skinless thighs for turn in

[rookiedad]

i never tried this, but i have been thinking about the chicken skin problem, and getting it just right for competition, but then i thought about trimming all the skin applying the rub and trying to get a bark to form, then spray glazing with bbq sauce as to not disturb the rub. would anyone ever turn in a skinless thigh, or is the skin very important to the judges? thanks.
phil

[The_Kapn]

Originally Posted by rookiedad

i never tried this, but i have been thinking about the chicken skin problem, and getting it just right for competition, but then i thought about trimming all the skin applying the rub and trying to get a bark to form, then spray glazing with bbq sauce as to not disturb the rub. would anyone ever turn in a skinless thigh, or is the skin very important to the judges? thanks.
phil

Go for it!
Ya never know what will work.

TIM

[spicewine]

You got it right Bro !! the skin on the thigh is the main issue in competion!! If the judge takes a bite and the whole skin comes off in his mouth---could be a problem, The down side is that the skin is where all of the flavor is in the thigh. Do you really want to risk that?? I suggest, smoke it for a couple - o - hours and then finish it on a hot grill to make the skin crisp.

Just my .02

Spice

[jgh1204]

Try the cornstarch technique from the bbq forum thread.

[ique]

Originally Posted by rookiedad

i never tried this, but i have been thinking about the chicken skin problem, and getting it just right for competition, but then i thought about trimming all the skin applying the rub and trying to get a bark to form, then spray glazing with bbq sauce as to not disturb the rub. would anyone ever turn in a skinless thigh, or is the skin very important to the judges? thanks.
phil

Hey Phil,

Another way to think about the skin problem is instead of trying to acheive crispy skin create a bite-through skin. The un-rendered fat in the skin is what is creating the rubber. I pull the skin off and remove as much fat as possible, light rub, reattach skin with some toothpicks. Its fussy prep, but I think worth it for competition.

[LostNation]

Originally Posted by ique

Hey Phil,

Another way to think about the skin problem is instead of trying to acheive crispy skin create a bite-through skin. The un-rendered fat in the skin is what is creating the rubber. I pull the skin off and remove as much fat as possible, light rub, reattach skin with some toothpicks. Its fussy prep, but I think worth it for competition.

Hi Chris, I think your chicken is the best I have ever eaten and I know you've helped my cooking tremendously by just listening to you.

Last year at Salisbury I turned in skinless chicken and it $ucked. The chicken I bought looked like it went through a wood chipper. I smoked the chicken then tried to crisp the outside and it turned out tough and dry. We still struggle with chicken but I will never turn it in without skin.

[Jeff_in_KC]

I don't believe I ever would turn a thigh in skinless. I mentioned in another thread that when I smoke chicken without the skin (i.e. boneless breasts), they look rubbery and dried on the surface. The skin protects the meat and looks really nice when browned up and sauced. Plus there's the "flavor in the skin" issue. As for crisp vs. bite-through skin, I prefer to attempt the bite through skin for turn-ins. I believe it is much easier to accomplish rather than crisping up the skin possibly drying out the meat. But who knows? Maybe the ease of the method is the difference in walking (not me) and 10th place (me) in contests.

[Ron_L]

Originally Posted by Jeff_in_KC

I don't believe I ever would turn a thigh in skinless. I mentioned in another thread that when I smoke chicken without the skin (i.e. boneless breasts), they look rubbery and dried on the surface. The skin protects the meat and looks really nice when browned up and sauced. Plus there's the "flavor in the skin" issue.

I agree... I hate it when my wife buys skinless/boneless chicken breasts for anything other than stirfry or soups/stews. But... Is the flavor really in the skin, or is it in the fat the renders from the skin in cooking? I'm going to do a practice run of thighs next weekend. I think I'm going to cook them with the skin on, and then remove the skin on a few before glazing to see if it makes a difference. Has anyone tried this? It seems that the finished product would have most of the flavor that the skin imparts, but without the problem of getting the skin perfect.

[BrooklynQ]

if you're doing skinless thighs, adds some butter or bacon grease to your mop. It puts back a lot of the fat and flavor that you took off with the skin.

[Sawdustguy]

Skin or no skin should not be a determining factor as each piece is supposed to be judged on it's own merit and not compared to other entries. Unfortunately not every judge subscribes to the practice they swore to.