darita
is Blowin Smoke!
Is chicken skin out of the SV bath still rubbery or is it tenderized with the meat? Say, if you're doing a breast, how do you finish it?
Sous Vide Chicken Skin?
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I like pan searing rather than grill searing in butter/oil to get the skin nice and crispy on a breast. Thighs are a different beast because of the fattiness of the skin so I generally sous vide only skinless thighs and grill my skin-on thighs and legs. Plus I like a smoky flavor on thighs and legs, but an herbal flavor on breasts is fine. However...., I did have good results by poking holes in thigh skin with a sausage pricker and using a heat gun to crisp it up. I would guess a Sears-All kind of torch would work well, but I don't have one of those.
Remember I mentioned Kenji the other day? Check out his procedure for thighs, he chills them so the searing heat doesn't cook them anymore.
https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-thigh
Remember I mentioned Kenji the other day? Check out his procedure for thighs, he chills them so the searing heat doesn't cook them anymore.
https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-thigh
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Something else to check out are Chef's Weights, they work great when post sous vide searing and for keeping bacon flat and making perfect grilled cheese sandwiches. Better contact = better searing.
And this is a 3-tine sausage pricker, I use it on wings, thighs and drumsticks when grilling. Fats can come to the surface easier. The tines are much smaller than a Jaccard.
And this is a 3-tine sausage pricker, I use it on wings, thighs and drumsticks when grilling. Fats can come to the surface easier. The tines are much smaller than a Jaccard.
darita
is Blowin Smoke!
Thanks! I've watched a on of SV vids and checked out the sites that others have suggested and they've very helpful to me. I've still curious as to what the skin is like right after the bath? Is it tender already or still rubbery?
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I haven't had the skin come out bite thru tender, but it's not as rubbery as a low temp smoked turkey. The best answer is I've never had skin that didn't need a sear or heat blast to make it better.
darita
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Perfect! I'm anxious to do bone-in, skin-on turkey breast. I'll do a quick grill on the skin after the SV. Hopefully, that will tender up the skin enough to be at least bite thru.
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Hold on, once again it's Kenji to the rescue with a turkey technique that is really good. He forms and ties the breast and roasts the skin separately.
https://www.seriouseats.com/sous-vide-turkey-breast-crispy-skin-recipe-thanksgiving
Try this:
Have not tried it on chicken yet.
Have not tried it on chicken yet.
SmokeRingsMatter
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And its good you haven't. Chicken skin does not play well with direct flame heat. Three eyes was on point with using a heat gun.
JAKs Q & brew
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This is the best way to get perfectly crispy skin. It was so good one Thanksgiving that I tried to order extra skin with my turkey the next year.
darita
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I love the skin, but I guess I'm a traditionalist, cuz I like the skin on the bird, as much as possible. I can settle for bite thru, as long as it's still on.
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I can say from experience that sv thigh skin is as rubbery as it gets.
Even after searing over fire.
I think Thirdeye has it right, sear in a pan with some oil or butter to crisp it up.
Even after searing over fire.
I think Thirdeye has it right, sear in a pan with some oil or butter to crisp it up.
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But sous vide is not traditional. And oftentimes when we break tradition, the end result is better. For example, when cooking a traditional turkey for thanksgiving the Betty Crocker way, about 25% of the bird is overcooked (the collar and the lower breast) and Uncle Joe usually questions the doneness of the dark meat around the knee cap. I'll admit, a turkey on a platter does look great, for about a minute before carving.
Kenji has a great turkey sous vide recipe, but let's jump back in time a little bit ahead of modernist cuisine. I haven't cooked a whole turkey in at least 20 years, as a minimum I separate the breast from the dark half at the pelvis. Often I break them down more so I can cook each piece to the perfect doneness. And I can take skin or leave it. Here is a good example, here are two turkey thighs and I have split the breast and removed the ribs and wishbone.
When plated it's hard to tell the breast was skinless, and what appears to be skin is all flavor rub. It can still be served with mashed potatoes, gravy and those baby peas from Le Sueur, Minnesota. or not.
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darita
is Blowin Smoke!
But sous vide is not traditional. And oftentimes when we break tradition, the end result is better. When cooking a traditional turkey for thanksgiving the Betty Crocker way, about 25% of the bird is overcooked (the collar and the lower breast) and Uncle Joe usually questions the doneness of the dark meat around the knee cap. I'll admit, a turkey on a platter does look great, for about a minute before carving.
Kenji has a great turkey sous vide recipe, but let's jump back in time a little bit ahead of modernist cuisine. I haven't cooked a whole turkey in at least 20 years, as a minimum I separate the breast from the dark half at the pelvis. Often I break them down more so I can cook each piece to the perfect doneness. And I can take skin or leave it. Here is a good example, here are two turkey thighs and I have split the breast and removed the ribs and wishbone.
When plated it's hard to tell the breast was skinless, and what appears to be skin is all flavor rub. It can still be served with mashed potatoes, gravy and those baby peas from Le Sueur, Minnesota. or not.
All good points, Thirdeye and good looking turkey parts!
Curt.P
is one Smokin' Farker
I scald before I sous vide, then finish on the grill. Crispy skin.
darita
is Blowin Smoke!
Exactly what I wanted to try. I use boiling water before smoking chicken and wondered if it would work in the Sous Vide process as well as it works in high temp smoking.
