Sourcing chicken

[arbeck]

I seek out prime briskets. I've cooked Duroc, Kurobuta, and Mangalista pork butts and ribs. I've seen most other teams doing similar things.

However, I buy my chicken at Costco. It's cheap, commodity (Foster Farms) stuff. I've often wondered if it would be worth it to see out better quality chicken. I have access to pasture raised chickens, but have never thought about using them.

With pork and beef, it seems that moving up the grades gets you more intramuscular fat. I haven't noticed beefier or porkier flavors from them. Chicken isn't going to have intramuscular fat. However, pasture raised chickens tend to just have a stronger chicken flavor. With the rubs, sauce, and smoke; I'm wondering if it would even be noticed.

TL;DR

Has anyone competed with a higher quality chicken? If so, what kind of results did you get?

 

[Burnt at Both Endz]

Cooked some Smart Chicken brand this weekend at the Guinea Pig that the judges seemed to like well. If I remember correct you had to get down 2/3rds of the way on the result standings to get out of the 170's.......

It was the only meat to get a perfect score.

 

[tduffy]

Never bought the fancy chicken. I buy thighs from the local grocery store and have always done well with them.

 

[SOB]

Cooked some Smart Chicken brand this weekend at the Guinea Pig that the judges seemed to like well. If I remember correct you had to get down 2/3rds of the way on the result standings to get out of the 170's.......

It was the only meat to get a perfect score.

30th place was a 170.26! My 8th was 176.5944!

Talked to a judge after and he said the 6 entries they tasted were the best 6 entries overall he has ever had. Smart Chicken is worth a shot to see if you like it.

 

[bpeyton89]

I like smaller organic Chicken thighs. I put 9 in a box

 

[Ribeye Republic]

I use smart chicken.

 

[RubLover]

One thing I noticed about Smart Chicken and Sanderson Farms is that the thighs are fairly consistent in size and the skin covers the thigh well (minimal poor processing). Recently got one of the Foster Farms 18 pack (3 individually packed together) and I noticed many of them had torn skin or minimal skin. To me it appeared they were just thrown into the packages.

 

[midwest_kc]

I judged the guinea pig this weekend, and I concur. The chicken turn ins were amazing. I thought the ribs and pork were incredible too. Just great turn ins across the board.