Smoked two bird on my WSM 18 today. I was just below Maillard temp range for the first half of the smoke and then well into the range (280-325) for the last hour and a half. The skin felt crispy when I checked the temperature but ended up being tough and chewy...again. Definitely have beef and pork nailed on my WSM but I am unsure why I am not getting crispy skin. Thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. The meat tasted fantastic and nearly fell off the bones, so the cook itself was fine.
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I dry out the chicken in the fridge (uncovered) overnight. Skin is much better -
Yep, start out with a dry skin, blot with paper towels. I’d open up all the vents for the entire cook, let er rip. We’ve all been there with the rubbery skin, at least I have. Forgot to add, not sure if you did, but I also wouldn’t put any water in the water pan.Last edited by Panhead John; June 18, 2023, 05:06 PM.Comment
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Mix a smidgen of baking powder with salt and apply to skin and leave uncovered in fridge on wire rack overnight. Apply salt free rub just before pit. Go hot at 350° or a bit more from the get go.Comment
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Don't sauce the skin! That's instant rubber.Comment
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Set up the WSM with no water, vents wide open, full chimney of charcoal lit ... that should get you to 350 .... chicken should be dry brined for at least a couple hours in the fridge, over night is better. Let that chicken skin dry out. Run the chicken on top grate in the WSM at 350, pull when breast is 160. Don't let it rest very long.
I stopped cooking chicken on WSM, I was using too much fuel and struggling to get the great outcome. But when I did, it was the above that got me there. I do whole, spatchcocked chicken on the SnS now. If I'm doing lots of chicken, especially thighs for teriyaki, I do it on the Hasty-Bake.Comment
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jsaniga for weeknight cooking for 2-3 people, it's fantastic! I attached a thread I started a while ago and have kept adding to over time.
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I did 22 chicken thighs on MAK 2 star pellet today. All thought they were excellent. Dry brined and marinated in buttermilk overnite. Darigold Bulgarian style buttermilk (from Samin Nosrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat book). Drained but did not wipe off buttermilk. Grill at 325 degrees. was aiming to get them off and onto warp 10 gas grill at 150 internal. They got away from me, most were at least 160 internal when went over to gas to brown. Painted them with @Henrik's glaze for Jamaican Jerk Style drumsticks. About 5 minutes per side. Glaze is honey, ketchup, soy, hoisin, worchestershire, salt, used rye instead of bourbon. No rubbery skin, nice browning. I was as impressed as everyone else. This process is an absolute keeper.Last edited by yakima; June 22, 2023, 10:56 AM.Comment
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Like ecowper, I’ve given up on crispy chicken in my WSM. It’s too much trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. The WSM is a smoker, not a grill or a rotisserie. That said think in terms of cooking smoked, bite through chicken instead. Here’s a recipe you may want to try;
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