I’ve always turned in thighs. One thing that helped my scored is cranking up the heat. I do chicken at 275-300 until it hits 160, then I glaze. The skin has a better texture at these higher temps. I start them skin up in a pan w/ margarine and then go to the grate skin down for 15-20 min. Then skin up til I hit my target. Finish with your glaze and it will be bite through every time.
The hardest part is properly trimming and scrapping the skin. It takes a while to get it down, but it’s worth the effort.
1st Place Chicken - 2012 Variety Club KCBS
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A small paint scraper cuts the defatting down to next to nothing.
I’m going to try that..
Practiced chicken last Sunday and paint scraper is definitely where it’s at! Thank you
Thanks for checking out the site. Getting that skin scraped is key to bite-through, competition-style chicken thighs.
Hello Mr. Reed
I am very pleased with your selection of rubs and BBQ sauces. My favorite is The BBQ Rub, Butcher BBQ Stake and Brisket rub, and most recently Smokin Guns Hot Rub. Looking forward to trying more of your products in the very near future.
I have one question about doing up chicken thighs. Should I scrape the fat off the underside of the skin before I brine or after?
Thank you,
Jesse Orona
Hey Jesse – I would only scrape the fat from the skin for competitions. If you are cooking at home, there is no need (and it’s a nasty job too).
But if you are doing it for contests, I would suggest scraping the fat before you brine.