Eggspert
Full Fledged Farker
I know there are a lot of past threads about chicken. I have read them all. I have searched high and low on the internet. I have also been to a class and seen a top scoring chicken recipe. I still do not get cooking chicken thighs.
I buy top quality chicken, use pieces weighing around .4-.5 prior to trimming, remove copious fat, trim to a nice shape, and use a commercial rub and sauce frequently used in competition BBQ. No injection or brine/marinade. We cook at 275.
My issues:
#1 skin: I can get bit through skin without too much issue, but it doesn't taste good. In my opinion it doesn't have a nice texture. It's soft and kind of slimy. It is bite through, but if it were me eating it, I would pull it off and slather sauce straight on the chicken. I have tried oil, parkay, plugra, butter, and a mix of all in the bottom of the pan and on top of the chicken.
#2 Meat Flavor: I am struggling to get flavor in the meat. The sauce is so flavorful, but if you just taste the meat, it is pretty bland. We don't use wood, because in my opinion it over smokes chicken. Just lump charcoal.
#3 Consistency: I cook the darn chicken the same way every time. The thighs are the same size and sometimes the meat is over done and dry/mealy/grainy. While a piece right next to it is dripping with juices and rubbery texture. Then the third piece will be perfect. I can't figure out why some pieces of chicken are good and some are not.
Any help is appreciated!
Eggspert
I buy top quality chicken, use pieces weighing around .4-.5 prior to trimming, remove copious fat, trim to a nice shape, and use a commercial rub and sauce frequently used in competition BBQ. No injection or brine/marinade. We cook at 275.
My issues:
#1 skin: I can get bit through skin without too much issue, but it doesn't taste good. In my opinion it doesn't have a nice texture. It's soft and kind of slimy. It is bite through, but if it were me eating it, I would pull it off and slather sauce straight on the chicken. I have tried oil, parkay, plugra, butter, and a mix of all in the bottom of the pan and on top of the chicken.
#2 Meat Flavor: I am struggling to get flavor in the meat. The sauce is so flavorful, but if you just taste the meat, it is pretty bland. We don't use wood, because in my opinion it over smokes chicken. Just lump charcoal.
#3 Consistency: I cook the darn chicken the same way every time. The thighs are the same size and sometimes the meat is over done and dry/mealy/grainy. While a piece right next to it is dripping with juices and rubbery texture. Then the third piece will be perfect. I can't figure out why some pieces of chicken are good and some are not.
Any help is appreciated!
Eggspert
