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Chicken help

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DesertSnow
DesertSnow Posts: 67
in EggHead Forum
heres what I did...
-bought a whole chicken
-brined for 12 hours in just some salt and sugar water
-cut it for spatchcock 
-patted dry with papertowels
-brushed with olive oil 
-put a rub on 
-plate setter in with a drip pan
-300degrees skin side down until internal 150 then took plate setter out to finished skin side up

the problem I'm having is everything beneathe the skin was fantastic....BUT...the skin was almost inedible..very rubbery and had a bad smoke flavor(too much smoke)...what happened? How do I get a better skin? Iv watched a bunch of YouTube videos and looked at post on here and thought I got it right?!?!?

maybe leave uncovered in the fridge overnight to fry it out more?  use spaying oil instead of olive oil? I'm baffled....help so I don't ruin any more chickens!  
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  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,232
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    Skin side down seems suspect to me. 
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
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    1). Don't wet brine. 2) Leave out uncovered in fridge overnight 3) Go raised direct 400-425 skin side up the whole cook 4) Use dry rub for flavor plus/minus sauce late in the cook. 
    My 2 cents. 
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • Jupiter Jim
    Jupiter Jim Posts: 3,351
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    Like bgebrent said and it will be great.

    I'm only hungry when I'm awake!

    Okeechobee FL. Winter

    West Jefferson NC Summer

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  • Brddog
    Brddog Posts: 18
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    @DesertSnow others with more tried and true approaches will chime in, but I am in the camp that sometimes we overthink things. Now keep in mind this comes from someone who will not wait in a line for condiments for my hotdog if it is deeper than two because I don't get that much satisfaction for my wait (my wife will wait 30 minutes).

    I have done a few spatchcock chickens and it has recently become our go to Friday night dinner. I get home from work, get the BGE upto 425, take the chicken out of packaging, spatchcock, put on some rub and then cook direct until breast at 160 and thighs 185. 

    i think higher heat is what helps the skin. 
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  • SoCalTim
    SoCalTim Posts: 2,158
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    May I recommend 'Brick' chicken. Spatchcock like normal, skin up with 2 firebricks (wrapped in HDAF) on top for the first half of the cook, when the temp gets to about 130 flip the bird with skin down put bricks on top til 165. 
    I've slow smoked and eaten so much pork, I'm legally recognized as being part swine - Chatsworth Ca.
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  • cheeaa
    cheeaa Posts: 364
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    Direct is the answer. 
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  • johnnyp
    johnnyp Posts: 3,932
    edited August 2016
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    @bgebrent 's method above would
    certainly work.

    ill lend some additional advice in regards to your method. First, ditch the oil.  It's not needed.  
    Second, when you're cooking chicken indirect, you want to cook hotter.  I normally shoot for 375F, and am not intimidated by 400+

    Looking forward the your next post, when you get to say "I killed it"
    XL & MM BGE, 36" Blackstone - Newport News, VA
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  • Killit_and_Grillit
    Killit_and_Grillit Posts: 4,326
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    bgebrent said:
    1). Don't wet brine. 2) Leave out uncovered in fridge overnight 3) Go raised direct 400-425 skin side up the whole cook 4) Use dry rub for flavor plus/minus sauce late in the cook. 
    My 2 cents. 
    You will not get chicken to come off better. 

    "Brought to you by bourbon, bacon, and a series of questionable life decisions."

    South of Nashville, TN

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  • DesertSnow
    DesertSnow Posts: 67
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    Im getting another chicken as soon as I get off work tomorrow morning and going at it again! 
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  • dldawes1
    dldawes1 Posts: 2,208
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    I go with @bgebrent.  

    SoCalTim....first time I've heard of the "Brick Chicken".  I'll have to give it a try.  Sounds interesting !!

    Donnie Dawes - RNNL8 BBQ - Carrollton, KY  

    TWIN XLBGEs, 1-Beautiful wife, 1 XS Yorkie

    I'm keeping serious from now on...no more joking around from me...Meatheads !! 


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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,516
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    In addition to @bgebrent 's process, you can dust the skin with corn starch to improve the crispness.  FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • ThrillSeeker
    ThrillSeeker Posts: 306
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    Usually I'll brush w/ a little oil, season, and then cook raised indirect at 400 degrees to get crispy skin.

    I don't brine my chicken.  I'll rinse it, and soak it in cold salt water for about 30 min before I season it.

    Large BGE - Medium BGE - Too many accessories to name

    Antioch, TN

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  • Dawgs8033
    Dawgs8033 Posts: 113
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    I also use a little corn starch on the skin and it crisps up just fine.
    LGBE, SBGE,Blackstone,Weber Kettle, Weber Smokey Joe.
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  • GrillSgt
    GrillSgt Posts: 2,507
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    Great tip on the cornstarch. I use it in stir fry but never thought about it for a grill. Can't wait to try it.
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  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
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    Great advice so far.  Just to add to this I think skin side down was definitely a problem when cooking indirect for chicken.  The temperature at the grate level is lower because the plate setter/drip pan is blocking the heat.  Also you have all the moisture from the chicken dripping down on the skin the entire cook so it tends to come out rubbery.  

    I think the over-smoke might be a separate issue.  Cut back on the wood chunks/chips and make sure to give the fire time to stabilize and burn clean after you light.  Hold your hand over the top of the egg and smell it.  If it smells good then the food will taste good.  If it smells like a camp fire then wait before putting the food on. 

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
    edited August 2016
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    No need to brine. No need to EEVO. Cook raised (felt-line) direct at 375-400. 

    Rub of choice or simple Salt and Pepper. 

    I'll often use a small handful of apple chips with Spatch.

    Even leftovers are great - 30 seconds in the microwave. 

    Go buy another chicken! 
    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • Action_Hank
    Action_Hank Posts: 54
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    Raised direct has done wonders for my chicken game and it was as simple as buying three pavers at Lowes for 60 cents each 
    "It's not the beard on the outside that counts, its the beard on the INSIDE."

    LBGE   -   Lexington, KY
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  • cheeaa
    cheeaa Posts: 364
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    BTW, less wood chunks or chips is a myth for the cause of "oversmoked". Does food off stick burners taste over smoked? No because it's good clean smoke. Chicken will soak thick white smoke like a sponge. You gotta let it clear out first
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