Not to discount the original comment,because PitMasters must be "Reality".
Naturally,we all know that you aren't allowed to use a fork to eat bbq.
Like the good cooks above said,there are tricks that many of us may use.
As a trip to the real world sometimes is delivered,we took a "busman's holiday " this weekend and judged-just to see what is out there this fall.
Our six man table was made up of all Master Judges-including the Table Capt.Three of us also were cook teams.
Of the six entries,four had skin on thighs-one had been finished on a charcoal grill.[We all commented how it actually ate like real backyard bbq chicken].Two had pretty much bite thru skin.
The other two were skinless,smoked thighs. .one deboned.
As many judges will attest,against the rules,judges push the skin aside and bite straight to the meat.
The three cooks paid some interest to the skin,but tend to focus on how well the product was cooked.
This doesn't directly address the opening question,so what does it really mean?
Heck if I know,I'm just an ol' country cook.