Boneless & Skinless Chicken at Comps

[Steve]

Just been reading some chicken discussions on a couple of US forums and an interesting discussion point that I've seen is about submitting chicken that's boneless & skinless.

I talked to a team at the Royal who removed the bone from their thighs before cooking but lef the skin on.

I know that in the US, technically skin doesn't matter but I can't believe that rubbery skin wouldn't count against you in judging because it's an instant put off for judges when they taste your food. Getting good chicken skin is not easy as we all know so I'm toying with the idea of doing some skinless in my first practice run this week.

It would be good to know what the effect is likely to be on judging if one submitted skinless chicken. Maybe Jackie would like to give the official line on whether skin matters or not?

[British BBQ Society]

Hi Steve,

It all depends on what you are presenting, part of the challenge with thighs for example is getting the skin right, removing it would detract from your box. If you are not confident with getting the skin right it is of course acceptable using any part of the chicken such as breast, This is a more challenging option, remember you want as many judges to be happy. If a judge doesnt like skin they have the option of lifting it off the thigh.

Toby

[Steve]

I agree with you Toby on both your point about the skin being a challenge and about doing breast instead.

Will you make breast available at the competitions?

My thoughts are that it might be possible to submit a better product in a skinless way (and I plan to do some test runs to see) but if the instant perception of the judges is not good because of lack of skin then it may detract from your score even if the table guidance says it shouldn't.

KCBS judges are obliged to taste the skin if it is turned in (so I'm told) is this not the case with BBBQS judges?

I've actually managed to achieve "bite-through" skin on chicken that I'm pretty happy with for this year's turn ins but it can be tricky to consistently get the results. With only two of us on the team and limited practice time/funds for this year we can't hope to put a lot of time into all four categories so I'm more likely to aim for consistency in chicken and ribs and focus on getting pork and brisket up to the best standard we can. Next season will be the year of the chicken

[MadCow]

Well ... in my opinion, with my chief bitch (sorry, head judge) hat on ... If you turn in chicken with skin on, the judges are obliged to taste it ... we can only judge what is in the box, therefore officially you shouldn't lose points ... However, a lot of judges enjoy the skin ... there is a lot of flavour in it and if it is not there they might not be too happy, so might deduct points ... it might also detract from the appearance of the chicken .... as skin on looks glossy and good whereas skin off might look a bit drier.

The only time I have ever received a First in chicken in a US competition is when I presented skin-on thighs and a boned and rolled breast (which I spiced up before rolling and then held together in a net which I removed before presenting) I have since seen this done by other teams ... but remember, if you have 2 types of chicken in a box, the judge has to mark on both of them and therefore if one is good and the other is foul (tee hee) then you might lose points too.

So, to summarise, there is no right or wrong ... just make it taste and look good ... maybe Toby should consider providing whole chickens to each team so that any part can be used for the presentation ... just one additional comment from the wanna be judge sitting next to me ... please remove the feathers !!!

Jackie

[Steve]

The two things I'd be most concerned about are

1. Skinless might not look as good
2. A judge may get a bad first impression if they like skin.

I can do test runs to see if skinless can be made to look moist and succelent but the one thing you can't work around is what the judge is going to think when they first look at it. It's only natural to be swayed by visual appeal and also if only one team turns in skinless then just the fact that it's different can play against the entry.

Well I think that I might have some fowl fun at the weekend

[British BBQ Society]

If you look at the current rules each team is given options with the chicken catagory. So the world is your oyster.......... hmm mystery box

Competition Meat

Only meat provided through the British BBQ Society supplier will be acceptable for competition use. Included in teams entry fee will include 1 x Brisket, 1 x Pork Collar / Neck end, 2 racks of ribs and 2 chickens or 10 chicken thighs. Additional meat can be purchased through the British BBQ Society but is limited to a total of 2 x Brisket, 2 x Pork Shoulder / Neck end, 4 x racks of ribs, 3 chickens or 20 thighs (inclusive of competition meat). Prices for additional meat will be provided a minimum of 1 week prior to the event.

[Steve]

Oyster?... Mystery Box? That's a great idea - I used to eat barbecued (grilled) oysters on Miajima Island in Japan. They grill them and when the shells open they drop some japanese soy in there. Unfortunately some of them explode rather than open and you get random oyster shell artillery fire in the market - very amusing!

Anyway I digress, I hadn't noticed the section on chicken options, would it be too cheeky to ask whether you can mix and match - take 2 chickens as allocation and buy 10 thighs as extra

[All Weather Griller]

take 2 chickens as allocation and buy 10 thighs as extra

I like this idea!

[British BBQ Society]

i guess snacks will be required throughout the comp

[joker smoker]

I am still unclear. Can competitors provide their own meat or not?