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Competition Gateway Drum Smoker Chicken Thighs
Duration:
50:00
Level:
Medium
Competition-style BBQ is often different from what is cooked at home or in a restaurant. The main difference is usually in the techniques used to prepare the meat.
Preperation
Step 1
Clean the ribs by removing the membrane and any excess fat from the ribs.
Step 2
If preparing the chicken for competition: remove the skin and any tendons, oyster, or blood. Scrape the skin very thin, removing any large deposits of remaining fat. This will ensure that as it smokes and renders, the skin will not turn rubbery. Square the skin off, and wrap the skin, cleaned thigh, and cleaned bone into a cylinder.
Step 3
Wrap the chicken in plastic overnight to maintain its cylindrical shape. Note: some people use meat glue for this step, but we do not. To keep the shape compact, you can also vacuum pack the thighs. For competitions some teams use colored plastic wrap to avoid any potential plastic ending up in the chicken.
Step 4
The next day, start by making the Game Changer brine at half strength. Carefully unwrap the chicken thighs, keeping their cylindrical shape, and add them to the brine for 2 hours.
Step 5
After two hours, remove the chicken thighs from the brine, rinse the chicken, dry them, and then rewrap the chicken thighs.
Cooking the Chicken
Step 1
Preheat the Gateway Drum Smoker with the diffuser set on the bottom level to 280°F degrees. Use a small amount of wood chips, as too much wood will cause the chicken to get dark. The diffuser protects the chicken from getting too hot. (See image to see the direction for the diffuser.)
Step 2
Unwrap the chicken thighs and place them side by side in a foil half-pan; make sure the chicken thighs are not touching each other, and use multiple pans if needed. Season lightly with both the Cimarron Docâs and the Caveman Chicken Rub seasoning blends.
Step 3
After the chicken has smoked for about 15 minutes, add a stick of butter (or 1â2 block of Kerrygold) to each pan.
Step 4
Cover the top of the pans and cook 50-60 minutes in the drum smoker with the lid on; never let your drum cook without the lid. Maintain a heat of 280°F throughout the duration of the cooking time.
Step 5
Remove the pans of chicken from the smoker and strain the jus. Reserve the jus.
Step 6
For Glazing: During the rest period, the turkey breast will carry over to 165°F/74°C.
Step 7
To glaze the chickens, using a meat hook, dip each one into the glaze and then place them back into the foil pan. Repeat this process with each thigh until all of them are coated, place them back in the smoker for 5 minutes to set the glaze.
Preperation
Step 1
Clean the ribs by removing the membrane and any excess fat from the ribs.
Step 2
If preparing the chicken for competition: remove the skin and any tendons, oyster, or blood. Scrape the skin very thin, removing any large deposits of remaining fat. This will ensure that as it smokes and renders, the skin will not turn rubbery. Square the skin off, and wrap the skin, cleaned thigh, and cleaned bone into a cylinder.
Step 3
Wrap the chicken in plastic overnight to maintain its cylindrical shape. Note: some people use meat glue for this step, but we do not. To keep the shape compact, you can also vacuum pack the thighs. For competitions some teams use colored plastic wrap to avoid any potential plastic ending up in the chicken.
Step 4
The next day, start by making the Game Changer brine at half strength. Carefully unwrap the chicken thighs, keeping their cylindrical shape, and add them to the brine for 2 hours.
Step 5
After two hours, remove the chicken thighs from the brine, rinse the chicken, dry them, and then rewrap the chicken thighs.
Rich Rosendale, CMC
I am passionate about sharing culinary knowledge and inspiring others.
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