It's Friday!

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i is a moose

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Feb 14, 2011
357
14
The West Coast, USA
For me at least.

And to celebrate the end of the work week, and the triumphant return of my beloved Hilux pickup after the great transfer case explosion I'm throwing this guy:

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on here:

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Here are my specs:

1 Rocky hen, roughly 4,5 LBS

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

My Southwestern-style rub

1 Negra Modelo

Oak Charcoal (budget constraints kept me from purchasing a bag of mesquite for the Southwestern theme)

Pecan chunks

Going for about 300-325 degrees cook temp.

Just about to get the bird on the smoke
 
I'm looking forward to seeing this!   Man I wish it was Friday here......I guess technically it is in 3 hours, but I will still have to work....damn that work....
 
Thanks guys!

Got my WSMC stabilized at 300. I flippin' love how easy it is to get the temp I want. It's like driving a stick - just put it in gear, and it stays where you want it.

Anyway, while the bird was at the hookah bar for delicious meats, I thought I'd throw some sides together:'

Got a sofrito (bell pepper, onion, tomato, garlic) together, added some jalapeno, reserved part for rice, and added 1 can of black beans to the other.
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Then I dumped most of a bag of frozen corn into a cast-iron skillet, and softened them.

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One the corn was soft, I stirred on the sofrito/bean mix, and sweated them all down.

When the bird's resting, I'm gonna throw the skillet onto the coals to toast it up.

That's all for now. Dishes time.
 
Last edited:
Thanks!

Yeah, I hate only having one element to a meal completed. Ideally, my dinners have meat, a couple veggies, and a starch. (though, working nights, I'll eat anything that looks edible) I figured I'd shoot the moon tonight!

Smoker's holding steady at about 325, which is fine. I'm figuring on about 20 minutes a pound. After the first hour, I'll stick it with my probe. This has to be my favorite means of roasting a whole bird because the extra mass of the beer can keeps the breasts from drying out while I cook the thighs to tenderness.
 
WOW..........you got it goin' on 
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Corn compote awaiting it's stint in the smoker:

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sofrito with garlic, tomato paste, and bay leaves added:

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mixed into rice with smoked paprika, chipoltle flakes, oregano, cilantro salt and pepper:

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Water added:

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Vulture progress pic:

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Cornbread being made:

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Rice out of the oven:

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Chicken taking a nap:

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the chicken skin got slightly mangles while I tried to remove the beer can, but it all seemed to work out.

Also, the breast got up to 174, which I didn't want happening, but the thighs got up to 190, which I did want. I'm hoping the relatively low temps, the bacon, and beer can helped keep it from drying out too much.

Chicken's resting now, and it should be done by the time the cornbread's ready.

I got really lucky with the timing...
 
wow, I got really behind on the comments while posting that up. Partially from distracting myself, and partially because I was struggling with Photobucket.

Thanks for the kind words everybody! it's growing near my favorite time: eating!
 
Here's a shot of the corn compote in the smoker:

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Cornbread:

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Last time I did a cornbread, I overmixed it, and let it set too long, so it was relatively tough, dense, and flat. This time, I added extra baking powder (and extra corn) and mixed it just until incorporated, and it was incredibly tender, almost like a cake. I was happy.

Here's the full spread of sides:

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And the bird, freshly cut:

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Concerned it would be dry, I tasted a chunk from the very bottom tip of the breast, which is usually the driest part. It was very juicy, very flavorful, and incredibly tender. I played the temperature odds, and won!

Here was my plate:

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The leg-thigh was perfectly cooked (by my standards) The fat was almost completely rendered out, and the meat clung to the bones, but would separate with the gentlest of tugs, but still firm enough to chew. Very nearly like a well-cooked pork rib. The pecan smoke worked perfectly, and though I took no picture of it, there was a nice smoke ring throughout the leg-thigh that I ate. I haven't inspected the breasts to verify the presence of smoke-ringage, but I'm sure it's there. I polished off this plate with the help of 2 bottles of Moose Drool, and enjoyed every minute of it; the meal was almost enough to offset the fact that I was dining alone. Almost.

Nevertheless, all good things must come to an end, and to compensate for the huge amount of starch I'd just eaten, I'd decided to have a double-portion of green salad, with Balsamic Vinegar and Myer Lemon Olive Oil.

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oh the torture...?
 
WOW..... this is one of the best q-views I have seen in a while everything looks so good! let me know if you need any help disposing of left overs next time. I will gladly help
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What I want to know is HOW WAS THE BACON??????  I mean, after all, the rest of the vittles looked great but how about the star of the show, the BACON?  It is afterall, a food group unto itself.  Also, could you taste a bacon flavor in the breast meat?  At your smoking temps, the bacon should have been fairly crispy.
 
The bacon was awesome. It was suitably crispy, and a good deal of my rub got on it - something I have to do again. Moreover, the pecan smoke, and the apple cold smoke of the bacon got together for double-layers of smoky goodness. It was like a smoke-flippin'-sandwich!
There was bacony-goodnes going on in the breast meat I tried, too, and in the skin of the thighs. Surprisingly, I really didn't taste the Negra Modelo, though.
What I want to know is HOW WAS THE BACON??????  I mean, after all, the rest of the vittles looked great but how about the star of the show, the BACON?  It is afterall, a food group unto itself.  Also, could you taste a bacon flavor in the breast meat?  At your smoking temps, the bacon should have been fairly crispy.
 
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