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Skin secrets?

CANMAN1976
CANMAN1976 Posts: 1,593
edited October 2013 in EggHead Forum
Ok... so I have tried the corn starch thing,the fridge air dry thing and  raised direct at 400 deg but still i'm not getting crispy chicken skin.Any other tips or tricks to getting some good skin?? lol

Thanks

Jamie.
Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****



Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).
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Comments

  • revolver1
    revolver1 Posts: 372
    I've tried those too. No success.
    Dan, Columbia,Mo.
  • SkinnyV
    SkinnyV Posts: 3,404
    Was this covered in "Something about Mary".?
    Seattle, WA
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    Nice car, expensive clothes... Wait, you said chicken, not chicks.

    How long did you do the fridge thing? I find overnight is best. Try indirect at 375. I get the skin crispy with that without any prep but drying with a paper towel. Takes a little longer than direct.
  • EggoMatic
    EggoMatic Posts: 130
    I agree with @Eggcelsior. Pat that bird dry with some paper towels and cook it indirect. This is the way I go. Crispy skin every time.
    LBGE Virginia Beach, Virginia
  • ads75
    ads75 Posts: 391
    Are you using oil on the chicken?
    Large BGE, Mini BGE
    Morgantown, PA
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Use the cornstarch my son. Do it indirect. Spray with Pam or olive oil if ye have olive oil sprayers out on tha rock

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • CANMAN1976
    CANMAN1976 Posts: 1,593
    I usually let it sit in the fridge for a few hours and occasionally overnight then I dust with cornstarch and some dizzy pig and cook direct at 400 raised for about an hour.Usually I don't use oil even tho I do have a sprayer but sometimes it gets misplaced inside my untidy igloo down here on the rock:). The skin is starting to get slightly crisp at this point but once its off the egg it just gets soft again? Maybe I'm overcrowding the grid and steaming the chicken a little?

    Why do indirect over direct? I figured direct would be hotter and lead to crispier skin?? Maybe I need to bump up the temp to 425?

    Any advantage to going skin side down first to render out some fat then flip to finish??
    Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****



    Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    I feel that you get more convective heat with indirect. Air is passed around and then over the food rather than direct which is grilling at that temp, whereas indirect makes it a kick-ass convection oven with very tight temp regulation, like Little Steven's Wolf range. When I've gone direct, I have actually crisped the skin by flipping at the end rather than the beginning. I don't see why the opposite couldn't work as well.
  • This was cooked direct then moved to the side to finish smoldering with cherry chips. However, this was cooked in my "Soul Bucket" (55 gal drum). This is my first choice for cooking chicken
  • When I spatch **** my chicken. I cook it on an xl raised grid at 350 or 400. Whatever it settles at. Skin up for 20 skin down for 20. Skin up for 20. Then till it's down. Crispy skin always.
    XL   Walled Lake, MI

  • Oops. Till it is done.
    XL   Walled Lake, MI

  • Stevesails......when I do chicken on the Egg, I do exactly like you.....always crisp skin
  • CANMAN1976
    CANMAN1976 Posts: 1,593
    I'm starting to think overcrowding is my problem. I noticed I had little or no space between the pieces.Last time I had like 15 pieces on the  grid without any airspace between the chicken.

    Going to space out and go indirect next time.
    Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****



    Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).
  • gerhardk
    gerhardk Posts: 942
    I'm starting to think overcrowding is my problem. I noticed I had little or no space between the pieces.Last time I had like 15 pieces on the  grid without any airspace between the chicken.

    Going to space out and go indirect next time.
    If I have them touching within a half hour or so they shrink enough not to be touching.  I am in the indirect camp as well.  We often do thighs 1 1/2 hours 375º indirect.

