DBrentster
Got Wood.
Anyone have websites or tips for trimming thighs for comps?
Do you do most of the trim pre-cook?
Do you do most of the trim pre-cook?
Trimming Thighs
- Thread starter DBrentster
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billm
is Blowin Smoke!
many teams trim them more than cutting off the "little pointy bits" and do very well
Jeff_in_KC
somebody shut me the fark up.
I have no clue when it comes to getting thighs ready to cook so I'll stay out and watch for knowledge from the experts...
Mutha Chicken BBQ
Knows what a fatty is.
Absolutly no expert here but this has helped me in the past. Although I have changed what I do now.
These were done hastely,It was the first time I had tried to trim them. Hope this helps you get to where you want to be. Some need more trimming, Some need less. Good Luck with em.
Divemaster
somebody shut me the fark up.
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^^^^^ What he said....
I actually pin mine with skewers to keep the skin tight while cooking....
I actually pin mine with skewers to keep the skin tight while cooking....
Captain Caveman
is one Smokin' Farker
I sometimes pin also, but I am always afraid of forgeting to remove a toothpick in for turn-ins.
Gowan
is One Chatty Farker
All I can say is in three years of cooking and judging in the Southeast I've never seen aggressive trimming of cooked thighs that I know of. How do you keep it from being obvious? How can you cut on a cooked piece without compromising the skin?
Maybe this is a midwestern thing, or a technique used for folks who grill thighs rather than smoke them? I'd love to hear more about this!
Oops, sorry. This post was meant as a reply to billm's, comment. Forgot to use the quote function.
Maybe this is a midwestern thing, or a technique used for folks who grill thighs rather than smoke them? I'd love to hear more about this!
Oops, sorry. This post was meant as a reply to billm's, comment. Forgot to use the quote function.
Jeff_in_KC
somebody shut me the fark up.
I cut down to the skin then sort of scrape (shave, whatever, Andy! :roll: ) in off the skin so the skin stays intact.
T
The Pickled Pig
Guest
Are you scraping the skin after the chicken's cooked Jeff?
We scrape but do it before cooking.
CajunSmoker
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I pull the skin off the thigh and scrape as much fat off the inside of the skin as I can. THen I cut as much yellow fat off the meat as I can while I try and shape the thigh. THen I roll the thigh back up in the skin, cut off any excess and put it skin seam side down in a pan to marinade.
billm
is Blowin Smoke!
similar to what the pictures above show..we actually remove the skin then cut the "oyster" out , trim up the sides then wrap skin back on. All the peices look uniform and look great in the box. As far as it looking obvious im not sure what you mean.
Jeff_in_KC
somebody shut me the fark up.
Sorry Paul... I wasn't clear. I do all my scraping before cooking and before marinating. I do very little trimming after cooking. Only things that have started to stick out after cooking.
DBrentster
Got Wood.
Mutha Chicken BBQ I owe you a cold one (or many)
Hopefully I'll run into you at one of the mid-atlantic comps one of these days. 8)
Hopefully I'll run into you at one of the mid-atlantic comps one of these days. 8)
Gowan
is One Chatty Farker
You are doing this with the finished chicken just before building the box?
Our skin is so tender and bonded to the meat when the thighs come out of the cooker there's no way we could remove the skin at that stage without ruining the chicken. We've always done all our trimming raw except for cleaning up those odd bits that form during cooking. Whenever I've tried to do any serious cutting on a cooked thigh the result is always very noticeable - it sort of looks like somebody chopped off a bite before putting the piece in the box so we end up not using it anyway.
It seems like trimming after cooking would be more work because you'd have to reapply sauce and return them to the heat to set it after all that handling. What do you see as the advantages of trimming after cooking rather than before?
Mutha Chicken BBQ
Knows what a fatty is.
We'll be in stevensville this weekend! :-D Stop by anytime we'll have plenty in our camp!
Hope it gets you started, Again there were some very good tips provided in all the reading here. Good luck with it.
Divemaster
somebody shut me the fark up.
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That's the reason I don't use toothpicks for the pinning... I use the longer metal skewers that would normally be used when sewing up a turkey... You can't miss it, it doesn't burn if your are browning on a grill, and it leaves a smaller set of holes...
HeSmellsLikeSmoke
somebody shut me the fark up.
And if you do choose to use toothpicks, don't use the colored ones which can leave colored holes. I saw that with a turn-in that I judged.
Rightstuff
is one Smokin' Farker
Thanks for the post. I did a practice smoke the other day; my wife and I fumbled through getting the chicken ready for the smoker. This helped a lot.
big blue bbq
Take a breath!
I do the pinning too after trimming. Last comp I missed one and DQ'd on chicken. That will surely bring your overall score down some!!!!!:icon_blush:
I will be looking for a new easier to see way to pin.
Larry
billm
is Blowin Smoke!
no...before cooking ...like i said similar to the above pictures in this thread
