A Reader Asks:
I am pretty new to smoking foods, but I get tough smoked chicken skin every time I smoke chickens orchicken wings. The skin comes out tough and rubbery.
It's nothing like theones I have gotten at restaurants or barbecue cook-offs. What step am I missingor what am I doing wrong.
Smoking Chicken Quarters - Will The Skin Be Tough?
Why is My Smoked Chicken Skin Tough and Chewy?
Same problem
by: Anonymous
I tried to smoke-roast some wings on the grill. Got tough skin.Here was my set up: Weber 3 burner gas grill. I brined wings for 2hours, lightly seasoned and put them on the grill with only one burnerlit. Wood chips in foil over the lit burner.
The temp never went over300° for the smoking time (30 mins) Finished them over high heat foranother 10-15. Wings were beautiful and brown with light grill marks buthad rubbery skin.
Where did I go wrong? Not long enough over high heat?Not long enough over the smoke? Help!
BBQ vs. Smoked
by: Scott McKissack
Actually, the term BBQ refers to smoking using an offset fireboxor water smoker. If you cook on a charcoal or gas grill over directheat, that is called grilling.
A Different Theory
by: Smoke Ring
Brine, basting with fat and a higher temperature are the keys to preventing tough smoked chicken skin. During the normal oven roasting procedure for poultry the higher heat and basting with fat allows the skin to crisp.
At the higher temperature the juices are more fluent. This provides more moisture under the skin. The hot dry heat over the fatty skin fries once proper temperature hasbeen reached and some fat has rendered. This allows the skin to crisp.
The juices under the skin stop the skin from drying out before it has a chance to crisp. The brine adds moisture and flavor to the poultry so it will stillbe a moist tender flavorful product. It also contains sugar that willbrown and help the skin to get crisp.
Now! It is an issue of terminology. The poultry is not "barbecued" it is "smoke roasted." Roasting with the addition of smoke.
Because of the shorter cooking time the poultry will have less timein the smoke, but, it will still be very very tasty and beautiful with aedible skin. Temperature should be in the 300 - 325 degree F temperature range.
One more thing...
by: naow
One thing I forgot to mention in my comment (directly below thisone) is that I first fire up the smoker and get it going before placingthe chicken briefly on the gas grill.
Then I grill the outside of thechicken and immediately transfer it to the smoker once the skin is done.
tough smoked chicken skin
by: naow
I agree exactly with Smoker Bill's advice, but there is oneproblem with some smokers: unless the outdoor temperature is 175 F, youcan't get the smoker hot enough.
Not all smokers have this problem, butboth of mine are water smokers and are designed to naturally settle inaround 225.
Adding coals gives you a temporary boost, but then itsettles right back down to 225. And, just like Smoker Bill says, thenthe fat doesn't render out of the skin and it turns out very rubbery andtough even when the meat is fully cooked.
So here's what I've done to counter that problem on a smoker thatdoesn't get hot enough: I fire up the gas grill and cook the chickenpieces (with olive oil and rub already applied) on medium heat for 2minutes X 4 turns for 8 minutes total.
This is just enough to render thefat out of the skin, plus the fat doesn't escape as it would if youremoved the skin. It gets absorbed into the meat like it's supposed toadd flavor. The skin will tan a bit and maybe even blacken along thegrill lines, but that's okay.
This will only contribute to the nicebronze look you want from the skin after smoking. Basically, you want tocook the skin until it loses that white, wet and rubbery look. Butdon't go too far- you don't want to begin cooking the inner layers ofmeat.
I've tried this process twice now and had great results both times. Iwas concerned that essentially "searing" the chicken would prevent thesmoke from penetrating into the meat, but it didn't.
Again, I would onlyuse this method if you have trouble maintaining a higher temperature,like 325, on your smoker. But if you can get there, go with SmokerBill's suggestion.
And don't mess around with removing chicken skins,you're not a freaking surgeon. As Charles Barkley would say "Man, thas aterrible idea, knucklehead". Smoking meats is supposed to be easy andrelaxing. Hope it works out for you!
Tough Smoked Chicken Skin
by: Kevin
What I like to do is to make a little incision that allows meto separate the skin from the meat while still leaving the skin on. ThenI like to put my dry rub in between the skin and the meat. Next, Iinject the bird with a marinade.
