My Maiden Smoke- I got pics & questions

candycoated · Jan 19, 2013

Just got finished eating my first smoke!

I chose to smoke two whole store bought chickens (minimally processed) in my new vertical propane smoker (smoke hollow 44). I brined the chickens for 4.5 hours, my ingredients for brine were: 1 gallon of water, 20 chicken bullion cubes, approximately 2 TBS of onion powder, garlic powder, celery powder, black pepper, turbinado sugar. Rubbed them with a mixture of garlic powder, onion powder, celery powder, cayenne pepper 40k, sweet smoked paprika, turbinado sugar. Stuffed them both with half of a sweet Vidalia onion. Used store bought hickory chunks. Cooked them at a temp of ~265* till they reached internal temp of 160*, then I wrapped them in foil and let them sit for at least 15 mins. The first chicken finished in 3.5 hours, and the second took an extra 30 mins. We ate the second one, I haven't cut into the first yet.

Chicken #2

IMG_0317.JPG

candycoated
Jan 19, 2013

Chicken #1

IMG_0318.JPG

candycoated
Jan 19, 2013

Mac-N-Cheese

IMG_0319.JPG

candycoated
Jan 19, 2013

Plated

IMG_0320.JPG

candycoated
Jan 19, 2013

Chicken juice from the foil, and the centers of the onion.

IMG_0321.JPG

candycoated
Jan 19, 2013

Me Smokin' ;p

(p.s. no make-up and hardcore Nerd glasses)

IMG_0310.JPG

candycoated
Jan 19, 2013

Time for the questions.

Why no smoke ring?

My chicken was so moist it was bordering on mushy. Why?

What do folks do with Chicken Juice? It tastes so good, I didn't want to throw it out!

No worries about the white cheddar mac-n-cheese, it was awesome!

kathrynn · Jan 19, 2013

looks great girl! You did good!

gotarace · Jan 19, 2013

Congrats on a successful first smoke Melissa looks like your chicken turned out excellent!!

I'll try my best to answer your questions...

Why no smoke ring?

My guess here and it is only a guess is that it being your first smoke you may have had a hard time keeping the door closed on the smoker. Checking the chips...probing the bird for temps...admiring you work...all this can lead to a non pronounced smoke ring. If were looking were not cooking.

My chicken was so moist it was bordering on mushy. Why?

Next time try one bird brined and the other with no brine only seasoning. Being minimally processed can still mean a good amount of water being pumped into the bird. Then brining the bird on top of that could lead to your mushy problem.

Here is a popular brine used by many on this site

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/tips-slaughterhouse-recipes-for-poultry

What do folks do with Chicken Juice? It tastes so good, I didn't want to throw it out!

It makes a excellent gravy base or addition to chicken soup. I also like to pour it on top of the white meat from the chicken...in your case with the mushy moist chicken you sure didn't need it. Freeze it if your not going to use it now...you will be surprised how it can add awesome flavor to your next chicken soup.

No worries about the white cheddar mac-n-cheese, it was awesome!

It does look excellent. Did you smoke it?

daveomak · Jan 19, 2013

candycoated said:
Just got finished eating my first smoke!

I chose to smoke two whole store bought chickens (minimally processed) in my new vertical propane smoker (smoke hollow 44). I brined the chickens for 4.5 hours, my ingredients for brine were: 1 gallon of water, 20 chicken bullion cubes, approximately 2 TBS of onion powder, garlic powder, celery powder, black pepper, turbinado sugar. Rubbed them with a mixture of garlic powder, onion powder, celery powder, cayenne pepper 40k, sweet smoked paprika, turbinado sugar. Stuffed them both with half of a sweet Vidalia onion. Used store bought hickory chunks. Cooked them at a temp of ~265* till they reached internal temp of 160*, then I wrapped them in foil and let them sit for at least 15 mins. The first chicken finished in 3.5 hours, and the second took an extra 30 mins. We ate the second one, I haven't cut into the first yet.

Time for the questions.

Why no smoke ring? Smoke ring is for eye appeal... Propane and electric don't make smoke rings.... Wood fire is what is needed....

My chicken was so moist it was bordering on mushy. Why? Too much liquid in the meat... It may have steamed... Maybe some acid from some of the ingredients "cooked" it also....

What do folks do with Chicken Juice? It tastes so good, I didn't want to throw it out! Save it to flavor rice or something...

No worries about the white cheddar mac-n-cheese, it was awesome!

Looks mighty good to me..... I'd eat it.... Dave

candycoated · Jan 19, 2013

Thank you Lady KathrynN, your comments mean a lot to me because you're at the top of my favorite SMF people list!

candycoated · Jan 19, 2013

Thanks for the reply Dave, and for the Chicken Juice idea.

Dang, I thought propane gave a smoke ring. That was one of the deciding factors of getting propane over electric. Dang it!

And yeah, after posting all the things I did, Brine + onion stuffing... I thought maybe I over moisturized the birds.

kathrynn · Jan 19, 2013

candycoated said:
Thank you Lady KathrynN, your comments mean a lot to me because you're at the top of my favorite SMF people list!

