Chicken experiment

Bigmista

Bigmista

somebody shut me the fark up.
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I am toying with the idea of turning in drumsticks this year. I did an experiment the other night and this is what I came up with...

SDC10869.jpg


SDC10874.jpg


I am happy with the color but I am not happy with the way the skin rolled back. I think that I would have to buy leg quarters and cut the drummies myself so I could leave extra skin to wrap over the top. I also need to pull back on the rub because it was too spicy.

You see here that the meat was juicy and it was quite flavorful...

SDC10880.jpg


I'll give more updates as I experiment.

What do you think?
 
I get my best looking drums when I use my Bayou Classic Leg and Wing Rack. I thought about doing drums for comps I just worry about being different. I did a beautiful whole bird 2 years ago and got a comment card for excellent use of whole bird but got killed on my score. Go figure.
 
We have a few chicken leg turnerinners up here that do very well.
You might want to try to trim what you can from the joint or use leg quarters like you said. I've also trimmed the tendons when pulling back the skin.
Cooked so many legs I'm sick of them!
 
Neil, 25% chance we turn in drumsticks this weekend. We've never done it.

IF we do ... I'll let you know the feedback.
 
I wish I had the balls to turn in drumsticks. I would save so much dang time from trimming chicken.
 
In all honesty I think it would be a mistake. Even the best leg will fail in comparrison to an average thigh. Bottom line is the meat just isn't the same tenderness or texture. Legs are good eating don't get me wrong, but I never really cared for them much when comparred to a thigh. Because a leg is somewhat of a tough lean piece of meat, if put side by side cooked to the same level of tenderness and they both have the same flaovor the thigh will always win in my book.
 
Great looking pictures. Made my mouth water!
Good discussion, would be very interested in how they turn out and how they do in competition.

I have encountered drums a number of times when judging. Have scored some higher than some of the thighs in the same batch. It is not consistent however.
Because of the differences noted between thigh and drum meat, drums are less
forgiving to the variables in cooking.

Good luck with your experiment, keep us posted.
 
LGHT said:
In all honesty I think it would be a mistake. Even the best leg will fail in comparrison to an average thigh. Bottom line is the meat just isn't the same tenderness or texture. Legs are good eating don't get me wrong, but I never really cared for them much when comparred to a thigh. Because a leg is somewhat of a tough lean piece of meat, if put side by side cooked to the same level of tenderness and they both have the same flaovor the thigh will always win in my book.
Click to expand...

I tend to dissagree with LGHT on this. First of all, in KCBS comps at least, there isn't suppossed to be any comparitive judging; each entry is judged on it's own merits. You're not suppossed to judge leg against thigh against breast meat.
Each one of these entries should be judged by asking the question "Is this a good example of what the cook was trying to accomplish?" You should be able to (in theory) give 9s across the board to any cut of meat that is presented to you. I have had drummies, thighs, sliced breast meat, wings and pulled white / dark meat mixed come across the judging table, all with varying results.
A friend of mine used to turn in 6 Cornish Game Hen hind quarters every once in a while with good results. It makes a very full box and if done right can be in the money on taste & tenderness, too.

I say "Go for it, Neil!" :thumb:
 
I had a decent run with legs a few years ago. That run went dry...

I'm a much better chicken cook now, and may give them a shot again next spring...
 
LGHT said:
In all honesty I think it would be a mistake. Even the best leg will fail in comparrison to an average thigh. Bottom line is the meat just isn't the same tenderness or texture. Legs are good eating don't get me wrong, but I never really cared for them much when comparred to a thigh. Because a leg is somewhat of a tough lean piece of meat, if put side by side cooked to the same level of tenderness and they both have the same flaovor the thigh will always win in my book.
Click to expand...

But as a judge, aren't you taught not to compare but to judge each entry on it's own merit even if it isn't your favorite piece?
 
Bigmista said:
But as a judge, aren't you taught not to compare but to judge each entry on it's own merit even if it isn't your favorite piece?
Click to expand...

Teacher speaking here: There is a difference between what is taught and what is learned and remembered. :tsk:
 
Judges are taught to not judge the garnish either and we know how that worked out.
 
Bigmista said:
But as a judge, aren't you taught not to compare but to judge each entry on it's own merit even if it isn't your favorite piece?
Click to expand...

Of course, but it's difficult to get a leg tender is my point. I'm sure it may be just as good if not better then some thighs, and you might be able to get it just as tender of a thigh, but the bottom line is your going in trying to pull of something that is going to be harder than cooking a thigh. The skin will be harder to perfect and the meat is not as tender from the get go.
 
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