Strange chicken texture

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azshane

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 24, 2012
21
10
Buckeye, AZ 85326
Hey all I made a beer butt chicken as the first smoke on my "new to me" Bar-B-Chef. The bird turned out really tasty but my wife and I noticed the texture of the meat was a little strange. It was almost like it was fake or something, its really hard to describe. The meat in question came from lower on the bird. I'm wondering if anybody else has ran into this and if so can you fix it or is it just part of the deal?

TIA
 
Was it cooked to an IT of at least 165 in breast and 175 in thigh? The only strange textured chicken I've had was because of over or under cooking. 
 
When you do a Beer Butt Chicken you are Smoke/Roasting from the Outside and Steaming from the Inside...So you may very well notice a difference in texture from the Bird you usually make...JJ
 
Did you brine the bird? I noticed that when I kinda "over brined" a batch of chicken I got a hammy, almost cured texture. Your "almost like it was fake or something" comment reminded me of what I was thinking when I took the first bite of that chicken.
 
Last edited:
Was it cooked to an IT of at least 165 in breast and 175 in thigh? The only strange textured chicken I've had was because of over or under cooking. 
yes it was cooked to 165 in the breast checked with a digital thermometer. I didnt check the thigh.
 
Did you brine the bird? I noticed that when I kinda "over brined" a batch of chicken I got a hammy, almost cured texture. Your "almost like it was fake or something" comment reminded me of what I was thinking when I took the first bite of that chicken.
No Brine. I would compare the texture to duck. I've only had duck once but I remember it was kind of oily and had the same type of texture.

Thanks
 
 
The skin of a chicken has a rubbery texture when it's smoked.  The fat doesn't render out at smoking temps.  Are you sure that's not what the problem is?
 
AZ,

It simply means that the fat in the skin doesn't melt down (render) at lower temps so the skin stays a bit rubbery.  If you didn't eat the skin then it can't be the problem. 
 
I'm not sure if this might be what you are talking about, but on some occasions, the long and slow smoking method of cooking the chicken, the skin thickens a little while cooking, and holds in the internal juices more so.  I think it's kinda like stewing the meat under the skin.  It often gets very soft, losing the muscle tone and at first seems a little strange to our pallet, being so tender.  The meat is fully cooked and very flavorful, just a little too tender.  Just a thought that this is what you were experiencing.
 
I bought some boneless breasts at a kroger a fer months ago and nomatter what we tried (not smoked or grilled) they seemed rubbery. Cooked them twice as long as normal and they still seemed rubbery and the meat would not firm up. The raw meet also seemed greasy. We returned the unused packs for a refund. A friend of mine works quality in a chicken plant and told us they were probably old even though the sale date was current.
 
I would be willing to bet that the texture would have been strange no matter how you cooked it.  Every once in awhile we experience chicken breasts with a horribly fake texture.  We have lived in a few different places over the past few years and we have experienced this in all places (NV, NY, TX).  This has happened at restaurants a few times as well.  I can't find anyone else that knows what I am talking about (except my hubby who agrees with me) and it is so frustrating.  It is such a weird texture like you said, so hard to explain.

I would LOVE to find out why chicken is like that sometimes.  I just can't eat it even though it may taste great; I just cannot get past that horrible texture!  What are "they" doing to us?
 
I'm not sure if this might be what you are talking about, but on some occasions, the long and slow smoking method of cooking the chicken, the skin thickens a little while cooking, and holds in the internal juices more so.  I think it's kinda like stewing the meat under the skin.  It often gets very soft, losing the muscle tone and at first seems a little strange to our pallet, being so tender.  The meat is fully cooked and very flavorful, just a little too tender.  Just a thought that this is what you were experiencing.
I think I experienced this with a turkey. I brined and smoked one on Tday and I know it was fully cooked, hit over 165 in the breast but when I was slicing it some of the breast almost looked raw, it was so soft and moist I almost got worried but i tasted a small piece and it was definatly cooked just the texture had changed. Thanks for the info, it makes sense to what I experienced.
 
As long as it was fully cooked, I would shrug it off and try another one. If it happens again, then start investigating further
     Quote:
When you do a Beer Butt Chicken you are Smoke/Roasting from the Outside and Steaming from the Inside...So you may very well notice a difference in texture from the Bird you usually make...JJ
I agree with Chef JJ and berninga87: it might just be the individual bird you cooked, or it could be the new method you've used.  I say tried it again.  If you decide to do it differently I recommend you change only one variable at a time.  I like to finish a beer can bird off by direct grilling for a few minutes on each side.
 
I have noticed the same thing and even read another comment.  The texture is strange almost like a composite or pressed meat. I noticed this once before and thought it was a fluke but the last batch of chicken breasts I bought were the same. The other poster said it reminded her of fake crab meat.  The meat does not get white but stays almost pinkish. All in all it is very rubbery and unappetizing..  
 
I googled 'weird chicken texture' and came up with this forum...had breats on the grill last night and this was the 2nd time we had pieces that had this strange texture...almost like it was airated, and a bit of a crunch (not crispy though) ugh, I can't explain it either...but yea, kinda fake feeling texture to it.
 
Chicken Breast goes through a variety of textures as the temperature rises. In the low 160*'s it is " Done " but will be slightly pink, very juicy, with a somewhat rubbery, dense texture. In the high 160*'s the meat whitens, get's firmer, is still quite juicy and the muscle fibers barely begin to seperate. In the 170*'s the meat is very white, the fibers can seperate into strips like string cheese and the meat begins to get dry. In the 180*'s the muscle shreads like pulled pork , is white and quite dry. Bottom line is... a few Degrees of Internal Temp, one way or another, gives a very different Texture in the meat.

Yes there are some other factors... If you are going to the Grocery and the Boneless Breasts are in the 12oz range, size of a large man's hand, that is an Old bird or ex-Layer and will be much tougher and more Rubbery than a 6-8oz Breast from a young 3lb Bird. You need to choose Chicken according to cooking method. Big 8Lb Chix, Oven Stuffers, are good for Roasting/ Low and Slow Smoking and moist cooking methods, Soups/Stews/Braised Dishes. For Frying/Broiling, 300*F Smoking and Grilling, small whole birds, 3Lbs, and smaller parts are a better choice and will be more tender and have a better texture with these quicker cooking methods. With all Birds...Brine 4-24 hours for Tender, Flavorful, and virtually guaranteed Juicy Poultry... Hope this adds some insight...JJ
 
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