Skinless thighs?

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twinsfan

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What is the obsession with using skin-on thighs and spending all this time trying to get bite through skin? I've scanned and scanned online and can't find anywhere on the KCBS site which indicates thighs should have skin on, or any point deductions if they don't.

Anyone had success with skinless thighs?

Thanks
 
Nope.

You can cook any part of the chicken you like, but bone-in, skin-on is what wins. Most of the time. Not saying you can't win with wings or drums or boneless skinless. But the odds are on regular thighs.
 
"I HATE CHICKEN" At my last contest I screwed up my chicken had to turn in skinless thighs. Finished second. So who knows, all I do know is at the next contest I'm going to try skinless again, less stress trying to get skin perfect.
 
Nothing in the KCBS rules says you got to do what it takes to win, but we all know we need to.. so, bone-in, skin on thighs for me.
 
parrdist said:
"I HATE CHICKEN" At my last contest I screwed up my chicken had to turn in skinless thighs. Finished second. So who knows, all I do know is at the next contest I'm going to try skinless again, less stress trying to get skin perfect.
Click to expand...

Similar story here. Minus the great finish :mmph:
 
Unfortunately, it seems that you must account for judges that are looking for something not to like about your entry. Many judges also like to make assumptions about your cooking process, such as "must not be very good at cooking with the skin on" and then score down for it.

Its very wrong, but theres alot of them out there, and they aren't going away.
 
Alright. Thanks. I want to start doing something different in chicken so maybe I'll try a different kind of sauce or rub. Thanks.
 
I feel pretty good about my chicken and usually finish in the top three with it. I think the thing that got me over the hump was the motivation of other people hating it so much. I just spent time with it, doing about two eight packs a week for a few months until I knew it was dead on perfect every time. Trimming out, scraping and hacking knuckles becomes second nature after that much practice. The thing I love about chicken is the method is dead on accurate for time and temp, every time, same results. I kind of dig that, especially after the trainwreck my pork went through last comp with a dual stall late finish debacle. Guess I am practicing pork all summer. LOL.

Here's my turn in from last weekend, yes I rearranged the chicken after taking this shot and before turn in. Took 2nd place with this one.

jackasschicken.jpg
 
BTW, off topic but if you ask about a parsley box, parsley is the new chicken to me. I tried, I really tried to do the putting green thing. After about a half hour attempting to put it together at the comp, everyone in the pits heard me proclaim a rather pronounced F Parsley statement, I then took it out into the main area, threw it on the ground and stomped on it. When I got home I designed a T-Shirt and ordered it for the comp this coming weekend. I will be wearing it during night prep. Not really something I would wear when families are walking through the pits.
 
Butt Rubb'n BBQ said:
For some reason judges don't like people who think outside the box. The main problem with comps is that at turn in everyone thinks there is only one right way to do things. It would be great to see different items wining.
Click to expand...

As a judge I would have to disagree. As someone who has judged for 10 years, do you really think I want to see those 6 boxes of chicken roll up to the table, knowing everyone is basiclly a clone of the next? Look at the drumsticks in a thread a few doors over, I could not muster a 9 with just a photo, maybe in person. I gave it an 8, maybe in time I will beable to look past the exposed bone and give a 9...I would be lying if I said it did not influence my score...I guess if I am the dreaded judge 6, so be it!

I think teams, and I include myself in this, are to scared to try it on a regular basis in competitions. They try it once dont get the results they "think" they should have and they shy away from ever doing it again. Do they go and change the thigh recipe each time when they get those same results?

If teams are not willing to take the chance, we the judges dont get a chance to show that we are not All bias and expect the same thing, time, after time, after time...
 
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Butt Rubb'n BBQ said:
For some reason judges don't like people who think outside the box. The main problem with comps is that at turn in everyone thinks there is only one right way to do things. It would be great to see different items wining.
Click to expand...

I would have to disagree as well. I have had success with boneless thighs and breast meat in the box. Thinking outside the box is not a bad thing, as long as you don't go overboard.

DSC_4777.jpg
 
Bentley said:
As a judge I would have to disagree. As someone who has judged for 10 years, do you really think I want to see those 6 boxes of chicken roll up to the table, knwing everyone is basiclly a clone of the next? Look at the drumsticks in a thread a few doors over, I could not muster a 9 with just a photo, maybe in person. I gave it an 8, maybe in time I will beable to look past the exposed bone and give a 9...I would be lying if I said it did not influence my score...I guess if I am the dreaded judge 6, so be it!

I think teams, and I include myself in this, are to scared to try it on a regular basis in competitions. They try it once dont get the results they "think" they should have and they shy away from ever doing it again. Do they go and change the thigh recipe each time when they get those same results?

If teams are not willing to take the chance, we the judges dont get a chance to show that we are not All bias and expect the same thing, time, after time, after time...
Click to expand...

I agree with you, but with all the money spent in a comp, there is alot riding on a roll of the dice.

I'm not a points chaser. For now I only get a small handful of opportunities in a year, so I have to make the most of them. For me that means turning in the safest entry, when I would probably rather try something different.
 
IMG_0001-21.jpg




Q-Dat said:
I agree with you, but with all the money spent in a comp, there is alot riding on a roll of the dice.
Click to expand...

Yep, and I rolled em at the last competition and turned this in...Top ten...Keep widening that box girls & boys!

Pretty sure the way I cook thighs, if I had turned them in they would have been bottom 10 in scoring, so the judges are at least opening there eyes!
 
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I cooked Arthur, Il last fall. Third time I had ever cooked a comp. Tried a new chicken source and my skins shrunk to postage stamps. In a rash decision I pulled the skins, basted the meat and handed it in. Took first place against some tough competitor's. Dumb luck - who knows. Tried it again at Westmont, Il this Memorial day and was slammed 49 out of 66.. Who knows what works.
 
I hate chicken, too. It's our biggest downfall in the competition. I think it's because I don't care for thighs. The only person who ever made good ones was my sister in law and they are great boneless thighs. At Sam's in Lenexa we did 7th in Brisket, 9th in pork (or visa versa) 11th in ribs and 28th in chicken.

I also can't stand to scrape the skin. I honestly have to walk away several times while in the process just to get a breather. They are disgusting. There's gotta be a better way. I'd love to perfect the breast.

KCass BBQ
 
Red Valley BBQ said:
I would have to disagree as well. I have had success with boneless thighs and breast meat in the box. Thinking outside the box is not a bad thing, as long as you don't go overboard.

DSC_4777.jpg
Click to expand...

Red Valley, what kind of success? I'm glad to see you tried this. I was brainstorming the other day thought this might be a good idea, too. Not all judges like dark meat, so give them a choice.

p.s. I really like the looks of it.
 
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