Today was my first time smoking anything. Dried the chicken, added some rub, used hickory pellets. 225 for 30 minutes, 400 until internal temp on the thigh was 180 (got distracted talking to the neighbor). Had intended to crank it up to 450 once it hit 150 internal temp. And baste occasionally with butter.
So was it just cranking the heat late? Too much rub (absorbing the butter)? I think next time I'll try brining it before smoking but still.
by Minerva129
39 Comments
I never smoke chicken at low temps. Always get crispy skin, but it’s high heat.
It’s hard when you are smoking, but if I bake/grill at a high temp, baking powder helps
Higher temps. Chicken doesn’t need a lot of smoke anyway, so let it fly at 350 or higher. Mix some mesquite into charcoal and you’ll be golden.
Leave it in the frig over night uncovered. With whatever seasoning you want.
Unless you like rubbery skin, poultry should be cooked hot and fast, not low and slow.
I always do chicken smoking 325-350 and then a hot sear
0-400 method
Don’t baste. Skip the low temp.
Mix in some cornstarch in the rub
Imo moisture is the enemy of crispy skin. Long dry brine. High temp. 350+.
A little bit of baking powder sifted onto the skin helps. Dry the chicken off, sift on paki g powder and then let sit in the fridge, uncovered for 1-4 hours and then do a high heat cook.
Poultry, in general, is hot and fast not low and slow. So, crack the vents open and get your heat up. Generally, I try to run chicken around 350. Pull it with about 5-10 degrees before temp. Get it up to 450 or so, and throw it on until it hits temp.
If it’s wings, I double cook. First smoker, then fryer after an hour or so in the fridge.
You can do low and slow with smoking but at the end you need to crank up the heat and get that skin crispy
Vortex
I just made thighs tonight. Add a little baking powder to your dry rub and crank the heat to 400°.
Make sure it’s dry, generally boned chicken gets like 45 mins- hour of 180 with smoke tube just to make sure a little smoke penetrates then I crank the heat up on the pellet grill to like 350-400 and that usually yields crispy skin and juicy meat. But chicken never turns out well low and slow for me.
Pat dry, salt and baking powder only, leaving uncovered in fridge over night, patting dry again, adding some other spices/seasonings right before going on for color and more flavors, (garlic,onion powders, black pepper, paprika and chili powder) and then high heat (375-400) after a 20-30 minute period of low heat (225). Give this a try. Works for me.
It’s hard to get crispy with a smoker, the temperature isn’t hot enough. You can put the chicken under the broiler far a little bit or buy a BBQ propane torch and give it a few licks.
450-500* temps. Smoking temps will only get you rubbery skin
A little bit of Baking powder in the rub will help crisp up the skin.
Stay in the sun too long!
BBQ me, like a French women.
Leave in the fridge uncovered for a day before cooking
Peal the skin off and put into a frying pan on medium heat. Sizzle for a couple of minutes then take a 1/2 cup of water and pour into pan cook down while fat renders after water is gone. Keep flipping as skin crisps up to keep golden brown. Pull skin and season then put on a paper towel to dry. After dry chop skin up and sprinkle on your smoked thighs.
You now have crispy delicious skin and your seasoning and sauce actually got on to the meat of the chicken
Smoke your poultry about 80% (by temp), then crank up the temperature. Open the intake & outflow vents wide. You want to get the temp in your smoker >375F, 400F preferred. The last of the fat in the skin will render out & the skin will crisp up.
I smoke my chicken 250 skin side down and it comes out good and crispy
https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-get-crispier-chicken-turkey-poultry-skin-with-baking-powder
Broil it in the oven for literally a couple minutes high after butter or oil basting
High heat. Oil helps.
375 to 400 always good for chicken
I smoke it then toss it in the oven to broil for crispy.
my smoker only gets up to 375, I normally go 375 until the internal is 175-180. Also, try putting them on the top rack.
Chicken doesn’t really have a ton of collagen to break down so you can just cook it at 375°F til done and get the cronchy skim. Sadly it doesn’t that way long.
15 minutes @ 375 to finalize.
I dry it for a day after it comes out of the brine.
Temp has to go right up late in the cook.
Try to add to your rub some corn starch and baking powder.. it will dry up the skin for your method to make it crispier and also change the ph to brown it up a bit. I agree with lot of the people saying just go straight to hot and fast.. maybe just smoke tube aggressively or put it in cold smoker and crank to 400 from cold while the chicken is in
Just rub mayonnaise on it before you season it