Skin crisping methods for fowl

My thoughts, talked about it in Turkey 101, but I can always expand my thoughts.

You kind of have an issue. If you don't get it hot enough, that skin won't get crispy. Simple fact. Get your smoker as hot as you can. The Smokette will hit 250, so go to at least that.

Okay, the skin issue, I believe, isn't about eating the skin, but about presentation. Except for that little moment before everyone digs in, who even eats the skin?

but I'll try to help. Here's what I know.

For temps BELOW 250, just a straight, plain skin doesn't seem to crisp up if you do nothing.

You need to add something on and/or under the skin to help.

Ideas:

1. The butter/cheese cloth method works for a 250 smoker, even a 225.

2. Make sure you open up the area between the skin and the meat. Cooks Illustrated believes this helps the skin crispen up.

2. Add something to the skin. Oil, butter, something that will brown/crispen.

3. Baste. There are a lot of bastes out there and I would use that method to crispen. Some of the bastes have syrups/sugar in them and they'll carmelize.

The skin helps keep the moisture in, but no one around here eats it, even when it comes out crispy in a fried turkey or in my other methods.

Smokin'

I dont come from the south, but everyone I know eats skin. Skin-Lovers Unite!

I am going to cover my bases and use the cheesecloth AND the propane torch if I need it. Great idea! I have a flared nozzle for paint stripping-I think it would spread the flame nicely. I think that crisping up on the weber would likely make a properly cooked bird fall apart at the joints....no?

Cooked a trial bird yesterday,12.38# not brined.It had an absorbed mixture of broth and herbs from the packer of 6%.sperated the skin, put CS bird rub under the skin.olive oil and pepper on the skin. 4.5 hrs middle rack of CS50@250 165d breast 185d leg. alittle to dark in color of skin for me and the skin was rubber. The bird was very good 7.5 on my scale of 1 to 10. Iwould check it at 4 hrs.for thanksgiving. same size bird. I do wish the skin was crispy.I'm afraid that afer all that the oven idea may dry it out.If I take it out with a 3rd to go will I lose the smoke taste.Will it just become an oven bird? Larry

IMO Smokin' hit the nail on the head, about the skin being for presentation.

We had the opportunity to judge a lot of the top comp cooks in the country this weekend.

This was a state championship.

We had the South out through Texas,the Midwest up through the Dakotas,and all up through the Atlantic seaboard.

These were the winners of many of the top comps,trying to get a jump on the invitationals for next year.

Besides those we judged ,the "grazing" table gives you a chance to test every cook's entry.

Although this was chicken,the same problems exist.

Teams carry kettles,etc. and use every trick to get the skin on smoked poultry to be "biteable".

Not one success.

The sliced turkey will usually have such a thin strip of skin at the edge,that it isn't really worth all the discussion.

IMO the well cooked bird will far overshadow all the consternation we attach to the skin

Just my $0.02

zazza,

If I'm going to go for crisp skin, I'm going to cook it higher than 250. The reason we spend so much time on 250 is because the smokette can't go higher.

You did all you could and you still didn't like the skin. The skin just needs a higher temp to crisp. The alternatives I've mentioned are just work arounds to try and get it to something you want.

If the bird was too dark, could be too much wood.

That's one thing the cheesecloth would help with. You don't have to leave it on the whole time if you want. But look at the photo. The method works.