Pulled chicken question

EzraBrooks

I got asked to provide pulled chicken for my kid's team. I have never done pulled chicken before so did a trial run this evening with a whole bird. I was originally thinking I would want it to go to a higher IT so it would pull better, like pulled pork, but everything I found online said to cook to 165. I did 165 and it pulled but there was resistance to the pull so I feel like I should let it go longer next time. For those who do pulled chicken, how high do you go on the internal temp?

alaskanassasin

I am not a pulled chicken expert but I would probably be inclined to just do breasts. That said I am curious to he other responses 

lkapigian

Pulled Chicken best done with Dark Meat, I’ll buy Costco Packs of bone in thighs , cook in pan to retain Jus , 170 -180 cover let rest… it will pull like pulled pork, enjoy ( season how you like , SPG for me )

alaskanassasin

There you go! I’ll have to try thighs next time.

lousubcap

Search for @Mattman3969 posts regarding pulled chix.  He was a master and quite active here til a couple of years ago.  He also was the king of the diamond plate food presentation.  

fishlessman

finish it in steam in a pressure cooker. the whole bird will shred, poor the liquid back in over the  product.

Mark_B_Good

lkapigian said:

Pulled Chicken best done with Dark Meat, I’ll buy Costco Packs of bone in thighs , cook in pan to retain Jus , 170 -180 cover let rest… it will pull like pulled pork, enjoy ( season how you like , SPG for me )

I agree, for sure dark meat to have some tenderness and moisture.  Breast is FAR too dry.  170F is a good target.

fishlessman

this will get you a plain chicken pull with no barbeque and no pressure cooker. why its called a barb i dont know but this is an old mill worker recipe. chicken shacks used to be all over this area.

Chicken Barb

 (Serves 8) 

 A search through every local cookbook at the Lawrence Public Library and the Lawrence History Center failed to yield a printed recipe for chicken barb. This is Lawrence-born Methuenite Ned Leone's personal recipe. It's perfect for those of us who don't own a pressure cooker.

 

Ingredients:

5 1/2 pounds of bone-in chicken thighs (you (can substitute white meat chicken or turkey)

1 onion, quartered

1 celery stalk with leaves, coarsely chopped 

Bell's poultry seasoning, to taste

Celery salt, to taste 

Onion salt, to taste 

8 white sandwich rolls 

Mayonnaise, to taste 

8 to 10 iceberg lettuce leaves 

Spaghetti pot with steaming basket

Directions:

1. Remove skin and excess fat from chicken and rub with your own "secret recipe blend, using above seasonings. Add onion and celery to pot and fill with water to just below the steamer basket. Add chicken to steamer basket. Cover the pot and steam chicken until the meat is falling off of the bone, about an hour.

2. Remove chicken, and set aside to cool. Strain onion and celery from broth and set liquid aside. When chicken is cooled, remove the meat from the bones and pull apart into small pieces. Add more seasoning blend to the shredded chicken to taste and put the meat into the broth. Simmer intil heated through.

To Assemble:

Toast the outside of the sandwich rolls (best if done on a grill or griddle). Place leaves of iceberg let ice on the bottom halves of the rolls. Scoop chicken meat from the pot with a slotted spoon, draining it slightly. Pile the chicken on top of the lettuce. Spread mayonnaise on the top halves of the rolls. Salt and pepper to taste.

 i have done pulled turkey in the egg alone low and slow, it needs to be injected a few times and cooked upsidown so the grease bastes the the breast meat

fishlessman

the barb

lkapigian

If you want something with pulled chicken , an Armenian Staple Keshkeg  ( Harissa)  shredded chicken with Pearl Barley , a regular in my wheel house, a kin to Carolina BBQ Hash 

fishlessman

done with a turkey, chicken would do the same

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1142418/low-and-slow-turkey?utm_source=community-search&utm_medium=organic-search&utm_term=pulled+turkey+everything+wrong+fishlessman

EzraBrooks

Thanks for the comments. I would choose thighs as well, however, I am trying to use whole birds for budget reasons. The booster club needs to do this as economically as possible and I can get whole birds for $1.49 a lb. They are currently buying cooked pulled pork and pulled chicken from some food service place for $5 and $6 a lb for their events. I know I can do the pulled pork for a lot cheaper, and if I can dial in the pulled chicken then I'll be replacing that service completely. They are running a deficit so trying to do whatever I can to help.

Based on the comments and some of the other threads I read I'm going to try taking it a little further in the breast, maybe 175 and see how that goes. I'll inject with melted butter to keep it moist. f I can't get the whole birds to work, I'll go with thighs but that will cost a little more, still a lot less than what they are paying now.

lousubcap

@EzraBrooks - That is stepping up for a good cause.  Hopefully this link to a forum pulled chix search works:
Pulled Chicken. 

