Opinions..Thighs at 250 for a few hours, or..?

Bigger

What are the pros and cons (crispy skin of course) of cooking thighs for multiple hours at 225-250 vs. 30-40 mins at 375-400?

Thx.

Unknown

Fallin' offa the bone at 250º for 4 or 5 hours with crisp skin.

Good eats at 375º crisp skin

are you in a hurry or not?

gdenby

While thighs are less likely to dry out than breasts, being fattier, I'd expect to baste them thru the last half of the cook if doing them for hours. A method I used with my old water smoker was to dip the entire piece into a bath of broth and rub every 15 minutes for close to 4 hours. The outside becomes coated with a thick almost black crust. The inside stays really juicy. But the Egg's moisture retention keeps thighs moist even at 400. Not quite the same crust, but acceptable.

fishlessman

sometimes thighs cooked quickly come out greasy tasting to me. i like the slower cook better. this is especially true with cooking duck, a nice low and slow is the way to go.

RU Eggsperienced

I've done them that way - marinade first in a concoction of OJ, Cumin, Garlic, fresh grn pepper, ancho chili powder, onion and tequila if you are adventuresome.

I have also done a portion direct - little bit of a sear then put in the platesetter and cook indirect for a whlie. This is a little more effort but not that tough. Also done them indirect the whole time and they were quite good. Usually I've done at 275...

Fidel

I am a fan of hot and fast. I cook thighs at 375-400 for about an hour on a raised grid indirect.

I pull the skin back then place it over the meat again. It seems to help the fat under the skin render and gets it crispy.

I like them internal of 180+. I don't even take a temp until the skin looks good to me. Sometimes they get over 190 but are still very juicy. I like the texture of the meat at these temps, and the leftovers make great chicken salad or pulled chicken sammies.

I can't even recall the last time I did chicken parts at lower temps.

Essex County

My preferred method is right in the middle: 300. I get rub under and on the skin and then do them indirect for about 90 minutes. You can jack up the temp at the end if you want to crispen the skin.
Paul