In recent history, I have come to enjoy chicken more than I used to. Smoked chicken is awesome. Also, being more aware of internal temperatures helps a lot.
With that said, I've pretty much taken it for granted that chicken is best cooked in the 325ºF zone (hot'n fast). I used the rib racks and hooks in my 18" WSM to cook 4 half chickens this weekend and for the most part they came out great except that the skin was a little rubbery. I could have probably solved that by patting them dry before hanging.
I digress though. Today, I was looking through the front page and saw this recipe for Smoked Miso Wings. The directions indicate cooking that wings at 225ºF. In the comments I saw someone complain about rubbery skins and a comment from Henrik indicated raising the temp to around 300ºF for the last 20 minutes.
Why not just do the whole cook at 325ºF? Or, what are the advantages to cooking poultry in the lower range and then just finishing hotter to crisp the skin? (In fact, I was thinking even hotter, like 375ºF-400ºF depending on the rub/marinade/sauce.)
Why is poultry generally cooked hotter for the whole cook? I've never really questioned this. Is it just because of the skin or is there something else I am missing?
With that said, I've pretty much taken it for granted that chicken is best cooked in the 325ºF zone (hot'n fast). I used the rib racks and hooks in my 18" WSM to cook 4 half chickens this weekend and for the most part they came out great except that the skin was a little rubbery. I could have probably solved that by patting them dry before hanging.
I digress though. Today, I was looking through the front page and saw this recipe for Smoked Miso Wings. The directions indicate cooking that wings at 225ºF. In the comments I saw someone complain about rubbery skins and a comment from Henrik indicated raising the temp to around 300ºF for the last 20 minutes.
Why not just do the whole cook at 325ºF? Or, what are the advantages to cooking poultry in the lower range and then just finishing hotter to crisp the skin? (In fact, I was thinking even hotter, like 375ºF-400ºF depending on the rub/marinade/sauce.)
Why is poultry generally cooked hotter for the whole cook? I've never really questioned this. Is it just because of the skin or is there something else I am missing?
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