You can add a mopping sauce on part ofthe way through the smoking process - that would be great.
Finally, itis good to smoke a duck or two on a higher rack in the smoker (if youhave a multi-rack smoker). The fat from the duck drips down on yourchicken and damn it tastes good.
Olive oil and low temperatures
by: Ben Molloy
I assume you're doing a "beer butt" or "drunken" chicken? Coat the entire outside of the chicken with butter/olive oil, then sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper and seasoned salt.
Cook at 225 degrees for around 4 hours or until internal temperature of chicken is FDA approved. :) What the heck...here's the recipe I use, and it's always SUPER moist and the skin is just right.
Lemon-Rosemary Drunk n Chicken by Kenneth Estes
- 2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1 lemon, halved
- lemon pepper
- seasoned salt
- 1/2 can beer
- butter or margarine
- 1 Roasting Chicken
Rinsechicken and pat dry. Place rosemary and lemon into chicken cavity. Rubbutter or margarine under skin around neck.
Season chicken well withlemon pepper and seasoned salt. Stand chicken upright (neck end up) on1/2 full beer can. Insert other half of lemon into neck end of chickenand stand on smoker.
Smoke at 225 for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Carefully removechicken from smoker and remove can from chicken cavity as beer can anyremaining liquid will be hot. Carve and serve.
Don't Let Tough Smoked Chicken Skin Ruin Your Day!
Indirect Heat Cooks Beer Can Chickens On The Grill
by: Bill
One of the pitfalls of smoking skin-on chicken at "normal" meatsmoking temperatures is that the fat in the skin doesn't get hot enoughto render out. The skin ends up being rubbery, pale, and extremelyunappetizing.
There are two ways to solve this problem. One way is to remove theskin from any chicken you smoke. That'll prevent the tough skin problem,but causes another. Without that fatty layer of protection the chickenmeat will dry out.
The better solution for smoking skin-on chicken, and for all skin-onbirds, is to smoke at a higher temperature. Chicken and turkeys cooknicely when smoked in the temperature range of 275-300 degreesFahrenheit.
True, it's more like roasting chicken (with smoke), but atthat temperature, the fat renders from the skin and it become thin,tender, and crispy.
Another good thing about smoking poultry at higher temperatures isthat the melting skin bastes the meat with awesome flavor! Try it nexttime you smoke a chicken.
Tender Chicken Skin Is The Goal
Chicken is a favorite in the world of smoked foods, but there's a common problem - even when the chicken is cooked to the perfect done temperature, the skin is often tough and rubbery.
There are a few tricks that can solve this problem.The first is to make sure the skin is as dry as possible when it goes into the smoker. Pat it dry with a couple of paper towels to remove any moisture. It'll help a bit, but won't cure the problem.
Removing the skin before the chicken goes in the smoker is an option,but that removes the layer of protection that keeps the chicken fromdrying out as it smokes.
Discarding the skin after the chicken is cooked is a solution, but to me, that's just plain wasteful. With the skin goes a lot of flavor from the seasonings and the smoke.
So What Can Be Done To Tenderize Chicken Skin?
Keep Your Smoker Hot!
If your smoker can operate at 300°F, the high temperature will do a pretty good job of making the chicken skin more palatable.
Areas of the skin with thicker fat deposits may be a bit tough, but smoking at a 300 degrees, or even 325 degrees will improve the texture of the skin.
My Char Broil Gas Smoker Says It's Time To Smoke Chicken!
The chicken isn't in the smoker long enough to get a good dose of smokiness, but some smoke flavor will be evident. Smoke the chicken until it's reached its done temperature, and the skin will be much more tender than if smoked at a lower temperature.
Scrape The Chicken Skin
It's Kind Of Gross, But It Works!
The chicken skin can be peeled from the raw pieces and then, with asharp eye, a steady hand and a sharp knife, the fat is scraped from the underside.The scraped skin is pressed back onto the chicken pieces.
Unscraped and Scraped Chicken Thigh Skins
Removing the fat layer under the skin will allow the skin to dry more quickly as it smokes, and to crisp up a bit.
After Removing The Fat, The Skin Goes Back Onto the Chicken
It's a tedious chore, and it's easiest to do with thighs and breasts. I've used this method and the results were good. If your true desire is thin and crispy chicken skin, this will give you what you want.
