Chicken skin

[JimmyV]

So I'm really struggling with getting good crispy skin. It always seems to come out fatty and chewy or when I Crack the lid for the last part of the cook it turns into leather that you can barley tear apart. Suggestions?

[muebe]

Trim the excess skin. Apply a liberal coating of salt to the skin. Then leave in the fridge in the open air overnight to draw out excess moisture from the skin. If your using a rub/seasoning with salt in it then give the bird a rinse first otherwise apply oil to the skin and season. Then get a well established bed of coals going and leave out one rebar. You can use one rebar in alternate holes. Crack the lid slightly the last 5 minutes to finish the skin. I found that this seems to give a good crispy skin from my experience.

[Mpls]

I haven't gotten the skin to be "crispy," but it wasn't fatty or chewy either.  I took the suggestion from the others on here and got my pbc as hot as possible before throwing the birds on.  When I first closed the lid last weekend with a couple birds on there, it was just above 500 degrees.  The temp did drop, but both birds were done in roughly 80 mins.  Again, not "crispy," but I thought it was delicious.

[smokeasaurus]

Trim the excess skin. Apply a liberal coating of salt to the skin. Then leave in the fridge in the open air overnight to draw out excess moisture from the skin. If your using a rub/seasoning with salt in it then give the bird a rinse first otherwise apply oil to the skin and season. Then get a well established bed of coals going and leave out one rebar. You can use one rebar in alternate holes. Crack the lid slightly the last 5 minutes to finish the skin. I found that this seems to give a good crispy skin from my experience.

This is the way to go. Muebe called it.  If you decide not to rub....a little squeeze of fresh lemon helps with crisping as well,............

[Pam Gould]

I would take the skin off after it's done and cut up and fry it with some bacon and onion.  just sayin    .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

[Cajunate]

Try putting a very light dusting of corn starch on thge skin before putting your rub on. And I do mean a very light dusting. Shake off excess.

[HighOnSmoke]

A  light coating of mayo under the skin and on the skin with the rub works well too.

[JimmyV]

Thanks guys! I'm going to give some of these tips a try this weekend. As long as this stupid rain goes away.

[ChrisD46]

You can search this site - the short answer is a teaspoon of baking soda mixed in with your rub and allowed to sit on the chicken pieces for at least an hour .