Chicken breast

Hello murphy21280.  Here is my opinion for what it is worth.  Others may have different advice.  This is only my opinion.  Try smoking at 300-325.  Then sear on a hot grill to crisp the skin.  Hope it helps.  Keep Smokin!

Danny

I agree with Danny.

Get your temp up. The only thing low and slow does for chicken is add more time for smoke.

Happy smoken.

David

I'm with Danny and Mule....the 3 wise men have spoken?

I'll agree wholeheartedly on the higher temp advice, but if we dig a little deeper I think we might find there's something else amiss.

You say you "smoked at 225,to a interal temp at 160". If this is the case, you shouldn't have ended up with rubbery chicken. Rubbery SKIN, yes, but if the meat was rubbery there has to be another culprit. Chicken meat cooked to 160˚, no matter how it gets there, shouldn't be rubbery. Check and calibrate your thermometers and make sure you're getting a good read on the temperature. Probe in several places, as fat pockets and bone can throw off readings. By the way, just to be clear, people who get paid a lot to give advice on food safety have determined that 165˚ is a safe internal temperature for chicken. This is the chart from foodsafety.gov.


Good luck and keep at it. Chicken is one of my favorite things to smoke. Try spatchcoked chicken smoked over cherry wood and it'll change your life!

I agree with all these folks. Chicken doesn't benefit from low & slow like other meats, and higher cook temps will help the skin.

But in my opinion knowing your cook chamber temp is vital. After all it is half of what you need to watch while the meat's on (IT being the other).

Keep it it and have fun!

:grilling_smilie:

I always do my chicken at lower temps. 220º to 230º basically so I can keep them longer in the smoke. Otherwise they get done too soon and reap little smoke flavor. Might as well put them on the grill to begin with then. Breast is white meat, basically dry to begin with, thus I would rather do quarters instead. Try marinating them in Mojo Crillio for a couple of hours. I would consider wrapping them in bacon also and spritz them with a mixture of canola oil and lemon juice. My wife wants her chicken DONE, so mine will reach 170º IT on the smoker, then to the hot grill to finish them up. So in the 180º IT range when done. Still very moist at this point. No brining necessary.