thighs or legs with or without skin?

toomsdpt · April 2007

Does it matter? Does it effect the outcome? will enough heat get to the meat and rub that is under the skin?

DaytonEgger · April 2007

toomsdpt,[p]It depends on the cooking method. I prefer to cook thighs and legs slow-n-lo, at 250 (dome) for several hours. When they are done, just looking at them will make the meat fall off the bone (and I like a good smoke flavor in my chicken too, usually use some cherry). But the skin is inedible when I do this--rubbery and just to be thrown away. I like to keep it on to help baste the meat and protect it during the long cook. But you do need to get some rub underneath the skin, because otherwise, you throw away all that good seasoning.[p]Others here like to cook chicken at a higher temp to get a crispy skin. Still others pull the skin off before cooking for health reasons.

thirdeye · April 2007

<p />toomsdpt,[p]Here are some bone-in skinless thighs. Two advantages of chicken without skin are lower fat and more flavor. I think that when the rub is applied directly to the meat and kissed by the heat, the meat is more flavorful than when the rub is applied under the skin. (Plus if anyone removes the seasoned skin on their pieces, there goes 75% of the flavor)[p]The downside is that the skin retains moisture. So you have to add oil or butter to your basting liquid or use a sauce at the end.[p][p]~thirdeye~

fishlessman · April 2007

<p />toomsdpt,
i cook the thighs skin on at about 275 with a raised grill, and lump not much over the fire box holes direct. it takes about 2 hours plus or minus a little bit, and go more by how the skin looks than the thermapen with these. i like the skin to start to crunch up, thighs can be overcooked a bit, its not necessary to take them off the grill when they hit 180 like most do, they can be brought up to 190/195, when the skin looks right they are done. i smoke heavier when im eating them hot off the grill, but a lot of time im cooking them for snacks on the boat and use less smoking wood. cold thighs can taste too smokey when cold the next day.i cook thighs just about once everyweekend from may to the end of september during the fishing season for lunch on the boat. try the mustard on a couple with a light coat, i dont think it could be bad. sometimes a little sauce on towards the end, mostly not

gdenby · April 2007

toomsdpt,[p]I just did some skin on thighs last Friday that turned out pretty well. I cleaned off the excess fat in the morning, rubbed them, and let them sit in the fridge during the day. It seems to me that giving rubs enough time to melt from the meat's own fluid makes a sort of marinade. Fired up the Egg, and put them on skin side down, raised grid, with the dome at 300. After 15 minutes, flipped them quickly, as the rendered fat was eager to flare. After 15 more minutes, I flipped again, and opened the vents wide. When the temp hit 450, I shut everything down, and gave the Egg a few minutes to cool. The thighs were nicely cooked, and the skin was nice and crisy. I've tried ramping the temp up at the biggining and end of Chicken cooks, and generally find that a final sear makes the skin crispy. Had to let the Egg burn a bit longer at start-up the next day to flush some of the grease spatter.[p]Usually, when I do skinless, I marinade the chicken. I usually do them around 350 direct, flipped once during the middle of about a 45 minute cook.[p]gdenby[p]

gdenby · April 2007

Make that:[p]...I've tried ramping the temp up at the biggining OR end of Chicken cooks...[p]gdenby[p]

thighs or legs with or without skin?

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