    Gerhard
  • Pat dry, overnight in the fridge, butter under skin, oil,salt and pepper, herbs on top of skin, indirect, last 10 minutes of cook ramp temperature up to 500-550 degrees.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,657
    i pull chicken out of a wet marinade and cook skin down direct til the skin crisps, then flip, if its wings i do the same with the thick skin down untl crisp then flip. thighs around 300, wings 325, breasts 350. wings and thighs over 190 internal, breasts up to 160. i gave up mixing parts on the grill
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • mo egg
    mo egg Posts: 143

    Heres what i use, make a egg wash and dip chicken in wash, then put in breading and cook indirect 400 about 45 min, makes a crispy chicken.

     

    http://evergladesseasoning.com/product-category/all-purpose-breader/

     

     

  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    I'm starting to think overcrowding is my problem. I noticed I had little or no space between the pieces.Last time I had like 15 pieces on the  grid without any airspace between the chicken.

    Going to space out and go indirect next time.
    You may be right, too much on the grill can produce too much steam. We all have a different approach, for me I towel dry the chicken, dust with starch (I use a 50/50 mix corn and baking powder), open air in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Apply rub before the indirect 400-425º cook, skin is crispy. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • minniemoh
    minniemoh Posts: 2,145
    edited October 2013
    @Skiddymarker - does the rub stick to the skin after your drying time in the fridge? When I do that, all the seasoning/rub seems to fall off. Maybe you're putting it on at the same time as the corn starch/baking powder mix?

    I used to get the best skin off my MBGE cooking indirect at 425 deg. I sold it and now I use the AR with the grid extender raised as high as I can go in the LBGE dome at 425. Still doesn't get as crispy as what I could get in my MBGE.

    I guess I'm still wishing I would have kept my M.... Miss that little guy as it was perfect for so many of my cooks. SWMBO said "NO!" to having 3 eggs....
    L x2, M, S, Mini and a Blackstone 36. She says I have enough now....
    eggAddict from MN!
  • this was cooked @350 indirect over apple wood chuncks for smoke I cooked it for about 1 1/2 hours the skin was quite crisp and the meat was very very moist image
    2 Large Eggs and a Mini 2 Pit Bulls and a Pork shoulder or butt nearby and 100% SICILIAN
    Long Island N.Y.
  • CANMAN1976
    CANMAN1976 Posts: 1,593
    So is oil required/better? Seems kinda odd to remove one liquid (surface moisture) by air drying then add another? (the oil).

    Also the corn starch does it matter if its added before or after the air drying?

    Jeezusss!!!! I never thought cooking some damn chicken could be so technical... lol
    Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****



    Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).
  • minniemoh
    minniemoh Posts: 2,145
    @ CANMAN - Ha Ha I know what you mean. 

    It just so happened that I had two chickens thawing out when I stumbled upon this this thread. They had been unwrapped while frozen.

    I spatched em and rinsed them (which seems to have rehydrated the skin).

    Then I seasoned one with our favorite seasoning (Carolina Seasoning from The Holland Grill Co.) and the other I rubbed with EVOO and seasoned with the same. Fired up the egg to 425 with AR and pizza stone with drip pan. 

    After I put them on the top rack, the egg settled in at 350deg. Here's a photo of them after about 45 minutes. The one with seasoning only is at the back of the egg. The front one with the EVOO appears to be crisping better at this time. We'll see how they turn out at the end. 


    image
    L x2, M, S, Mini and a Blackstone 36. She says I have enough now....
    eggAddict from MN!
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    @minniemoh - regarding rub sticking to the chicken, depends on the rub and the chicken, sometimes it needs help, sometimes not. Interesting to note your observation on the medium, I use a MBGE, maybe they have a magic crispy skin setting?
    Done this a number of ways, sometimes I mix the rub with the starch and some times add rub after. Mixing with the starch means I have to make a decision on rub hours before the cook, I love to procrastinate, I think. Most of the time I take the chicken from the fridge, and let it sit for maybe 10 minutes or so on the counter, before applying a rub. Assume condensation on the cold chicken gives just enough moisture to get the rub to stick. If it doesn't stick I will give the bird a quick spray of oil from the Misto, enough to get the rub to stick. 
    @CANMAN1976 - you summed it up correctly, getting rid of the surface water in the skin allows the oil, natural fat or added from a bottle, to aid in browning and give that crispy skin you are trying to get. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    So is oil required/better? Seems kinda odd to remove one liquid (surface moisture) by air drying then add another? (the oil).

