Chicken is one of the most commonly consumed meat, and many people choose smoked chicken for its smoky flavor and taste. For the most part, people consider smoked chicken to be better than fried chicken, baked chicken, and grilled chicken. Irrespective of its popularity, many people still question the pink color of smoked chicken, and this article entails much more information about it!
Is Smoked Chicken Pink?
It is common for the smoked chicken to be pink even if all the cuts and parts have achieved temperatures over 165-degrees Fahrenheit. For instance, there can be a pink rim around the edges of cooked chicken, and it is usually 1.5-inch wide. For the most part, the smoked chicken is commercially prepared, and the pink shade is caused because it’s prepared with the help of natural smoke. According to the federal authorities, the chicken must be cooked to 165-degrees Fahrenheit to make sure it’s safe to consume.
In addition, when the chicken is smoked, it undergoes a slow process, and the chicken is cooked at low temperatures. Having said that, the protein found in chicken’s marrow and muscle, myoglobin doesn’t break down completely. Myoglobin is known to have purple hues, which integrate with smoke and related gasses, which results in pink color in chicken. If you are wondering if the pink hue is caused by the cooking performance, it’s not.
This is because the pink side of smoked chicken is not associated with the coking level. In fact, the pink color is not restricted to chicken because other meats about create a smoke ring. At this point, it’s pretty evident that there is nothing wrong with the pink color, and it’s completely safe to eat. On the other hand, you must remember that it is not possible to get rid of the pink color even with cooking – if you keep cooking it, the meat will be overcooked, resulting in weird consistency.
Chicken Is Pink Around The Bone – Why Is It So?
In the majority of cases, people are concerned about the pink hue of smoked chicken, especially around the bone. Usually, pink shades are more evident around the joints area, and it’s caused by a similar reason the other parts of the chicken are pink (yes, myoglobin). To illustrate, that protein is available in high concentration in marrow and joints, which is such parts of the chicken are pinker in color. So, if the chicken is smoked, there will be a pink color because following the correct smoking techniques will ensure that the chicken is safe to consume and delicious.
The Texture & Color Of Smoked Chicken
When smoked chicken is compared to bloody and raw chicken, there is a huge difference in their appearances. Keep in mind that the pink color of raw chicken is different from the smoked chicken.
Following The Correct Smoking Method For Chicken
Smoking is a long process, and it takes a lot of time. To illustrate, smoking is done at low heat settings for a longer time period, which is why it’s important to ensure you are smoking chicken properly. To begin with, one needs to ensure proper preparation of chicken, and there are actually various recipes and preparation methods that you can try – all different recipes add unique flavors to the chicken, so you have to consider the ingredients.
As far as the smoking process is concerned, you need to be extremely particular about timing and temperature. To illustrate, the smoker should be set at 250-degrees Fahrenheit, and the chicken should be smoked for over forty minutes (this time duration is for one pound of chicken). All in all, the chicken will be fully smoked when the internal temperature of the chicken is 165-degrees Fahrenheit. To check the chicken’s temperature, you need to use the food thermometer.
Keep in mind that the smoking process can be challenging, particularly if you are trying the cooking method for the first method. For this reason, you need to be extremely careful about the smoking duration and the temperature.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that it’s common for the smoked chicken to have pink because the protein reacts with the smoke. So, you don’t need to be worried about the flavor and safety of meat!