Chicken, you prick

Botch

 

I've been reading several folks have trouble getting crispy-enough skin, and also about raised direct, which I've not had good luck with.  

 

Tomorrow is a guv'mint holiday, so I took today off and got a double-weekend.  Brined the cheeken last night for two hours, dried in the fridge overnight, rubbed with Montreal cheeken seasoning, and spatchcocked, raised direct at 400.  This time, however, I punctured Mr. Cluck all over with my sausage pricker (has three sharp points) giving the rendered fat lots of drain holes through the skin.

I flipped the bird breast-side up after only 20 minutes, and again the skin on the highest part of the breast was charred just a bit too much.  Let it go until the breast hit 160.

The cheeken was perfectly cooked, and I was really happy with the skin, except for the charred bits on the top breast (sorry, no pics).  I'm going back to raised indirect, I just can't get the direct to work for me.  But, I'm definitely pricking my bird all over from now on, really liked the skin this time!   

:-bd

Spring Chicken

Wheeeee!!! I was well into your story before I realized you weren't talking about me...

Spring "Read Entirely Before Reacting" Chicken

Spring Texas USA

minniemoh

Love the title! I may have to try your pricking method.

I'm an indirect guy on spatchcock too. My MBGE is the best indirect spatchcock cooker for some reason. The skin turns out best when I just pull it out of the wrapper, spatch it, and cook 400-425 indirect for 65-75 minutes. It just comes out better on the M than anything else. I don't know why.

Congrats on a great cook.

Eggcelsior

Botch said:

 

I've been reading several folks have trouble getting crispy-enough skin, and also about raised direct, which I've not had good luck with.  

 

Tomorrow is a guv'mint holiday Veteran's Day, so I took today off and got a double-weekend.  Brined the cheeken last night for two hours, dried in the fridge overnight, rubbed with Montreal cheeken seasoning, and spatchcocked, raised direct at 400.  This time, however, I punctured Mr. Cluck all over with my sausage pricker (has three sharp points) giving the rendered fat lots of drain holes through the skin.

I flipped the bird breast-side up after only 20 minutes, and again the skin on the highest part of the breast was charred just a bit too much.  Let it go until the breast hit 160.

The cheeken was perfectly cooked, and I was really happy with the skin, except for the charred bits on the top breast (sorry, no pics).  I'm going back to raised indirect, I just can't get the direct to work for me.  But, I'm definitely pricking my bird all over from now on, really liked the skin this time!   

:-bd

FTFY

RRP

I don't have a 3 pronged sausage pricker like you but I have done the same thing using a 2 prong corn cob holder! You just get done 50% faster than I do!

Carolina Q

RRP said:

I don't have a 3 pronged sausage pricker like you but I have done the same thing using a 2 prong corn cob holder! You just get done 50% faster than I do!

Ron, how about your Jaccard? I might give that a shot next time.

NPHuskerFL

Ya, my Boss rocks! I have tomorrow paid off along with other Military Veterans. Tomorrow is Veterans Day. Not guv'mint holiday.

RRP

Carolina Q said:

RRP said:

I don't have a 3 pronged sausage pricker like you but I have done the same thing using a 2 prong corn cob holder! You just get done 50% faster than I do!

Ron, how about your Jaccard? I might give that a shot next time.

I have Jaccarded skinless breasts before to tenderize for sandwiches on croissants, but to use it on a whole yard bird constantly running into bone and cartilage doesn't strike me as worth the cleanup time it takes when the corn cob holder is easier. 

SGH

@RRP‌
I have never pierced the skin on poultry. That I know of I have never at poultry that the skin had been pierced and I have ate more than my fair share of poultry. To be brutally honest, I have more than ate my fair share of about everything
All that said, I'm curious as to what piercing the skin accomplishes and is it worth the effort? If you say it's worth it I'm going to try it. Thanks in advance.

RRP

SGH said:

@RRP‌ I have never pierced the skin on poultry. That I know of I have never at poultry that the skin had been pierced and I have ate more than my fair share of poultry. To be brutally honest, I have more than ate my fair share of about everything All that said, I'm curious as to what piercing the skin accomplishes and is it worth the effort? If you say it's worth it I'm going to try it. Thanks in advance.

this thread was started by @Botch and he explained that the puncturing lets the grease seep out of skin and that makes it more crispy. Sometimes I will also put corn starch in a fine mesh tea strainer and wave it over the raw bird so as to give a light dusting. That also helps crisp up the skin.

Botch

The next one I do I'm gonna prick the left half of the chicken, leave the right alone, so I have an accurate, side-by-side comparison.

Aaaand it'll be indirect!  

NPHuskerFL

Maybe I'm lucky. I spatchcock, dry skin with paper towels, S&P or other dry rub and cook raised direct at 400℉ ish until bird temps. Most of the time the skin is very crisp.

Botch

>BUMP!<

Botch said:

The next one I do I'm gonna prick the left half of the chicken, leave the right alone, so I have an accurate, side-by-side comparison.

Aaaand it'll be indirect!  

 

Well, I promised the above experiment and forgot about it for a couple months.  Didn't have a full chicken today (supermarket didn't have any?!) but I bought a package of bone-in, skin-on thighs, and pricked half of them (marked them with a toothpick) and left the half un-pricked.  Gotta admit, I don't think there was much difference at all, must've been some other variable, or my own imagination, the first time.  

 

I did try a new sauce on them (I left two thighs unsauced to really know what the skin had done).  Some doofus was demoing his game-day wangs at a tailgate segment on Headline News, and he tossed the wings in a quick sauce made with 2 parts favorite jarred sauce, 1 part chinese oyster sauce, and sriracha to taste.  Dang, that was good!  I use oyster sauce a lot in my stir-frys, never thought of it as a barbeque sauce component.  

EGG_Daddy

When you brine the chicken do you make sure to rinse it extremely well?  I've noticed on a lazy rinse my skin wan't crisp.  

Botch

I rinse, but don't know if it's "extremely well".  

I've finally learned to wash my raw rice VERY thoroughly before putting it in the cooker, mebbe I gotta do the same with my cheekin.  Thanks!