    Also the corn starch does it matter if its added before or after the air drying?

    Jeezusss!!!! I never thought cooking some damn chicken could be so technical... lol
    Oil isn't required if you cook indirect, neither is cornstarch. Just trying to help you out my son.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • minniemoh
    minniemoh Posts: 2,145
    edited October 2013
    @Skiddymarker - thanks for further info.

    Well, here's the end result from my experiment:

    The chicken on the right in this photo is the one with the EVOO and Carolina Seasoning. This one had more crispy skin that actually "popped" when I probed with the thermometer. The chicken on the left is the one with just seasoning and while similar in appearance, had very rubbery skin. Both birds were cooked to temp in both white (165) and dark meat (185). 

    The egg was set up with RO lump with two small pieces of both apple and cherry. I turned the grid 1/4 turn for the last 1/2 hr and they were both done at the same time. 

    Next time I'll cook one with EVOO and one with a mix of rub and corn starch to see how those come out. When I've used corn starch in the past, I have had leather skin that was so tough you couldn't bite through it. Maybe I used too much. 

    Anyway, it was a fun comparison and it tasted damn good! Just the right amount of smoke and good moisture. 

    imageimageimage
    L x2, M, S, Mini and a Blackstone 36. She says I have enough now....
    eggAddict from MN!
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    Nice test, thanks for sharing your results. If I understood it correctly, you unwrapped the frozen birds and let them thaw in the fridge, at least 24 hours I'd guess. You then spatched and rinsed the already fridge dried birds. Don't think the rinse would rehydrate the skin. You oiled, rubbed one bird and rubbed the other. The oiled bird had the best skin, which is I think expected. Once the surface water is reduced/gone, the skin will fry in the oil, crispy.
    Too much starch will create tough skin, did that once with a turkey. A dusting of starch is all that is needed to ensure the surface moisture is reduced. 
    Nice looking birds!
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • Beautiful looking cook.....thanks for sharing
  • ads75
    ads75 Posts: 391
    I have actually had better luck without oil on my drum sticks. First time I didn't use oil, I got crispy skin. I normally cook them around 400 indirect. With oil, the skin was never crispy, but still tasty.
    Large BGE, Mini BGE
    Morgantown, PA
  • minniemoh
    minniemoh Posts: 2,145
    Nice test, thanks for sharing your results. If I understood it correctly, you unwrapped the frozen birds and let them thaw in the fridge, at least 24 hours I'd guess. You then spatched and rinsed the already fridge dried birds. Don't think the rinse would rehydrate the skin. You oiled, rubbed one bird and rubbed the other. The oiled bird had the best skin, which is I think expected. Once the surface water is reduced/gone, the skin will fry in the oil, crispy.
    Too much starch will create tough skin, did that once with a turkey. A dusting of starch is all that is needed to ensure the surface moisture is reduced. 
    Nice looking birds!
    You're welcome! Thanks for the perfect summary! The birds were actually in the fridge unwrapped for about 36 hrs.

    I definitely used too much starch the last time I tried it. Now I have a powdered sugar duster to apply the starch so I should get a more uniform application. 
    L x2, M, S, Mini and a Blackstone 36. She says I have enough now....
    eggAddict from MN!
  • CANMAN1976
    CANMAN1976 Posts: 1,593
    So the key things that I notice are the fridge air dry,a dusting of starch,oil and cook indirect with spacing between the pieces at 375-400 deg.

    Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****



    Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).