Fine-tuning Chickens on the PBC

[WiggyPiggy]

Hey there everyone!  New member here!

Question: Been a smoker for a LONG time and started using a Pit Barrel Cooker a few months back (after drooling over getting one for quite some time!).  Everything always comes out tasty, no problems there, but missing some of the qualities I like in certain BBQ/smoked foods.  Most of all is my chicken - comes out moist and juicy every time, but the skin is soft and not crispy like I prefer.  Any suggestions on what I can do to remedy that?

Thanks!

[muebe]

Well there is a high humidity environment in the PBC so skin prep is important.

Salt the surface of the skin and let it air dry for several hours or even overnight. This will draw the excess moisture from the skin. Bigg has a actual formula to figure out the exact amount of salt to apply for the weight of the chicken.

After the surface brine you don't need to rinse if the right amount of salt is applied. You can rinse and then resalt the surface. The salt will pull moisture from the skin and not really add salt flavor to the skin unless you leave it on the surface.

And you can remove one rebar to increase the interior temp of the cooker. I like to remove the lid the last 10 minutes of cooking to finish the skin. Do not walk away because you could come back to burnt chicken.

I end up with great skin on the PBC with the rebar removed and 10 minute lidless finish.

[WiggyPiggy]

Will try this weekend.  I usually do a wet brine on my chickens, so that would certainly effect the skin crispiness.  I am thinking I will try it both ways:  wet brine with 1 rebar and lid off / dry brine with 1 rebar and lid off.  Then see which I like better.  Nothing wrong with having 2 great chickens to eat!

[1Bigg_ER]

You need an extremely dry skin for PBC chicken.
Wet brining will not help much unless you give another day naked in the refrigerator.
I use 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (diamond crystal) per pound. If you use regular table salt use 1/2 a teaspoon per pound of bird. Apply to the bird a day (two days is even better) before cooking. If going two days, wrap it in cling film first 24 hours then naked with good air circulation around it. Do not rinse it.  It never gets salty. Rub it with fat of your choice and cook at least >325 degrees.

Bird should look like this........bone dry skin

[muebe]

There is Bigg with his dry brine salting formula. Thanks Bigg!

Do what Bigg said!

[Las Vegan Cajun]

Thanks Bigg, will have to try that.

[drholly]

Thanks Bigg, will have to try that.

X2!

[WiggyPiggy]

Thanks Bigg!

We had ice here this weekend, so didn't get out to try these tips.  Looking for sometime this week/weekend to put on the birds.  I will let you know how it went and will post some pictures.

[smokeasaurus]

Thanks Bigg, will have to try that.

X2!

X3

[ChrisD46]

Well there is a high humidity environment in the PBC so skin prep is important.

Salt the surface of the skin and let it air dry for several hours or even overnight. This will draw the excess moisture from the skin. Bigg has a actual formula to figure out the exact amount of salt to apply for the weight of the chicken.

After the surface brine you don't need to rinse if the right amount of salt is applied. You can rinse and then resalt the surface. The salt will pull moisture from the skin and not really add salt flavor to the skin unless you leave it on the surface.

And you can remove one rebar to increase the interior temp of the cooker. I like to remove the lid the last 10 minutes of cooking to finish the skin. Do not walk away because you could come back to burnt chicken.

I end up with great skin on the PBC with the rebar removed and 10 minute lidless finish.

Muebe : Just to be sure I understand , you cook a chicken with one rebar removed for the whole duration of the cook and the lid cracked the last 10 minutes of the cook ?