Scraped Chicken Skin Becomes Nice and Crispy
Crisp The Skin On The Grill After Smoking
This trick works well, but requires that you have both a smoker and a grill, and we all probably do. When the chicken is finished smoking, it's transferred to a grill heated to medium-high, over direct heat.
Watch it closely, turn it often enough so that it doesn't burn and the skin will crisp up nicely.
Stick to the USDA guidelines for preparing and cooking chicken.
Does Baking Powder Tenderize Chicken Skin?
I read that dusting the raw chicken skin lightly with baking powder,then letting it rest in the fridge overnight would make the skins more tender.
This Pair of Leg Quarters Was Sprinkled With Baking Powder, a Purported Skin Tenderizer.
And I tried this method once, but it didn't work out as well as I'd hoped. The skin was still rather chewy and the baking powder left the chicken with a slightly unpleasant flavor.
Pre-cook The Chicken Before Smoking It To Prevent Tough Smoked Chicken Skin
This is one that works well, and I've used it when smoking chicken drumsticks a few times.
Dry brine the chicken overnight in a disposable aluminum pan. When it'stime to cook, season the drumsticks as you'd planned and add a half cupor so of water to the pan.
Seasoned Drumsticks Are Pre-Cooked to Tenderize The Skin
Crimp a section of aluminum foil tightly over the pan's top and put it in your smoker or grill, at around 250°F. In an hour or so, carefully lift one corner of the foil and check the skin for tenderness.
Transferring Pre-Cooked Chicken Drumsticks To a Smoker Rack
When the skin is tender, remove the drumsticks and place them in your smoker,finishing by smoking them at 225°F for another 30 minutes to give them smoke flavor and dry the skin a bit.
Succulent Drumsticks, Slick With Sauce and Tender of Skin
At this point I like to brush on some bbq sauce, then smoke them for another 15 to 20 minutes to thicken the glaze.
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- Tough Smoked Chicken Skin
As someone deeply passionate about smoking meats and with extensive experience in the field, I understand the frustration that can arise when the desired results aren't achieved. In the case of tough smoked chicken skin, there are several key concepts and techniques to consider to ensure that your smoked chicken turns out succulent and flavorful.
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Temperature Control:
- Controlling the temperature is crucial during the smoking process. In the provided article, there are mentions of maintaining a temperature range between 300-325°F for smoking chicken. This higher temperature helps in rendering the fat from the skin, resulting in a thin, tender, and crispy texture.
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Brining:
- Brining the chicken before smoking is a common practice. It involves soaking the chicken in a saltwater solution, which not only adds flavor but also helps in retaining moisture. In the article, a reader mentions brining wings for 2 hours before smoking.
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Fat Rendering:
- The fat in the chicken skin needs to be adequately rendered to avoid rubbery texture. This can be achieved by smoking at higher temperatures or by pre-cooking the chicken to render the fat before the smoking process.
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Basting with Fat:
- Basting the chicken with fat during the smoking process is highlighted as a key technique to prevent tough smoked chicken skin. This keeps the skin moist and allows it to crisp up during the cooking process.
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Smoking vs. Barbecuing Terminology:
- The article touches upon the distinction between smoking and barbecuing. It emphasizes that smoking involves roasting with the addition of smoke, especially when cooking at higher temperatures.
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Pre-Cooking Method:
- The article suggests a pre-cooking method, where the chicken is dry-brined overnight, pre-cooked at a higher temperature, and then smoked at a lower temperature to impart smokiness. This ensures tenderness in the skin.
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Scraping Chicken Skin:
- An interesting technique mentioned involves scraping the fat layer from the underside of the skin before smoking. This method, although tedious, can result in thin and crispy chicken skin.
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Grilling After Smoking:
- After smoking, transferring the chicken to a grill over direct heat is recommended to crisp up the skin. This step helps achieve the desired texture while adding a smoky flavor.
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Baking Powder Method:
- The article briefly mentions an approach involving dusting the raw chicken skin with baking powder to tenderize it. However, the effectiveness of this method is discussed, and some caution is advised.
In conclusion, achieving tender and flavorful smoked chicken skin involves a combination of temperature control, brining, fat rendering, basting, and post-smoking techniques. Experimenting with these methods and finding the right balance based on your equipment and preferences will lead to a satisfying outcome. Remember, smoking meats should be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, so don't hesitate to explore and refine your approach.
