Smoked Chicken Thighs in the MES 30

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smoketrailsteve

Smoke Blower
Original poster
May 22, 2017
100
86
Alberta, Canada
Hey gang,

I just smoked some chicken thighs in my MES 30 and made a video documenting the cook. The one problem I had is the skin was too rubbery. Any tips or suggestions wold be appreciated. I think the only solution is to take them out of the MES and char them up on the grill or broil in the oven to get that skin crispy.



 
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Reactions: SonnyE and okie362
"I think the only solution is to take them out of the MES and char them up on the grill or broil in the oven to get that skin crispy".

This is by far the best solution in my opinion. Trying to increase temperatures in the smoker towards the end of the smoke only creats frustration. Crisp skin is best achieved by searing or broiling....But keep a sharp eye on them so you don't burn them!

Enjoy,

John
 
I agree with what everyone is saying.

I find that you don't get edible chicken skin unless you cook at 325F or higher.
Others report having success at lower temps and even 275F in the MES but I never have had success with 275F in my MES.

You can also try rubbing the skin with backing powder and letting sit exposed in your fridge for like 24 hours or so.
I have never done this but people report that it works. Let me know if you do it and how things turn out.

Best of luck! :)
 
Great Video! Thanks for sharing!

Just a thought, but we have one of those power air fryer things. And we can get crispy chicken skin from it.
In fact, my wife likes chicken so much we have it a lot.
I was thinking, add the air fryer between the initial smoke, and the Sweet Baby Rays finish smoke. Just to crisp the hide under the sauce. ;)

I'm here looking to see how others smoke chicken, as I'd like to try it myself today. So I got out one of our packages and want to smoke some of tonight's thighs a bit. (I say some, because my wife doesn't seem to be a fan of my smoker addiction/adventures of late.)
Then power air fry them for the finish. We both like this Chef Merito Pollo seasoning done in the air fryer.

I haven't put BBQ sauce on mine done this way in the air fryer.
But I use Sweet Baby Ray's and doctor it. While great straight out of the bottle, I like to add granulated garlic, season salt, Montreal steak seasoning, and a big blob of sage honey. I mix to taste and texture.
I baste that on as I'm BBQ'ing the chicken, ribs, or pork roast. Each turn at 7 minutes, paint the victims.
The add-ins cook onto the meat and gets so yummy.
The family comes runnin for grandpa's pork ribs.
Just wanted to share that with another Sweet Baby Ray's fan. :D
 
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