Awwwwww! Thanks Dear! We even had the same dinner tonight..chicken and mac n cheese! HAHA

Use that second chicken and the juices..to make Christy's Chicken stew!

s2k9k · Jan 19, 2013

I have a propane smoker and can get a nice smoke ring on beef or pork but not so pronounced on poultry buts it's no deal breaker for me since I can't taste the ring. As long as I taste the smoke I don't care what it looks like!

candycoated · Jan 19, 2013

I got some brick oven bricks and put them on the bottom grate, and put water in the pan, and the local weather channel said humidity was over 75% all day.

candycoated · Jan 19, 2013

KathrynN said:
Awwwwww! Thanks Dear! We even had the same dinner tonight..chicken and mac n cheese! HAHA

Use that second chicken and the juices..to make Christy's Chicken stew!

Hehe, it was meant to be!

candycoated · Jan 19, 2013

S2K9K said:
I have a propane smoker and can get a nice smoke ring on beef or pork but not so pronounced on poultry buts it's no deal breaker for me since I can't taste the ring. As long as I taste the smoke I don't care what it looks like!

Ok, that's cool. I think I can deal with no smoke ring on chicken. I'm really interested in a smoke ring on brisket.

Personally, I do think presentation has a lot to do with enjoyment... it's a mental thing. ;)

kathrynn · Jan 19, 2013

Melissa...you can look at some of my Q-View....plenty of smoke ring from Big Poppa. Propane. But Dave is correct! If it tastes good....doesnt matter!

candycoated · Jan 19, 2013

gotarace said:
Congrats on a successful first smoke Melissa looks like your chicken turned out excellent!!

I'll try my best to answer your questions...

Why no smoke ring?

My guess here and it is only a guess is that it being your first smoke you may have had a hard time keeping the door closed on the smoker. Checking the chips...probing the bird for temps...admiring you work...all this can lead to a non pronounced smoke ring. If were looking were not cooking.

My chicken was so moist it was bordering on mushy. Why?

Next time try one bird brined and the other with no brine only seasoning. Being minimally processed can still mean a good amount of water being pumped into the bird. Then brining the bird on top of that could lead to your mushy problem.

Here is a popular brine used by many on this site

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/tips-slaughterhouse-recipes-for-poultry

What do folks do with Chicken Juice? It tastes so good, I didn't want to throw it out!

It makes a excellent gravy base or addition to chicken soup. I also like to pour it on top of the white meat from the chicken...in your case with the mushy moist chicken you sure didn't need it. Freeze it if your not going to use it now...you will be surprised how it can add awesome flavor to your next chicken soup.

No worries about the white cheddar mac-n-cheese, it was awesome!

It does look excellent. Did you smoke it?

Oh sorry gotarace, I missed your excellent post in all the excitement of receiving replies.

They're really good tips, I'm taking them all in, and thank you for taking the time to reply in detail.

I really didn't open the main door much, except to flip, and then to pull the first bird when it reached 160*. My smoker has a window... I stared through it the whole time. ;p

I did open the lower chamber door a lot though, definitely first time jitters.

No, I didn't smoke the mac-n-cheese... but I think I will next time.

sqwib · Jan 19, 2013

Well to avoid redundancy... since the good folks of SMF got you covered I wanted to say great job!

candycoated · Jan 19, 2013

Thanks SQWIB!

mdboatbum · Jan 20, 2013

Can't help you on the smoke ring, as I've never used propane, but I understand it's most pronounced with charcoal and wood. As for the "mushy" chicken, it sometimes just happens. I guess it depends on the bird, processing, brine ingredients etc. What a lot of folks on here do is dry brine. Basically just coat the bird in salt for a day or 2, letting osmosis work it's magic. It's supposed to enhance the flavor and texture of the meat without making it mushy. I keep meaning to try it, but haven't yet. Look it up and see if it looks like it's something you might want to try.

And I'll agree that chicken juice makes an awesome gravy. It also will give you a killer bbq sauce. Just reduce it until it's syrupy, add in some brown sugar, ketchup and cider vinegar and see how it tastes. It will already be spiced from the spices on the chicken, but you can add more seasonings to suit your taste.

I've also just drizzled the pain juice on the chicken. I kinda like this best, as it's the simplest and really kicks up the flavor of the bird.

