Chicken on the Smoke Vault - quick and tasty (but alas, terrible skin!)

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Hot and relatively fast... I started off a little lower temp, tried to get some smoke rollin'. On this Smoke Vault, though, you can get pretty good smoke at low OR high temps, it seems. I like that!

So I got home from work, took a chikkin out of the package, seasoned it up simple with Tony Chachere's and a little extra garlic powder on the outside and threw it on.

Started about 220ºF for a few minutes to get smoke going good, then decided to kick it up little by little, got 'er up to about 350ºF. Pulled the chikkin at 160ºF in the breast and 170ºF in the thigh. I was accounting for about 5º of carryover. In hindsight, it was a little chewier than I'd like, I might go right up to the 165ºF/175ºF point next time.

On to the pics:

https://share.fireboard.io/16CA52

Looks pretty good, I think.




Dunno how well you can see it, but that is juice literally pooling in the thigh crease as I cut it - this was some juicy chikkin! You know what they say about thick thighs....




And the finished butchered meal.



As you can see, I went pretty hot and fast... dried the skin off with paper towels, but honestly this was some of the rubberiest and chewiest, most disappointing chikkin skin I've ever eaten. Truly spectacularly disappointing.

Chikkin had great flavor, but was a little rubbery itself. Next time I might give it a go at 325ºF and run it up another 5º or so.

The ever sought-after crispy skin still eludes me.

[texastweeter]

Hit the chicken with salt pepper garlic and baking powder the night before, and leave to air dry on a rack in the fridge uncovered (on sheet pan of course) the night before. Really helps the skin.

[rickgregory]

What he said. You can also pierce the skin all over with the tip of a knife to try to get fat to render and run off. I can get crisp skin in the oven without that but that's because in the oven I cook it at 425F.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Well, I have no doubt I could get to 400+ in the Smoke Vault - anyone done that? I didn't have it much over halfway to get to 350.

[texastweeter]

Yes, but watch for grease fires.

[DavidNorcross]

As others have said dry brine before the cook and allow to either air dry or set in the fridge. I also coat with oil prior to the cook. How long did you cook at 350? for me the key to good skin is drying and temp. I typically go 350 or higher throughout the cook.

[Dadof3Illinois]

Higher temps. If you are going for crispy skin you gotta get it HOT. I'm not sure the vault can stay or should go above 450F but IMO that's where you need to be.

[Bkhuna]

Chicken Skin should be a sticky topic.

[bbqLuv]

The skin is the toughest to get right, crispy, bite through, or both. Plus, the fat rendered correctly.

[HawkerXP]

Hang in your PBC with one rebar removed and let it rip!

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

I thought 350ºF would be good enough. I know I should have dry brined it and let the skin dry out, but it was a bit of a last-minute game time call.

I'll try it again next week when the family is here.

So... the baking soda I've tried once with wings - but my pellet grill caught on fire from the rendering fat and popped up over 600ºF, ruining all the wings and a bunch of my Fireboard probes - definitely want to avoid that in the future.

DavidNorcross you said use oil - you think this is in addition to baking soda? I would think one or the other for those techniques.

Since there're going to be a bunch of us, maybe I'll do one with baking soda and one with oil, try to get up to 425ºF and see how it goes?

[Dadof3Illinois]

I use Louisiana Chicken Fry to coat my skin on thighs, run temp above 450 minimum and the last 15 mins or so give them a light coat of cooking spray.
My Vault runs 40-50 degrees different between the door probe and my fireboard. Then another 50 degrees difference minimum from bottom to top. If you weren't keeping track where the chicken was in the cooker the temp may have been well below what you thought???

[smokin fool]

Agree with starting it at 400+, after 20-30 mins drop your temp to 350ish.
That being said I've never had much luck with chicken or turkey skin for that matter, its really hit or miss.
I use aerosol canola spray or Pam for my "oil".
Turkey I wet brine, never dry/wet brined a chicken.
Never tried baking soda, we usually go with baking powder when we do wings and get excellent results.

[Jfrosty27]

I gave up trying to get crispy skin on my Recteq. Oh sure I can crank the heat up as hot as I need. The problem there is when cooking hot enough to get the skin right, little to no smoke. So now I only do chicken on the kettle with Vortex and a chunk of apple wood. Perfect every time. 🤷‍♂️

[Potkettleblack]

Turn UP the heat.

[DavidNorcross]

DogFaced PonySoldier I coat with oil right before putting on the cooker. I do not use baking soda but I am sure it works great as well.

[texastweeter]

Doing some tomorrow with some ribs

[jfmorris]

I would not spend ANY time at 225 type temps with chicken if you don't want the skin to suffer. My experience is that it is best to wait for the cooker to be 325+ before dropping the chicken.

Good to know you can roll smoke in the Smoke Vault at higher temps. That is on my short list if I ever need a higher capacity smoker. And I have a NG hookup waiting on one too...

[texastweeter]

1/2 tsp of kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder per lb; rubbed in and on a wire rack 24 hours prior, then in the smoke vault with empty water pan at 375° until thighs hit 180°. Skin is not shatteringly crispy but is crisp not chewy.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

texastweeter you use an empty water pan? I haven't done that yet. I honestly don't like the water pan, catching all those drippings, it gets goopy and nasty - and pulling it out is touchy if there's water left in with nasty fats and stuff floating.

But just using it like a drip pan would be ok, I suppose. I just wondered about it baking on TOO much at high temp and getting bitter smoke out of it - as those burning wood chunks are right underneath. Never noticed a problem with a dry pan?

[texastweeter]

Put a layer of foil over ut with a little bit of a depression in it to catch the drippings.