Competition chicken VS at traditional homemade grilled chicken

Socks · Jul 23, 2012

Okay so after watching some competition videos and seeing a lot of the box pictures posted here of chicken thighs, I'm really wondering what's up with the lack of darkened/blackened colour. Any time I've ever grilled chicken at home it ends up a lot darker. Is it that competition chicken isn't actually grilled at all but rather cooked longer at lower temps? Is it cooked with the skinside up and never turned over?

What are the differences in method, and results?

Lemme know thanks!

Brew-B-Q · Jul 23, 2012

Probably easier to talk about the similarities versus the differences.

Similarity #1 - Both are chicken

I'm stuck on #2 so hopefully someone else can chime in.

sunrise · Jul 23, 2012

I am also stuck on the # 2 part myself. Also wondering when all chicken had to look like "hockey pucks" and less like the chicken I know

Q-Dat · Jul 23, 2012

sunrise said:
I am also stuck on the # 2 part myself. Also wondering when all chicken had to look like "hockey pucks" and less like the chicken I know

I'm gonna guess that it started when word got out that judges liked the entries to look uniform, even if its at the cost of looking real.

swamprb · Jul 23, 2012

I ask myself why I don't turn in the great tasting chicken thighs I cook for my family instead of the crap I cook that is supposed to pass for competition chicken for the professional eaters that end up frustrating me. Where some abhor chicken, I love it!

Outnumbered · Jul 23, 2012

I got some this weekend that looked burnt...black. It tasted burnt, too. Weird how that works.

Just Pulin' Pork · Jul 23, 2012

Sounds like to me you are grilling them over direct heat and not smoking them over indirect heat. At contest I would say a majority will cook them over an indirect fire. Also the technique a lot of cooks use separates the chicken from being directly in contact with the fire.

Alexa RnQ · Jul 23, 2012

The difference is that there is chicken at a competition, and there isn't at home. I will never, ever, EVER willingly grill chicken thighs for home consumption again. *hurl*

Bourbon Barrel BBQ · Jul 23, 2012

DivaHerself said:
The difference is that there is chicken at a competition, and there isn't at home. I will never, ever, EVER willingly grill chicken thighs for home consumption again. *hurl*

I kinda like some leg quarters on the weekends occasionally.

Shady · Jul 24, 2012

Socks said:
Okay so after watching some competition videos and seeing a lot of the box pictures posted here of chicken thighs, I'm really wondering what's up with the lack of darkened/blackened colour. Any time I've ever grilled chicken at home it ends up a lot darker. Is it that competition chicken isn't actually grilled at all but rather cooked longer at lower temps? Is it cooked with the skinside up and never turned over?

What are the differences in method, and results?

Lemme know thanks!

1)For the most part Comp chicken is cooked in a butter bath skin side up on indirect heat, then finished covered with indirect heat, and glazed. Some teams brown the skin or finish on grills with direct heat.

2)The differences are that comp chicken needs to look the same in color, size, and apperance.

3)The results are that competition chicken tastes sweet, savory and juicy.

Hope this helps.

early mornin' smokin' · Jul 24, 2012

i cooked a bunch of chicken wings this weekend, all the drums and wings looked to be almost exactly the same size. I've always done well not turning in the typical thigh, but all those wings had me thinking of a chicken box full of wings on a bed of greens.

Competition chicken VS at traditional homemade grilled chicken

Socks

Knows what a fatty is.

Brew-B-Q

is one Smokin' Farker

sunrise

Knows what a fatty is.

Q-Dat

Babbling Farker

swamprb

somebody shut me the fark up.

Outnumbered

is One Chatty Farker

Just Pulin' Pork

is one Smokin' Farker

Alexa RnQ

is One Chatty Farker

Bourbon Barrel BBQ

is one Smokin' Farker

Shady

Knows what a fatty is.

early mornin' smokin'

is Blowin Smoke!

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