The important thing is you had fun and enjoyed what you cooked. I'd say that's a huge success!!

smokeusum · Jan 20, 2013

I use a propane smoker (and I'm also new to it) and I get a smoke ring that'd put some good ole Lexington NC boys to shame. I almost bought the one I think you have but ended up with a extra wide masterbuilt. Is yours a masterbuilt? Anyway, I read and tossed manufacturer guidelines regarding how much wood to put in the woodpit (2 cups of soaked chips! Yea, right!! Maybe 2 cups on all 4 sides!) I use chunks hatched down to fit, let them flame up then turn the propane way down to reduce the flame to almost nothing and shut the door (to put the flame out) and wait to get up to temp before putting my meat on. If you used chips and didnt refuel them every half hours or so you would have not gotten a smoke ring... There was no smoke as those chips become ash in almost no time. To get a good ring you need smoke for about 2/3rds on the cooking time! And smoke needs to move (airflow is needed) so I wouldn't be overly concerned if are having open more than you would want to add to your wood. I will only open it no sooner than 35 to 45 minutes so I last opened it, though... I don't worry about the temp dropping to much because as I put new (soaked) wood in it still flames up and quickly gets back up to temp.

Here's some of what I've pulled out over the past three weekends, when I started smoking ;)

image.jpg

smokeusum
Jan 20, 2013

image.jpg

smokeusum
Jan 20, 2013

image.jpg

smokeusum
Jan 20, 2013

image.jpg

smokeusum
Jan 20, 2013

image.jpg

smokeusum
Jan 20, 2013

image.jpg

smokeusum
Jan 20, 2013

Don't let anyone tell you you aren't really smoking with a propane smoker! We got your smoke!!!

image.jpg

smokeusum
Jan 20, 2013

image.jpg

smokeusum
Jan 20, 2013

Keep up the great work!

candycoated · Jan 20, 2013

@Mdboatbum, making BBQ sauce with the chicken juice sounds like a great idea. That's definitely what I'll try next time.

@smokeusum, I'm using a smoke hollow 44", and I used chunks. I split a couple of larger chunks, they still sat above the pan, so I just propped the lid on top, it eventually fell down. My smoke was freely flowing the whole time. The meat didn't taste bitter, which I read is an indication of creosote build up from stagnate smoke. I really think I just over moistened... maybe the smoke couldn't penetrate as well? The smoke flavor could have been stronger in the breasts, but it was definitely there. BTW, your meats look fabulous! Is that 2nd & 3rd pic a pork butt? Did you have to replace your propane tank when cooking that?

@Everyone

I opened the fridge this morning. BAM! Heavy smoke and onion scent... I'm gonna have to invest in a bunch of baking soda. ;p

I ate a wing and leg today, and the texture was great! Very redeeming! They also tasted more smokey than the breast meat (which was all we ate yesterday), and they had that nice BBQ opaque pinkish color. So I'm guessing the breast meat was mushy and less smokey because it encased an onion...?

I'm formulating some ideas for what to do next time. Cook at a higher temp, no stuffing, gonna brine one and not the other. Maybe spatchock, but I'd like to try a whole again.

Thank y'all for talking with me, it really helps to openly discuss problems for the critical thinking process.

smoking b · Jan 21, 2013

Looks like you did a fine job on your first smoke

It might just be me but I would rather eat a really moist slightly mushy piece of chicken than a dried out, tough, chewy piece

dirtsailor2003 · Jan 21, 2013

I have been smoking chickens in my GOSM (older version of your smoker) for the last 8 years or so. I've never had a mushy chicken. I never brine them. In fact the only thing that I do brine is my turkeys. I noticed that your brine didn't have salt. The addition of salt in your brine would have helped firm up the texture but still retained moisture. Also air drying the bird in the fridge prior to smoking would have helped. This is the basic brine I use on turkeys:

1 1/2 cups, Kosher salt
1 1/4 cups, brown sugar
10 whole cloves
3 teaspoons, black peppercorns
1 1/2 gallons (6 quarts) apple juice or cider (non-alcoholic)
3 halved and squeezed oranges
[optional: 3 teaspoons, dried thyme and/or 3 teaspoons, dried sage

I haven't used the water pan in years. I like many others prefer the smoke chamber to be dry. I have filled it with sand and covered with foil. This creates a better thermal mass. This is really helpful with temp swings especially during the winter.

As for the smoke ring, with chicken I never see a ring, The meat is always pinker than if oven roasted. For me smoke ring isn't that big of a deal, it's all about flavor!

When I smoke chicken I smoke at a higher temp, 275*-325*, 350* if I'm in a hurry. You'll get a good crispy skin, plenty of smoke and a nice moist bird at 325*. Presentation wise a whole bird is nice, but I get the best complements when I've spatchcocked the bird. As of late I've reverted back to using charcoal as my go to smoker. My last bird:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/133830/mini-wsm-cook-number-two-spatchcock-chicken

For the drippings you can always save and freeze them for flavoring other food items, or making sauces and gravies.

My Maiden Smoke- I got pics & questions

Meat Mopper

Legendary Pitmaster

Limited Mod

SMF Hall of Fame Pitmaster

Meat Mopper

Meat Mopper

Legendary Pitmaster

AMNPS Test Group

Meat Mopper

Meat Mopper

Meat Mopper

Legendary Pitmaster

Meat Mopper

Smoking Guru

Meat Mopper

Master of the Pit

Smoking Fanatic

Meat Mopper

Smoking Guru

Epic Pitmaster

Similar threads

Hot Threads