Mattman3969

@EzraBrooks - for pulled chicken I go low n slow 225-250 with a minimal amount of lump in the egg. This will increase the distance between the fire and the protein. I’ll use oak for smoke and run direct.  I like the taste and smell the chicken fat creates when it hits the hot coals.  Most times I’ll have the chicken on the expander to gain more distance from the heat.  Use any rub you like but I’m partial to Bad Byron’s Butt Rub and Dizzy Dust mixed. I mop/squirt( squirt bottle doesn’t mess up the rub).  Link below for mop.  This cook will run 5-6hrs. I don’t have a done temp for you as I’ll go by fell when the joints fall apart easily.  This will be around 170-180 generally.  You can search my threads for low n slow chicken for pics of the setup.  Good luck and I think it’s awesome that you’re trying to help cut cost.  A side note - the skin will be kinda soft but that’s ok if you’re gonna remove it. I like to fry the skin on the griddle then chop up and add to the pulled meat. 

Mop sauce I use. The sauce is the only thing I use for here. 

https://www.nibblemethis.com/2009/05/smoked-chicken.html

@lousubcap - thanks for the shout out. My cooking has slowed/changed quite a bit and doesn’t  use the egg as much as it used hence the lack of post.  I still check in from time to time to see what the cool kids are doing.   

lousubcap

The master has surfaced.  Thanks @Mattman3969 for your skilled insights.
Stay healthy and safe out there-

EzraBrooks

Mattman3969 said:

@EzraBrooks - for pulled chicken I go low n slow 225-250 with a minimal amount of lump in the egg. This will increase the distance between the fire and the protein. I’ll use oak for smoke and run direct.  I like the taste and smell the chicken fat creates when it hits the hot coals.  Most times I’ll have the chicken on the expander to gain more distance from the heat.  Use any rub you like but I’m partial to Bad Byron’s Butt Rub and Dizzy Dust mixed. I mop/squirt( squirt bottle doesn’t mess up the rub).  Link below for mop.  This cook will run 5-6hrs. I don’t have a done temp for you as I’ll go by fell when the joints fall apart easily.  This will be around 170-180 generally.  You can search my threads for low n slow chicken for pics of the setup.  Good luck and I think it’s awesome that you’re trying to help cut cost.  A side note - the skin will be kinda soft but that’s ok if you’re gonna remove it. I like to fry the skin on the griddle then chop up and add to the pulled meat. 

Mop sauce I use. The sauce is the only thing I use for here. 

https://www.nibblemethis.com/2009/05/smoked-chicken.html

@lousubcap - thanks for the shout out. My cooking has slowed/changed quite a bit and doesn’t  use the egg as much as it used hence the lack of post.  I still check in from time to time to see what the cool kids are doing.   

Thanks for the insight, I never would have thought of low and slow raised direct. I'll give that a try next time.

Corv

This recipe is for a slow-cooker rather than an egg, but it might be useful. I found it very good and equally easy to make. Unfortunately Trader Joes no longer carries the salsa I preferred for it.

https://therealfooddietitians.com/slow-cooker-chicken-chile-verde/#tasty-recipes-9835

fishlessman

EzraBrooks said:

Mattman3969 said:

@EzraBrooks - for pulled chicken I go low n slow 225-250 with a minimal amount of lump in the egg. This will increase the distance between the fire and the protein. I’ll use oak for smoke and run direct.  I like the taste and smell the chicken fat creates when it hits the hot coals.  Most times I’ll have the chicken on the expander to gain more distance from the heat.  Use any rub you like but I’m partial to Bad Byron’s Butt Rub and Dizzy Dust mixed. I mop/squirt( squirt bottle doesn’t mess up the rub).  Link below for mop.  This cook will run 5-6hrs. I don’t have a done temp for you as I’ll go by fell when the joints fall apart easily.  This will be around 170-180 generally.  You can search my threads for low n slow chicken for pics of the setup.  Good luck and I think it’s awesome that you’re trying to help cut cost.  A side note - the skin will be kinda soft but that’s ok if you’re gonna remove it. I like to fry the skin on the griddle then chop up and add to the pulled meat. 

Mop sauce I use. The sauce is the only thing I use for here. 

https://www.nibblemethis.com/2009/05/smoked-chicken.html

@lousubcap - thanks for the shout out. My cooking has slowed/changed quite a bit and doesn’t  use the egg as much as it used hence the lack of post.  I still check in from time to time to see what the cool kids are doing.   

Thanks for the insight, I never would have thought of low and slow raised direct. I'll give that a try next time.

thats how i did the turkey as well. its important to use less lump to increase the distance between the meat and fire with a low and slow direct cook and to raise that grill level. i do ribs this way and even have done a pork butt low and slow direct