Sticky chicken - why?

[HankB]

I had another go with my CGA/CI and decided to push it. In fact, by any reasonable measure I overloaded it. I picked up a package of chicken leg quarters that consisted of 5 pieces at 1 lb each. I sliced up some fresh sage, oregano and rosemary and mixed with nearly half a bulb of crushed garlic. To that I added some ground cumin, ancho powder and salt & pepper. Then I mixed in enough canola oil to make a slurry. After rinsing and drying the chicken I put it in a bowl, added the wet rub and worked it to distribute the rub as best as I could.

While that marinated, I prepared the fire. I filled the small chimney with briquettes and threw an extra handful on the grate along with the few small pieces left from the previous day's cook. (I will also note that the space below the grate - reduced to provide more room for charcoal under the tall CI grate - had filled with ash. Once the coals were going, I spread them over the whole charcoal grate and put the CI grates in place.

After giving things a couple minutes to come up to temperature, I put the chicken on. It turns out that the CGA is perfect size for four one pound leg quarters. I stacked the fifth up in the middle of the grill. I planned to rotate the pieces to get even cooking for all pieces.

After about ten minutes, I opened the cooker to turn and rotate the pieces and that's when the difficulties began. I had started the chicken skin side down and it was really sticking to the grates. As I tried to pick it up,  it was leaving not only skin but pieces of meat behind. When I tried to slide under the pieces with tongs to separate them from the grill, the brace that held up the CI moved enough to drop into the coals.  This was not going well. All of the chicken came off (during which the other brace dropped as well.) Picking up 8 pound CI grates with tongs was a challenge. I did manage to get everything back in place so the cook could proceed, but sticking continued to be a problem and before I finished, one of the cross pieces dropped into the fire again.

It's obvious that my design needs some improvement to keep the cross pieces from turning and dropping the grates onto the coals.

Why did I have so much difficulty with sticky chicken? Did I not wait long enough for the grates to get hot? I had seasoned the grates earlier in the day following a procedure I've used for other cookware. I coat it lightly with canola oil and heat in a 500°F oven for about 45 minutes at temperature. Maybe it wasn't fully seasoned, providing a surface that could adhere to food rather than shedding it.

Thoughts?

On the plus side, the chicken did cook though one piece was not ready when the others hit 170°F. It was good.  I had left the blobs of fat on it to see if there would be any difficulties with flare ups and there were not. The ManGrates seem to do the job in that regard.

[edhead35]

In my experience, if food is sticking, leave it alone until it doesn't stick. Goes for grilling, sautéing, etc.

[One Touch Platinum]

I would agree with the last response, when the meat is ready to flip it will usually do so without sticking....if you try too soon the meat will stick....this is really true with chicken. If you are using cast iron grates you really need to let them get hot before you put meat on them. This is the same thing that happens if you try to fry potatoes in a cast iron skillet...if the skillet is not hot before you put the potatoes they will stick everytime! Also you may want to oil the grates before the cook , but even better put a little oil on the meat before it hits the grates.

[G$]

I think food will not stick after about two more cooks. You have work to do.

[1buckie]

" Picking up 8 pound CI grates with tongs was a challenge."

Ove Gloves, or a forked cast iron pickup tool.......................

If I read right earlier, this grate is new?

May take a few rounds of seasoning / cooking to have a better surface......but other's above ideas will help, too.................

[HankB]

Yeah, I was probably premature on putting the food on the grill and then premature on turning. I was pushing it because I needed to rotate through the one that was stacked on top.

The grates are new but I have been seasoning them in the oven and using canola oil. After yesterday's cook, I cleaned off the the food residue and I'm doing that again (right now.)

The chicken was pretty well oiled. I've been led to believe that oiling either food or grate should do the job in that regard.

Thanks for the replies.

[1buckie]

 Yeah, probably just a few rounds of cook, clean, season, repeat & you'll be built up where it won't be doing that.....

PS: That was some BIG chicken....I can see why the rotation.....

[One Touch Platinum]

Another thing you may want to consider, Start your chicken indirect first and then sear the pieces at the end of the cook on your cast iron, that by then should be plenty hot and you will get sear marks as well if you like that kind of thing.  I know that I keep going on and on about reverse searing but it really is a great way to cook chicken or steak or any meat that you want to hit the perfect temperature without overcooking and you also get a better crust or sear than searing first and moving indirect since the skin or crust will not soften as the meat cooks indirect at the end of the cook. You will also have less of the chicken sticking issue if you sear at the end as well. I was going to type all of this in my first post but was at work and needed to get on the clock. Sorry for the long winded reply. I used to have all sorts of issues cooking chicken least not of which was inconsistent results.... the best chicken ever cooked and eaten to dry or under cooked chicken that would stick and just plain suck! I have reversed seared every piece of chicken I have made since ....a long time ago and now it is one of the easiest things for me to cook because I control the cook and it doesn't just drag me along, hoping that it won't end up a disaster. I have seen some videos on Youtube where they cook chicken over direct heat the entire time with a full bag of charcoal......I don't know how to get good results that way unless it is clever video editing. I went from someone who barely knew how to microwave hotdogs to somebody that can cook some stuff! The two most important things I learned was cooking indirect ( thank you BBQ PIT BOYS) and how to reverse sear. Those two techniques are a part of just about everything I cook on my kettle, which is everything I cook and that is a lot of different things . Hope that some of my blabbing is some help to you.

[HankB]

Another thing you may want to consider, Start your chicken indirect first and then sear the pieces at the end of the cook on your cast iron, that by then should be plenty hot and you will get sear marks as well if you like that kind of thing.  ...

That's something I'll have to try. I usually reverse sear steaks and lamb chops and get really good results. It hadn't occurred to me to do chicken that way too. To what IT do you take chicken when you reverse sear it? (Speaking of chicken parts, that is. Whole chicken would probably be different.)

In this case my desire was to see how the CGA would respond when loaded to capacity (and beyond!  ) The only way I could do a reverse sear would be to start the chicken with a few coals or bottom vents stopped down, remove the chicken so the heat can be brought up and then sear it. Not optimal. Easily done using multiple grills at home but I plan to eventually leverage the "go anywhere" capabilities of this cooker.

[Heyjude]

Just an observation. Maybe the CI needs more seasoning.

You said, " coat it lightly with canola oil and heat in a 500°F oven for about 45 minutes at temperature. Maybe it wasn't fully seasoned, providing a surface that could adhere to food rather than shedding it."

Here is a great article on seasoning CI.

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

AJ 

[One Touch Platinum]

I take it 15 degrees shy and then direct cook it until 5 degrees shy and let rest a few minutes....it will get to the desired temp that way without getting overdone. So... for chicken I take it indirect up to 150 degress and then go direct up to 160 ( I check temp of each piece to make sure it hits the right temp before pulling it) ...at 160 I pull it off and let it get up to final temp of at least 165 ....it will get the last 5 degrees after it comes off and if it goes over a little it won't overshoot by much. If the internal temp of the chicken is at 165 when it hits your plate it will be perfect. You may have to go a little higher for thighs since dark meat may  have a different texture than white meat at 165...it will be done but may be slimey....not sure first hand, as I have never done thighs alone, I have done whole chickens and breasts, nobody at home is a big fan of thigh meat.