I am going to cook some chicken thighs for supper tonight. I am just going to put a jerk rub on them and put them in the smoker. I am planning on cooking them at 300-325 and am wondering how long they will take, I am thinking about an hour. When they are close to being done I am going to put them on my Broil King at a higher temperature to crisp up the skin.
CB, let us know how that works. You may be able to get the crisp skin on your smoker at those temps. My experience with most cooks is it is not the time but the internal temp that determines they are done.
Methinks you would want to cook these using the indirect method. Do you have a method for monitoring the meat's temperature?
Collagens start to melt around 170, so I've taken wings and drummies up to 180, but these were brined for 30 minutes before rubbed and put on the cooker. A dusting of cornstarch will prevent them from sticking to the grates.
Temperature ranges sounds good, but I'd tend towards the 325 area. I haven't done thighs, but I'm sure that we could find all kinds of info by searching this site - these folks know what they're doing!
You could move the thighs over the coals towards the end to crisp them, but you gotta watch so they don't burn.
Good luck!
--Ed
Just glanced at a recipe from CI. They are grilling over a pretty hot fire, i.e., 100 coals arranged in 2 levels. (medium high, medium low)
They brine them ( 8 chicken thighs ) for 1 1/2 hours.
Thighs are seared 1-2 minutes @ medium high, cooked 12-16 minutes @ medium low.
Times are estimated, the internal temp is most important to make sure they are done and safe to eat!
Last edited by Medusa; February 21, 2015, 08:11 AM.
I doing them on my smoker so it will be indirect cooking. I am going to use my Maverick to monitor the temperatures. I'll aim for 32 5 and see how the skin looks towards the end and crisp it up on the gas grill if it needs it.
I've done lots of other meats and whole chicken but this is my first time with thighs so just wanted to make sure they would be ready on time but not super early.
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cbsmith, I do chicken thighs a lot and can recommend 325 or higher. Personally I have learned to do dark meat chicken with skin at 350-390. I realize this sounds crazy but your skin will be fantastic at that temp, and thighs wings and legs can handle the high heat. They can even be taken to 185 in the coolest part and still be juicy. Doing this indirect higher temp will prevent you from having to 'crisp up' the skin over direct at the end which can often lead to oopses and burnt skin (been there).
If you cook at those higher temps of 380-390 they can be done in 20-30min probably, no searing needed, and crispy skin is promised. EDIT: If you follow proper dry brining techniques and do your part in drying the skin before cooking, that is. If you wet brine skin-on pieces, crispy skin needs lots more time and high temps.
325 I'd say 45 mins-ish, but 325 doesn't promise crispy skin as many of us have found out.
Don't take those times to the bank, I rarely document times I just go by memory.
Last edited by Huskee; February 21, 2015, 01:06 PM.
Smoker:
Landmann Smoke Master Series Heavy Duty Barrel Smoker (COS) - With mods including 2 level rack system with pull-out grates
Masterbuilt 40.2" 1200W Electric Smoker
Masterbuilt ThermoTemp XL 40" Vertical Propane Smoker
Gas Grill:
BBQPro (cheap big box store model) Stainless steel 4 burnerswith aftermarket rotisserie.
Charcoal Grill:
Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill 14"
Thermometer:​​​​​​
Fireboard 2 with Drive cable and 20 CFM fan and Competition Probe Package
Fireboard 1st Generation
ThermoWorks Mini Instant Read
Lavaworks Thermowand Instant Read
2 Maverick 733
ThermoWorks IR-GUN-S Industrial Infrared Thermometer
ThermoWorks ThermaPen Mk4 x 2
Govee Bluetooth Thermometer with 6 probes
Miscellaneous:
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - 1st generation
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - wifi/bluetooth connected
Favorite Beer:
Anything to the dark side and malty rather than hoppy. Currently liking Yuengling Porter and Newcastle Brown Ale. In a bar or pub I will often default to Guiness
Favorite Spirit:
Bourbon - Eagle Rare for "every day"; Angel's Envy for special occasions, Basil Hayden's, Larceny
Favorite Wine:
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Super Tuscan Sangiovese (Including Chianti Classico Riserva) Brunello di Montalcino
Favorite Meat(s):
Pork - especially the darker meat. I love spare ribs and anything made from shoulder/butt meat
Chicken - Mainly the dark meat and wings
Beef Ribeye steak
Favorite Cuisine to Cook:
Can't list just one: Indian, Chinese, Thai, West Indian/Carribean, Hispanic/Latin American, Ethiopian, Italian, BBQ
Favorite Cuisine to Eat:
Indian, followed closely by BBQ.
Here is a link to my recent jerk chicken thigh cook. I smoked at much lower temps than are being discussed here then finished on the gasser. Maybe you can get some guidance regarding times, etc. Enjoy the cook.
Thanks for all the advice. Due to the weather, it started snowing heavily and a strong wind, I gave up on trying to get the smoker up to 350 so I cooked at about 250-275 until the chicken was 160 degrees and then moved it over to my hot propane grill and crisped up the skin. The chicken was excellent, very juicy and tender, the skin was great on about half the thighs and a bit chewy on the rest. It was dark when I was grilling them so got them as best as I could and left it at that. Not bad for a first run at thighs, we were happy with them.
The last few times I have done them I de- boned them, took the skin off and dusted them with a little cajun seasoning. It has been too cold to stand outside with the grill so I did them on a hot cast iron skillet. There is a lot of surface area that browns up nicely. I don't even miss the skin (never thought I would say that). I really look forward to grilling them this way. Plus, without the skin, I don' t feel so guilty about eating six of them
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