First off, I assume you're referring to thighs, yes?
OK - skin scraping. The theory is that removing as much fat as possible from the under-skin will keep it from becoming rubbery and allowing it to crisp a bit during the smoking process. It works...to a degree. You can approach the process one of two ways: 1. Remove the skin entirely and use a sharp, flat edged knife (I use a 8" Santoko...the knife with dimples running down the blade) The idea is to hold the skin firmly on a cutting board while drawing the blade away, using a 20 degree angle. You repeat this process about 20x until you've scraped all the surface area and have removed as much fat as possible. It takes a few thighs to get the process nailed down. You'll usually have a tiny amount of fat clinging to the skin but the idea is to remove the thicker globs that usually cling to one side of the skin. 2. Do the same thing as just described, but leave the skin attached to the thigh on one edge.
Prior to replacing the skin on the meat, some folks will sprinkle rub on the exposed meat. Once you have the skin back on, you'll see that the thigh is shaped somewhat as a rectangle. Using the long ends of the rectangle, cup the edges under so as to form a ball. You can secure the shape by using toothpicks on the lower section of the meat/skin. Whew!!!
Some cooks de-bone the thigh before doing any of this. Some folks brine the thighs, whole or boned before scraping...some brine after scraping...some don't brine at all.
The butter/margarine braising concept was popularized by Myron Mixon last year on BBQ Pitmasters. (New series begins tonight
) The theory is that its supposed to keep the meat moist. I've tried it and find that brining works equally well. But hey, it won't do any harm to butter braise. Just be sure the butter isn't running out all over your smoker. Use an aluminum pan or Myron's trick of muffin pans.
A lot of comp cooks prefer to cook thighs indirectly over charcoal...coals or lump wood. The higher heat helps crisp the skin.
One final thought on skin scraping, when you bite into the thigh, it's dang near impossible to keep the entire skin piece from coming away with that bite. CBJ judges are taught not to down score for that...but then again CBJ judges are taught not to down score a turn in box that has no garnishing. "You pays your money; you takes your chances."
Keep notes on what you do and the results. When you find the PERFECT chicken thigh, please PM me
Hope that helps.
Lotta Bull won a lot of money with his parkay and he learned it from Trigg. Many others too.
