effect your score if you don't? Never competed before but going to do a couple this year and want to practice how I would do a comp.

Ron_L · Mar 22, 2012

No, it's not required. Judges are supposed to judge what is in front of them, not hat isn't in the box. BUT, a lot of judges will assume, right or wrong, that if you don't turn in the skin then it wasn't cooked right and I have heard judges say that they marked down for that. They aren't supposed to, but apparently some do.

Stoke&Smoke · Mar 22, 2012

KCBS rules don't say you need skin, but it probably would do better with it than without.
Per the rules though, judges aren't supposed to use skin on or off as a criteria. If you don't eat chicken skin, as a judge, you are instructed to at least taste it, then discretly discard it

Edit: Looks like Ron beat me to the punch!

BC Squared · Mar 22, 2012

No....not sure if it affects score, never tried it. I know people have had success with skinless...beats the alternative if you can't get it right!

arrowhead · Mar 22, 2012

as a judge, with skin or without doesn't matter to me, i'll judge what's turned in.

personally, i like skin.

boogiesnap · Mar 22, 2012

required? no.
recommended? yes. cooked properly, that is.

nthole · Mar 22, 2012

What Ron said. Not required, they aren't supposed to judge down if you don't do it...but for the most part they seem to.

Q-Dat · Mar 22, 2012

Unless a comment card comes back, how does anyone know if the score was bad specifically because of the lack of skin? Couldn't it just be that the chicken generally has more flavor with it on?

Podge · Mar 22, 2012

Just my humble opinion, but if you don't turn in skin, and I was a judge, I'd think that you couldn't cook the skin properly to make it bite thru, and I'd question your ability as a competitive BBQ cook. Therefore, I do not judge.

Ron_L · Mar 22, 2012

Q-Dat said:
Unless a comment card comes back, how does anyone know if the score was bad specifically because of the lack of skin? Couldn't it just be that the chicken generally has more flavor with it on?

This is how...

Podge said:
Just my humble opinion, but if you don't turn in skin, and I was a judge, I'd think that you couldn't cook the skin properly to make it bite thru, and I'd question your ability as a competitive BBQ cook. Therefore, I do not judge.

Not picking on you, Podge! I have heard other judges make that same comment, plus if you follow the comments on boxes here and on the BBQ Critic site even Master Judges have said the same thing.

AZScott · Mar 22, 2012

Skin is flavor. I wouldn't even consider turning in chicken without the skin.

Fat Freddy · Mar 22, 2012

Last year we did skinless in the backyard contests we did and we did OK not great but not DAL. Now we have practiced only with skin on(we are skin scrapers though) and feel comfortable and will do skin on. Our thoughts were judges are supposed to judge what is presented but if they are expecting one thing and getting something else how will that affect us, thinking that way we decided skin on is way to go. It may not help us but unless not cooked right it sure wont hurt us with any judges to have skin on.

tnjimbob · Mar 22, 2012

Hozman -

there are many resources here on the Brethren site and on the internet also that will give you good skin results. Best advice I can give is practice, practice, practice. You know you areon the right track when your family asks (when you tell them they are having chicken for dinner... again), "do we HAVE to have competition chicken again?!?!?!" :twitch:

Bourbon Barrel BBQ · Mar 22, 2012

I think you can do well without skin but not consistently because of the reasons mentioned above.

big matt · Mar 22, 2012

Bite through skin is what we all strive to achieve..look at it like this if you land on a table with 5 other good entries with bite through and yours doesn't have skin it's not gonna be good day for your chicken..stick with what wins!..it's like Bigmista at the last comp with nothing but pulled..not knocking Neil my buddy here but he went against the grain and paid for it.

Ron_L · Mar 22, 2012

big matt said:
Bite through skin is what we all strive to achieve..look at it like this if you land on a table with 5 other good entries with bite through and yours doesn't have skin it's not gonna be good day for your chicken..stick with what wins!..it's like Bigmista at the last comp with nothing but pulled..not knocking Neil my buddy here but he went against the grain and paid for it.

I think you're right, Matt, but judges aren't supposed to compare entries, so why would it matter what the other entries on the table were? Note the word "supposed" in the above sentence :-D

big matt · Mar 22, 2012

Ron_L said:
I think you're right, Matt, but judges aren't supposed to compare entries, so why would it matter what the other entries on the table were? Note the word "supposed" in the above sentence :-D

Very good point Ron..and your right it's supposed to work that way..not sure if it truly does though..we just try to win the table and I think having skin on helps to do that as it shows more skill than without it..plus I want that judge to bite my chicken and have a burst of flavorful juicy goodness hit their palate..and in my opinion the skin helps achieve that goal.

landarc · Mar 22, 2012

I have been waiting for Neil (BigMista) to enter those thighs whole, skinless, as they sure looked like they could do well. I have no doubt that pulled chicken is not the way to go, as it is too much of a departure.

CBQ · Mar 22, 2012

BBQ is traditional food. You will seldom be rewarded for trying to be "different". Leave the cherry rub at home, don't make ribs with a raspberry-citrus glaze, and leave the skin on the chicken.

Sweet, smoky, spicy, and moist wins.

Podge · Mar 22, 2012

CBQ said:
BBQ is traditional food. You will seldom be rewarded for trying to be "different". Leave the cherry rub at home, don't make ribs with a raspberry-citrus glaze, and leave the skin on the chicken.

Sweet, smoky, spicy, and moist wins.

well said, and I'd add: ribs with bones and chicken with skin.

chicken skin required

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