What is your method for crispy skin chicken while retaining juiciness on a kettle?

Brine it and make sure you run it wide open vents top and bottom. Add a little smoke wood for a nice smoke flavor. Chicken will pick it up. Also, try cooking a whole chicken that is spatchcocked, remove the backbone and lay it flat. It won't need brined but chicken pieces should be brined.

I usually cook them indirect until they're about 155° and then go direct to crisp the skin.

Put your lit charcoal to one side and the chicken opposite it for indirect cooking. Leave the bottom vent open 1/2 to 3/4 and the top fully open. Put the lid on with the top vent over the chicken and leave it alone. Check it in 45 minutes or so and enjoy. Chicken should be cooked and crispy skin. I do it all of the time with bone in skin on thighs and they come out great. One of my family's favorite and they have dubbed it... no flip chicken. It really doesn't get much simpler

I cut the chicken up, start the Stubbs charcoal in a chimney, pour it into baskets on either side, run the bottom vents wide open, top vent closed, place 2 cut up chickens down the middle. Usually run about 400 for around 30 minutes per side. I get moist chicken with crispy skin.

Brining does help as Rusty Kettle said, the salt helps to dry and render the skin out while also retaining moisture in the meat. Slathering with mayo seems to help as well (possibly it's vinegar content) and you'll have a pretty nice crispy crust on the chicken with that as well. I mix some mayo and rub in a bowl, then just slop it all over the chicken. I also like to set the grill up for 2 zone cooking, I sear the skin really good over direct heat when I first put the chicken on to give the skin a head start, then after getting a little bit of a char on the skin I move them over to indirect heat to finish cooking.:-D

Here are some links you can check out, this question comes up pretty frequently so you may find your answers here.


http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=204127&highlight=bite+skin
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=201264&highlight=bite+skin
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=197996&highlight=bite+skin
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68492&highlight=bite+skin
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141033&highlight=bite+skin

KC

325-350 Brine & Mayonnaise!






Blu's Bird Brine

1/2 gal water
1/4 cup pickle or table salt
1/4 cup honey
1 tbl cider vinegar
1 tbl lousinaan style hot sauce
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
Brine the poultry for 1 hr per lb rines air dry in the refer for 4 hrs to over night.

^^ air drying^^^. Like the man said.

I have brined for 6 hours at room temp, then spatchcocked, dried by the window with a fan, then in the fridge to dry more. Skin gets translucent. I rub but no oil. Skin has less water but all the original fat, which renders. I get better skin without the added oil, but there are many roads to Rome

I have been using sugar-less rubs, so no carmelization assist but still leaves great crunch and bite.

This was achieved in an electric convection oven, while my egg gets unearthed from moving...