Let's Talk BBQ
FORUM SPONSORS => Pit Barrel Cooker Co. => Topic started by: hikerman on March 28, 2016, 09:57:13 AM
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Our oldest and our SIL came home for the weekend festivities and wanted PBC chicken. Our SIL loves ribs, so we had ribs too. Now we all enjoy PBC chicken but I experimented trying to get a crispy-skinned chicken. First up was splitting the two hens in half, and cutting off the backbones. These were a treat for Bella. She is on a raw meat diet and chicken backs are about 50 - 60% of her meals. I must have cut a bit too much off one of the halves as it was kind of "wobbily" and fearing it would fall into the coal basket as it cooked, I just cut it into 2 qtrs. Next I trimmed extra skin and fat. I decided on a brine which I seldom do in using the PBC. This was a gallon of water, 3/4 C kosher salt, 1/2C sugar, and 1/2C local honey. Brought to a boil and when cooled added the 3 chicken halves and 2 qtrs. Put a plate on top to cover inbrine and into fridge for 18 hours. At the end of the swim, chicken was rinsed and dried, placed on a rack over a half sheet and dusted with baking powder, and put back in fridge. About 8 hours later I seasoned thechix with S&P and a rub.
This was refrigerated for about 6 more hours, until being brought to room temp before being hung with the 2 half racks of ribs. 2 hours later everything was done! The ribs were very good, the halved chicken was great as always, but so much more juicy and tender, but the two qtrs actually had very crispy skin, crunchy! It was just as juicy and tender but the skin was like night and day compared to the halved chix. I'm thinking much of the difference was quartering it allowed more grease/fat from the skin to release. I do believe this is how I will be prepping all chicken on the PBC!
Besides chicken and ribs the sides were scalloped corn and Roseanne Cash's potato salad. It was a very nice family meal!
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I typically do chicken halves. But I also rub them with olive oil prior to applying the rub. I believe this may help get a crispier skin than without.
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I typically do chicken halves. But I also rub them with olive oil prior to applying the rub. I believe this may help get a crispier skin than without.
I do that about half the time, lately I have been dry-brining overnight before hanging which helps, along with cracking the lid for the last 20 minutes. Usually have good results but not crispy skin. This time tho on the 1/4'ed pieces the skin was very much more crispy than the halved. Sometimes good things come by way of mistakes!
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Chicken and ribs look great Gene!!! Nice meal!!! Don
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I tried hanging the chix on only one rebar and running it through the barrel sideways leaving two of the rebar holes wide open. I also mix lump with briqs for chicken cooks and this set up cranks up the temp and the skin is nice and crispy......
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It's nice when a change in a cook comes together and is shared others.
Nice.
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Salting the skin and leaving in the fridge in the open dry air overnight really helps make for great crispy skin no matter how you cook it.
Looks awesome Gene!
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Thanks for sharing! This is my unicorn, I've been chasing crispy skin forever. Even though having done only one cook on the PBC I like seeing ideas that may help me achieve crispy skin for the next time I do one on my PBC.
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I think the smaller quarters may be the key. I did just thighs once and they turned out very crispy too (1st pic below).....
But what about a "fried" style chicken using a batter. I've done this in my weber kettle before but it should work well in the PBC too. Soaked in buttermilk and spices then dredged in a chicken batter. Very crispy and delicious. Here's a shot from a cook I did (2nd pic)....
(http://i1240.photobucket.com/albums/gg495/aclarke400/Mobile%20Uploads/20150426_190612_zpsepgfgl5i.jpg)
(http://i1240.photobucket.com/albums/gg495/aclarke400/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-08-02%2020.12.27_zpszqahhjrr.jpg)
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Looks great! :)
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I've been cooking a bunch of chickens on the PBC since I got it in October. I did something a little different on Wednesday, that I'd read about somewhere on the net, and probably on this forum. I dusted the skin on each half chicken with a *very* light coat, maybe 1/8 tsp., of baking soda and rubbed it in well. I then coated the birds with the PBC All-Purpose Rub, and let them rest for about an hour in the turned-off oven (mainly to keep the dogs from having an early dinner.)
Just before smoking, I used an olive oil mister to lightly coat the skin. The results were amazing... The skin was just what I was looking for; thin, crispy, and perhaps even more flavorful than usual.
Sorry there's no pictures on the chicken, they were destined for freezer fodder for mid-week meals. The kids and I ended up eating the skin off of most of the thighs, since it won't ever be the same after the deep freeze. :)
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I've been cooking a bunch of chickens on the PBC since I got it in October. I did something a little different on Wednesday, that I'd read about somewhere on the net, and probably on this forum. I dusted the skin on each half chicken with a *very* light coat, maybe 1/8 tsp., of baking soda and rubbed it in well. I then coated the birds with the PBC All-Purpose Rub, and let them rest for about an hour in the turned-off oven (mainly to keep the dogs from having an early dinner.)
Just before smoking, I used an olive oil mister to lightly coat the skin. The results were amazing... The skin was just what I was looking for; thin, crispy, and perhaps even more flavorful than usual.
Sorry there's no pictures on the chicken, they were destined for freezer fodder for mid-week meals. The kids and I ended up eating the skin off of most of the thighs, since it won't ever be the same after the deep freeze. :)
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Thanks for that info! I'll try that next time I do some chix on the PBC!
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From what I have read baking powder works very well without the off taste of soda. Think I am going to try that
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I did add baking powder to my Huli Huli chicken rub, it didn't make any difference but it was kind of hard to tell since I did sauce it. Before adding sauce though, it still seemed rubbery. Maybe next time I'll do the powder first and then the rub.
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Ok,, has anyone thought about the Big Easy SRG , I get crispy chicken everytime on the SRG, without anything special... Just Sayin :)
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All good ideas folks!
For me there are several methods - and combinations of methods that seem to help with crisping the skin. As Tom pointed out - the extreme heat of the SRG will do it for sure. But the PBC adds such a nice charcoal roasted flavor.....
But - if you are cooking at temps under 350F ( as in the PBC - my preferred chicken cooker ;) ) A longer ride in the fridge, then a VERY light amount of oil rubbed on the skin, a dusting of a little corn starch mixed with your favorite seasoning - then in the PBC.
The skin is not "fried chicken" crisp, but it is completely edible and "crisp-y"- is not rubbery, or greasy, slimy...or any other negative term you can think of.
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The last time we did PBC chicken, Wendy had the oven cranked up to 450. We removed the chixs and hit em in the oven for a spell...that crisped em up 8)
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Using or adding plain or seasoned corn starch will help get your skin crisp.
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This might be sacrilegious but I crisp my chickens on a hot gas grill as it come out of the PBC.
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Ok,, has anyone thought about the Big Easy SRG , I get crispy chicken everytime on the SRG, without anything special... Just Sayin :)
Same here.
I have been searching an trying different cookers and I have found I get tse most crispy chicken on the Smaller Big Easy.
Wore out the a Big Easy and SRGe tried the the Big Easy Electric and gave it to Nepas.
For Crispy Chicken the Big Easy is my go to cooker.