{"id":1479,"date":"2020-05-08T16:45:34","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T21:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/three-little-pigs-bbq.com\/?p=1200"},"modified":"2020-05-08T16:45:34","modified_gmt":"2020-05-08T21:45:34","slug":"basic-101-grilling-smoking-chicken-for-the-beginner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/three-little-pigs-bbq.com\/dev\/basic-101-grilling-smoking-chicken-for-the-beginner\/","title":{"rendered":"Basic 101 Grilling & Smoking Chicken for the Beginner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Have you ever cooked a perfect chicken? Were the breasts moist and tender and the leg completely cooked? Chances are, not always. Why is it so hard to get the dark meat cooked perfectly without over cooking the white meat? The reason is that a chicken is two distinctly different kinds of meat. The breast meat is very different from the leg, thigh and wing meat. This can create a real challenge when it comes to cooking the perfect chicken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The make-up of a chicken:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the biochemical level a chicken is a combination of approximately 3 parts water to one-part fat and one-part protein. Most of the meat comes from muscle fibers in the chicken, which are mostly proteins \u2013 notably myosin<\/strong> and actin<\/strong>. Because chcikens rarely fly but rather walk, they contain far more fat in their legs than in their breast, which results in the strong differences in texture between these sections of the bird \u2013 and the difficulty in making sure that all portions of the bird are properly heated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The science of cooking a chicken<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you cook the chicken, muscle fibers contract until they begin to break up at around 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Bonds within the molecules begin to break down, causing proteins to unravel, and the dense muscle meat to become tenderer. Collagen in the bird (one of three protein fibers that attach muscles to the bone) breaks down into softer gelatin molecules as it unwinds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dryness of a chicken is a result of muscle proteins coagulating within the meat, which can result if it is cooked too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Temperature differentials in cooking a chicken<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of the problem, as described above, is that the different nature of the light and dark meat in a chicken results in different rates to reach the coagulation of the muscle proteins. If you cook it too long, the breast meat has coagulated; if you don\u2019t cook the bird long enough, the dark meat is still tough and chewy. Harold McGee, a food science writer, indicates aiming for 155 \u2013 160 degrees Fahrenheit in the breast), but you want 180 degrees or above in the leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common Myths: <\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Myth #1: You should wash raw chicken before cooking it.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bad idea. In fact, the USDA advises against it. When you wash raw poultry, the pathogens get on your hands and in the sink. Cooking poultry thoroughly deactivates these pathogens, so you should avoid handling raw food as much as possible. If you use a cutting board, sanitize it and the knife properly, and discard the packaging carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Link to more Information: <\/em><\/strong>https:\/\/three-little-pigs-bbq.com\/dev\/to-wash-or-not-wash-raw-meat-poultry\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth #2: Removing chicken skin and fat will help lower my fat intake.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Not really. If you do this, your chicken will be dry and flavorless. Cook your poultry with all its skin and fat, and it’s fine to eat some cooked skin. In fact, it can be healthful if it comes from a well-raised chicken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth #3: Yellow chickens have more fat than paler chickens.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Not necessarily. A chicken’s pigment comes from the color of its feed. A chicken that eats feed containing xanthophyll will have more yellow hue than one that does not. Either way, chicken skin is not an accurate measure of its fat content, nutritional value, tenderness or flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth #4: If the Chicken label says “fresh,” then it’s fresh.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Not always the case. According to the USDA, any poultry stored below 0 degrees Fahrenheit is considered “frozen” and above 26 degrees Fahrenheit is considered “fresh.” However, a turkey at this temperature is neither “frozen” nor “fresh.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myth #5: <\/strong>Cooking a chicken until its \u201cjuices run clear when pricked\u201d is standard poultry advice but, according to Cook\u2019s Illustrated, it\u2019s not a very dependable way to tell if your chicken is properly cooked<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how do you know when the smoked chicken is done?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n