Chicken skin like black shoe leather

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wxman

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 5, 2015
4
10
Akron, Ohio
Hi all,

I have 3 smokes under my belt so far so big time newbie. The last smoke i did was chicken quarters. I brined them, then smoked them. I have an MES 30. I didn't put water in my pan for the chicken. Anyway, the skin was a disgusting black leather that couldn't be chewed. And it didn't taste good at all. The meat was incredible though! So what did i do wrong with the chicken? Oh and i should mention i put on a rub with mustard to get it to stick.

Cheers!

Brian
 
The MES really doesn't get hot enough for crisp skin. I like to smoke chicken about 325-350*F for the crisp skin. For the MES user, I recommend smoking it then grilling direct.
 
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I've used mustard on pork, but on poultry I like to use EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) as a binder for the rub. It also helps to crisp the skin.
As stated above, chicken should be cooked at 325-350F to get crispy skin.
 
 
I feel like you had too much smoke going on... a billowing white smoke is full of Creosote , which I suspect is the culprit for the color and taste of you last cook.

thin Blue Smoke is what you need .
                                                         
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Go sit in the bathroom, close the door. Take a wooden kitchen match and light it. Blow it out. That little bity match put out that much smell. A little smoke goes a long way.

Also the type wood makes a large difference also, some are hard smoke type woods, some medium and yes a few light. They all make a difference.

Would guess though that Master Oldschoolbbq has it.
 
 
                                                         
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Go sit in the bathroom, close the door. Take a wooden kitchen match and light it. Blow it out. That little bity match put out that much smell. A little smoke goes a long way.
I usually do that when i use the bathroom anyway.  Wife insists on that!
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