Chicken has become one of the mainstays for diet conscious people. Heck it has become a staple for all of us. The reason is chicken are lower in fat and cholesterol than most other meats. The fact is the marketing folks for the poultry industry are doing one fantastic job promoting their products to us. And we cook chicken in such a wide variety of ways, we can eat it all of the time and always change the looks and taste of the chicken. Chicken is really one meat that we can cook almost in any manner and it comes out great. It can be smoked, grilled, fried, and baked. It is great in salads and in casseroles.
Two kinds of meat – dark and light
Chicken is generally thought of as having two distinct kinds of meat: dark and light. The dark meat comes from the leg and thigh portions of the chicken. The dark meat contains more connective tissues and fat and thus requires a longer cooking time.
The light (white) meat comes from the breast and wing of the chicken. The light meat contains less connective tissue and fat and therefore cook quicker than does the dark meat.
To Brine or not to Brine
One of the questions we get a lot of and something that is talked about on our Forum is the question of brining a chicken or not. I personally do not brine chickens but many people believe that brining a chicken makes for a juicier piece of meat. If you would like to see some of the questions and answers about brining a chicken you can simply visit http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/ for a discussion on brining. This is a sample of what the forum is used for. Come join us.
Chicken and Safety
Because chickens spoil easily, there are some serious safety concerns that need to be noted. Most of the things about preparing chicken and cooking them are techniques we practice as a rule of thumb; but it goes without saying every now and then we need to be reminded. Just about every article or cookbook will have some mention of chicken safety issues. That’s okay, they are written to help keep us and our guests from getting sick so I’ve included a few chicken safety reminders.
· When working with raw chickens, you need to constantly wash your hands in order to prevent cross contamination. Also be sure to clean any surface with soap and hot water or better yet with a bacteria killing cleaner after you have prepared the bird.
· When thawing chicken keep it in the refrigerator. A whole chicken will take approx. 12 hours to thaw depending on size. If you need a quick thaw use your microwave.
· There is nothing in chicken recipes that call for Rare to Medium Rare Chickens, They need to be thoroughly cooked to the bone. There are various ways to tell when a chicken is done – clear juices, joints that move easily and of course the use of a meat / poultry thermometer.
Avoid “Burnt Cinder” Chicken – It is Easy to Avoid
Have you ever been to a barbecue and had what I call “burnt cinder” chicken. “Burnt cinder” chicken is black, crusty, dried out and taste terrible. It is the end product of high heat and applying barbecue sauce to the meat during the entire cooking process. We are going to teach you how to avoid the “burnt cinder” chicken doldrums.
Most people tend to grill skinless chicken breasts. However, most people are drying out the chicken breast in the process by overcooking the chicken.
Try slow smoking chicken using indirect heat. Lower the temperature of the grill or pit to 200 to 225 degrees. And sit back and get ready to enjoy the finest chicken you have ever sank your teeth into.
It will last from between 4 and 6 tadalafil cheap online hours. How exercise prevents erectile dysfunction The penile organ is only possible if a man is interested to have sexual encounter. cost levitra lowest Ironically, more surgeries to remove scar tissue can lead to cialis for woman even more scar tissue build-up. Mentally it puts you in more trouble and gives rise to severe depression. http://www.cerritosmedicalcenter.com/pid-6212 viagra store in canada The secret to grilling or smoking great tasting barbecued chicken is to keep the temperature of the fire low and leave any barbecue sauce you might be using off until the last few minutes on the pit. As with all meats, cooking at lower temperatures will produce tender, better tasting, and juicier meats. High heat will cook the meat quicker all right, but it will dry out a piece of chicken in a hurry. So lower the heat and add some cooking time to the bird.
All of the flavor added to the chicken will come from the rub that has been applied to the bird from the beginning of the cook and from the smoke flavor of the fire. Both of these taste will penetrate the meat during cooking and add the flavor to your chicken.
Smoked Chicken – This One is Hard to Beat and is Simple
One of the most flavorful things you can smoke is chicken. Smoke takes to chicken like a duck to water. The key to successful smoking chicken is to cook low and slow, use a great rub, add a little oil before the cook, add some wood flavor to the fire, and leave the dang old chicken skin on the bird during smoking.
I know you are getting tired of me saying this, low and slow cooking on the pit. Yes, even the dang old yard bird needs to be cooked low and slow.
Use a great rub. Texas BBQ Rub works great on chicken adding flavor and some sweetness to the chicken.
Add a little oil to the chicken before cooking. I use Italian dressing as a basting before placing the chicken on the pit. First I baste the chicken with Italian dressing and then apply Texas BBQ Rub. This combination works fantastic and the Italian dressing adds some flavor as well as some oil. Some folks use butter for their oil and butter works well also.
Add some wood flavor to your fire. If you are cooking with charcoal add some chunks of wood for the smoked wood flavor. The two biggest things adding flavor to the chicken are the wood flavor and the rub.
As I said, low and slow is the key to keeping the bird from drying out. Cook at 200 to 225 degrees. Cooking time for 200 is approximately 5 to 6 hours and cooking times for 225 degrees is approximately 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours. Cook the chicken until the juices of the chicken run clear, approximately 170 to 175 degrees internal temperature. If you are using an internal thermometer do not let it hit the bone of the chicken, as you will get a false reading. Test the temperature at the thickest part of the chicken breast.
I prefer to pick a whole chicken and cut it in half for cooking on the pit. I like to lay the chicken down with the breast side up on the pit and all you have to do is let it sit there and cook. You can cook whole chickens if you like, but add a little more time for cooking.
TIP: One thing you can certainly use in smoking and grilling are chicken quarters. This is simply the leg and thigh cut of meat off of the chicken and you can find these at Wal-Mart or at many super markets, in 10 pound bags for like 37 cents a pound. These are great to smoke or grill and they can be smoked in about 2 hours.
Smoked chicken will stay good in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days. It is fantastic to make chicken salad with and it is great in salads. Smoked chicken will freeze nicely if you have a vacuum packer or can wrap the chicken really good to protect it in the freezer.