chicken thighs

fishlessman

ive never cooked thighs before at a low temp, but last night i tried them at 275 for 2 hours. went by time, not temp, and the skin came out real nice and crispy. the thigh meat registered 210 when done, a little dry, edible, but the skin made up for it. does anyone have any luck getting the skin done at the same time as the meat. if i try raising the temp at the end i always burn the skin. would the meat stay moist if i brine first and then over cook for the crispy skin. i had them coated with garlic oil, cowlick, and lots of paprika.

katman

fishlessman,[p]The health crowd says the skin isn't good for you, but it shouldn't hurt as long as you wash it down with a brew. I hit the skin with a little olive oil towards the end of the cook, lift the lid and do a quick toast, skin side down. Butter also works real well as should your garlic oil.

WooDoggies

fishlessman,[p]You probably just overcooked the meat..... it happens!
Here are a few things you could try next time...
Cook the chicken direct on a grid that's raised to nearly level with the bottom lip of the egg leaving an edge so your food doesn't roll off onto the patio.... that level is what Spin calls the "sweet spot" for grilling.... and there you'll be less apt to burn your skin.
Instead of cooking only by time, take a look at the chicken while you're flipping.... is the meat starting to draw up from the bone? Is is beginning to look done? Does it smell done?
Depending on the size of the thigh, I have found they can be done much earlier than 2 hours and 210 is very done for a thigh and probably why it came out on the dry side. You'd be better off not letting them get above 190.
Don't give up on raising the temp in the end to crisp the skin. Allow the temp to rise slowly the last 20 minutes or so and keep a pretty good eye on it flipping often to get an even color on the skin.
Thighs just want to come out great.... it's in their nature... good luck![p]John

fishlessman

WooDoggies,
my setup has the grill about 3 inches above the lip and it works well for spatchcock, i just always have problems with parts. ive even gone to the extent of bringing the internal to 170 and finishing them in a deep fryer. while they were a little dry, the thighs are a forgiving cook and do taste good, even if over cooked. what temp do you cook them at.

Nature Boy

That Woo fella knows how to cook him up some thighs, and makes some excellent points. [p]You might try cranking up the heat once you get near 180 internal, and cook skin down until the skin is crisp. By then your meat will be 185 and ready for the plate. This skin crisping over higher heat is a challenge though (Ray is really good at it), as with the lid being open more often (and the last of the fat is rendering out of the skin) flareups are not uncommon and you can torch up some beautiful thighs in a heartbeat if you aint watchin closely. It happens really quickly, so you might find it helpful to do 4 or 5 at a time instead of the whole batch.[p]I would think 210 internal will definitely give you a dry product no matter how long it took to get there! Happy cookin, and good luck hitting your goals!
Chris

fishlessman

katman,
when they say that half of the fat is in the skin, do they mean the other half is in the chicken. if i eat just the chicken skins and throw the meat away, im discarding half the fat, i can live with that

fishlessman

Nature Boy,
ive tried the quick flipping thing alot, just so hard to get it right with the dome open. maybe one of those 2 sided fish baskets with the handle would work for me. it might have something to do with the initial cook as well. one beer to prep the thighs and get the grill going, then 1.5 hours at 20 minute per beer cooking time. flipping with the dome open turns into a panic time when im just starting to relax : )

WooDoggies

fishlessman,[p]I try to get the dome set at 250 for cooking legs, wings and thighs but also allowing for a little temp drift... I have noticed there is a marked difference in cooking time between 250 and 275 when cooking parts... you wouldn't think so but there is.
So it might help to be as consistent as possible with your first chicken parts cooks until you get a feel of what to expect from your cooker..... and my guess is, in three more parts cooks and you'll be a pro.
Another thing I do when grilling chicken is to fill with lump to just an inch or two above the holes in the firebox and light from the top, let the fire get good and established and before putting on the chicken, spread the red coals evenly, give it a few more minutes to diminish the smoke and then start the cook.
For me, having the fire as far away from the chicken makes for an easier cook and helps prevent burning.
John[p]

fishlessman

WooDoggies,
thats what ill shoot for, 250, and consistancy. im going to stick with just thighs for a while until i get it right. i never had this problem with my old kettle with chicken, but the overall flavor wasnt there either. will keep at it until i get the meat and the skin done at the same time, thanks

Charles in SC

fishlessman,
So far all that you have here sounds good. One other thing you might want to try is:
When the internal meat temp hits 180 (you will learn the amount of time)remove the chicken from the grill sit aside and run the grill temp up high with the lid open then put the chicken back on skin side down to crisp it.

Eggecutioner

fishlessman,[p]I did 8 thighs earlier this week. The package was about 2# so that would make them about 1/4# each. Just so you know the size if these pieces, they were pretty big. The seasoning I used was a 50/50 mix of Lawry's seasoning salt and curry powder (yellow). I cooked them direct not on a raised grid, but the lump was only up to the bottom of the fire ring.[p]I lit my starter cube, opened the vent and no daisy wheel. I guess I let it run too long at these settings. When I got back to the egg it was running about 450-475. Way too hot for fatty thighs. But I was runnng late so I closed the bottom vent and put the rain cap on to let it cool down a little. When It got to say 400, I opened it up and I threw the thighs on and closed the egg. I checked on them every 15-20 minutes, more frequently when I first put them on the grate.[p]Here is the thing... The only time there was a flame is when I opened the egg to check the chicken. Yet there was enough residual heat to cook the meat and crisp the skin. It took about 45-55 minutes to finish maybe an hour. I don't have any temps, but the bone pulled clean.[p]I don't mean to blow my own horn, but... it was about the best chicken I have had in a long long time.[p]

Eggecutioner

fishlessman,[p]I'm with you brother! I love crispy seasoned chicken skin. Who needs the white meat... )