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We picked up a kitchen torch, normally used for carmelizing sugar in creme brulet, at William Sonoma.

Smoked fresh bone-in chicken breasts for a bit over an hour in CS (160 internal). Took them out; wrapped them in foil for about 30 mins; blasted them until the skin was brown with the torch.

Never liked chicken very much. The CS is turning me into a big fan. Tender, juicy, flavorful and crisp skin.

Double Lazy
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Smokster, ROTFL. Great pic. Keep thinking to take some pics. Get caught up in the moment of experimenting. Start eating. The evidence disappears.

Interesting torching the breast skin. Needs to get pretty dark with that little torch. Takes a while to do it, too. Had to just keep at it until it felt crisp. Maybe a minute per breast.

We know the skin's no good for you, just like most Qed beef and pork, but we love it when it's crisp. Otherwise, peel it off.

Double Lazy
DL: That torch has been on my holiday gift lists forever. Been a customer of Williams-Sonoma mail-order for 30 years! Still don't have the damn torch.

What I want to say may be a sacrilege, but the Cookshack Spicy Chicken Rub on my gas-grill, done indirect, with a beer upitzbutt, is a thing to behold. That is THE best chix seasoning I have EVER tasted! The skin is el perfecto. Crisp and chewy. Tasty as all get out! Razzer
Greetings all!

First, it must be said that if "they" made chicken illegal, I'd probably support the law.

Your suggeston of the torch and chicken getting together for a hot date had some interest for me. So my new Bernz-o-matic 4000 came home from Home Depot Saturday.

It now has a home right beside my CS rub. CS chicken breasts and the torch created the first chicken breasts I've been able to enjoy in years.

Yesterday we did another Prime Rib a la Stuart. Treated it too to the Gastronomic Torch. Fantastic! It allows the best of both worlds!

Great idea, Double Lazy! Thanks!

-Ron
Smokester, ok, I'm off to Home D-Pot to get me a flame thrower. Time for more yardbird.

Seriously, the CS brings out breasts that are juicy beyond belief...far more so than any I've had cooked elsewhere.

Like Ron, chicken is neither my favorite food, nor would I consider one for a house pet. However, am willing to serve fresh chicken breasts to company, unbrined, with only some Penzy's Special Lemon Pepper and some Penzy's Shallot Pepper as rub. Yummers.

Any special instructions or advice you'd give for this blow torch? Ok to use in the kitchen? Will I appear inappropriate in bib overalls and a welder's mask?

Double Lazy - and getting lazier as we speak
You guys are serious, aren't you! Wait til Ray sees this. We're Queing with blow torches now.

Dang!

To be clear, Double L., you remove the foil, then torch, yes? Why doesn't that fat bird explode. My brother has a torch, but he uses it to fix lead pipes! How do you control this innovation? Got to try it. Cool i2BBQ
Hey i2BBQ, your first mistake is in assuming that I have a clue as to what I'm doing. Please correct that notion, pronto.

More important, where does the foil come in that I'm supposed to remove from what? And, why would chicken breasts explode? Or, are you just "funning" me like the House Troll tried to do? Cool

Double Lazy
quote:
Took them out; wrapped them in foil for about 30 mins; blasted them until the skin was brown with the torch.


D.L.: This is what I was referring to. You don't say you remove the foil, but I guess it's the obvious thing to do. Right?

And, as for explosions, chicken fat is practically incandescent. I just had this vision of you bringing the entire bird to a critical temp with your blow torch and then, BOOM. Just shades of Double Lazy...
i2BBQ
Big Grin
quote:
You guys are serious, aren't you! Wait til Ray sees this. We're Queing with blow torches now.


I don't see anything the matter with that. It's not like we're using flame throwers or bazookas, or napalm.

Barbecue (or whatever the House Troll calls it now) started out years ago as a "blue collar" hobby...(there's a euphemism). Welding is a "blue collar" avocation. So, what's the matter with welding your chicken?

Double Lazy
i2BBQ, incescent fat? Sure. Right. Roll Eyes
Question fer ya, Dude: If you smoke it in a Klose pit, does chicken generate fluorescent fat?

Ok, got the foil stuff down pat. We weren't eating just then. Wrapped the suckers so they'd stay warm. I'm not clever enough to have a good reason.

Double Lazy
quote:
Remember, if you want 'authentic' que, it has to be a charcoal or wood fired torch!


Hey Cog, what's this charcoal stuff? Thought that Stuart and I had invented "Flame Thrown Barbecue".

Been thinking of franchising the drive-ins.
Picture this: You drive up to a window. Pimple face kid asks, "Helpya?". You ask for the "Real Pit Barbecued Chicken", or ribs, or brisket, or whatever. The kid hands you a raw slab of ribs, a Tupperware bowl of sauce, a blow torch, a tank of gas, and goggles and heat proof gloves.

