crispy chicken skin

Hi Toothman
Here's one method you might try, it is the way I do it. Start with a spatchcocked chicken. (cut the backbone out and flatten the bird. you can make slits and tuck in the drum sticks and wing ends) Rub the birds skin with an oil that takes high temps. (I use peanut oil for a little extra flavor. Just don't use EVOO as it might burn.) Put your seasoning/rub on and throw on the egg, direct heat, bone side down. Dome temp should be about 375. Remember this method takes less time than a regular bird. (About 50 min for a 4lb bird) But it is easy enough to check) Then when you are about 15 min away from your total time, turn the bird over, skin side to the coals and let it go for 10 or 15 min. If you need additional time do it bone side to the coals. Your skin should be great.
billyg

ToothMan,
I cooked some chicken hindquarters the other night. Used a little olive oil and Tsunami Spin at 350. Thought it was great, but the wife wanted crispier skin. I suggested that we get a deep fat fryer, but it did not go over big. When I noticed that her seconds consisted of skin, I pointed out that she had just said it was not too good. She said she only picked the crispy part. Oh well.[p]Any info on crispier skin would be appreciated...tom

ToothMan,
I think that the hard part about talking about methods to achieve crispy skinned chicken is to agree on the defnition for crispy and what percent of the total skin is that way. [p]I basically follow TNWs recipe for spatchcocked chicken, except that I flip and cook breast down for the second half of the cook. For me, that is nice crisp skinned chicken.[p]The general rules for making skin crisp involve getting the skin VERY DRY before you start (as in sitting open in the refrig for hours or using a blow dryer), a little oil/butter, and relatively hot temps. It takes more than 24 hours to cook a traditional peking duck (the skin is the focus of what is served) and a big part of that is hanging the duck and forcing air over it with a fan.[p]I am anxious to try the recipe for the wings that was posted here (1 part corn starch + 2 parts DP at 400, indirect)

ToothMan,[p]Making crispy chicken skin involves rendering the fat from the skin. As long as the skin has fat in it, it will be soft.[p]You can raise the temp to render the fat and risk overcooking the meat (or burning the skin). I prefer to lower the temp and cook for an extended amount of time to render the fat as burning and overcooking are greatly reduced this way.[p]I like to cook at 225 degrees, direct over a low level of charcoal so there is as much space between the fire and the meal.[p]It definitely can be done.[p]Spin

want to jump in here???

Eggecutioner,
LOL - there for a few hours I thought I was nutso!!! but the only reason I'm sure it was thirdeye who suggested the corn starch was because I thought someone else way back was the brillant guy and then when the accolades were flying around unaccepted some sweet gal came along and proved it to all of us it was thirdeye - but where is that rascal tonight???