While your S.O puts on the gloves and squeezes the bowl of sauce between her thighs, you put on the goggles and light the torch. You S.O. holds up the raw slab to be barbecued and you're in business.

Viola! In just 42 short seconds you have Real Authentic Southern Pit Smoked Barbecued Ribs. Whattadeal.

But, of course, these are Memphis style dry ribs, cuz we haven't quite figured out a proper way for the Customer to remove the bowl of sauce.

Double Lazy
Hey! Lemme tell ya' - if ya ain't tried it - try it!

My yard bird breasts had third degree burns on them. Skin was crisp and the combination of that and the smoke flavor was unbelievable.

Next to my CS, it's the best investment I've made thus far.

** Hey, Bobby Que - next time you're talking to Danny ask him how he likes smoked blow torched chicken. I brought a care package down to Sarasota yesterday.

And - for plain old steak - you know them grill marks on the top and bottom??? I get 'em on the sides now too.

Yum! Big Grin Big Grin

Thanks for the idea.

-Ron

Is napalm dangerous? Confused
Hey, Double Lazy -

Mine is the TS7000ZKC - but I'm looking to upgrade.

I was kind of thinking like an airborne unit. I could just kinda swoop down and brighten up everyone's Q.

The adjustable flame on the unit is kind of a waste though. Crank it up and get it close. Mmmmmm. Can't wait to try it on some ribs.

-Ron
Okay, Guys,

I have to be missing something. I have done a ton of chicken, brined, unbrined, CS Chicken rub, no rub, all ways that I could think of. I did a turkey breast today, brined, rinsed, patted dry and then rubbed with CS Chicken Rub. I've done it with hickory or apple or cherry (no combo's yet) In all cases the meat was tender, juicy and with a taste to die for. Unfortunately, in all cases as well, the skin varied between gray and black, was rubbery and tasted like I was licking the oil pan of an old John Deere! Bitter, bitter, yech! The only difference that I could discern with the rubs was the skin got spicey and bitter. I remember this same outcome with the Luehr Jenson L'il Chief that I had years ago as well.

I don't see where torching it would do anything other than make it crispy dreck! What am I doing wrong to make the skin so disagreeable? I shouldn't eat the stuff, I know, but I do truly love crispy chicken and turkey skin out of the kitchen oven and would like to indulge on a rare occasion with the Cookshack as well. Confused
Cogster, never tried turkey skin. Not sure I ever care to try it. However, chicken skin is a different world, altogether.

Go buy yourself a torch and give it a try. If you don't want to buy one, go to a rental place and rent one with a large tank of gas (so you can practice).

When you get it right, let us know. Cool

Double Lazy
Hey,Cog.

I can't answer the flame thrower question,but throwing away a turkey skin is pretty accepted practice.

I cook mine like you do and put the rub under the loosened skin.

I also have good success,stripping away the skin,rubbing with 3.Tbsp.lower salt rub mixed in 1 cup mayo, wrapping the whole thing in a couple layers of cheesecloth.

I'd underguesstimate the amount of wood needed....See if a couple ounces of hickory will do it.

Don't eat the cheesecloth either.

Hope this helps some.

Big Grin
quote:
Unfortunately, in all cases as well, the skin varied between gray and black, was rubbery and tasted like I was licking the oil pan of an old John Deere! Bitter, bitter, yech!


Tom, your response to Cog is probably the right one, but let me ask something. This description (Cog's eloquent words) sounds like the "creosote syndrome" experienced from flaming wood in El Cheapo. Do you suffer that syndrome in a CS unit? Never heard you guys mention it.

What a strange thread this is.... Cool i2BBQ
I have to say that Cog's problem sounds like the incomplete combustion of the wood he is smoking. The wood is either smoldering or using to much.
Because we compete we find that chicken will score higher with judges all over the country when we use little or no wood. I'm using charcoal and that will inparts some flavor, Cog try very small amounts of fruitwoods or alder.
Higher cooking temps also work very well with chicken and you will find that skin is less rubbery.
Jim
Many thanks to all. As soon as i2 made the creosote comment I had an aha! moment. A much better description . . . and my apologies to John Deere! I have noticed that when I am done with my relatively shorter chicken/turkey cooks (3 1/2 to 4 hours) that I am left with something that resembles lump charcoal in the wood box as opposed to the fine white ash that's left after an 15 hour brisket. I'll cut back on the total amount of wood (even though I thought that I had been pretty light handed) and maybe start the oven to smokin' before I add the meat. I'll also make sure that I remove all the bark from the chunks before I start the cook.

Again, thanks for the input on my output! Big Grin

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