Greetings from Northern IIllinois

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moresmoke2

Newbie
Original poster
Mar 24, 2016
11
10
Gurnee Illinois
Hello all. Smoking newbie here. I have been backyard grillin' for almost 20 years and am looking to advance to BBQ and smoking. I have had several grills and recently rusted through a cheap sams club combo charcoal/gas grill. I have decided to venture into smoking as I love the flavor and the experience. I did one successful smoke of a pork butt on the grill, though it was the longest 12 hours due to the inability to maintain temp and smoke. Constant supervision atleast got me through it, but wasn't thrilled with the experience. I have since upgraded to a Bradley 4 Rack, Weber 22" Mastertouch and just recently purchased a Charbroil Tru Infrared (couldn't resist on clearance $99) for the quick dinners. I am going to be breaking in the Bradley this weekend with a couple whole chickens for Easter. After searching I have found a couple recipes for brining and dry rub. Hoping someone can lead me in the right direction if I have veered in the wrong direction. Found a brine that I plan on soaking the birds in for 24 hours, then will let them rest in the fridge for another 24 with a dry rub. From what I have found, I should get the smoker to 230 or so and shouldn't go any longer than 3 hours of smoke (plan on using apple and hickory), then heat the rest of the way to IT 165. Hoping that the 24 hour in the fridge with the rub will dry the skin enough to get a little crisp, otherwise, may finish it in the grill to get that finish. Any tips or tricks teh experts here can share would be much appreciated. Hoping to enjoy some great smoked chicken Sunday, rather than takeout of some sort. Thanks in advance and happy smoking!
 
Welcome! It sounds like you are well on your way and have an arsenal at your disposal! you are trying something I don't have a lot of experience with (brining) but your plan sounds solid. I would caution you on keeping rub on chicken for 24 hours in the fridge before cooking if there is a lot of salt in it. It sounds like you definately did your research on the chicken skin issue too! Be sure to take some notes and pictures for us to see how it turned out!
 
Thanks bauchjw. The rub recipe I found doesn't seem to have a lot of salt, but I could be wrong. It is listed below. I will be sure to take some pics and start posting tomorrow night when I start the brine process. Thanks for taking the time to check out my post!
 
Thanks bauchjw. The rub recipe I found doesn't seem to have a lot of salt, but I could be wrong. It is listed below. I will be sure to take some pics and start posting tomorrow night when I start the brine process. Thanks for taking the time to check out my post!

1/2C Raw Sugar
2T Paprika
1T Cayenne
1T Gran. Garlic
1T Gran. Onion
1tsp Black Pepper
1tsp Wht Pepper
1tsp Allspice

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No worries. I'm curious how you like the rub, it looks good! You may check out this new post by Disco I'd really like to try:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/244000/island-chicken#post_1541937

Ive read debates on if rubs should be applied in advance. There are more points than I can sumerize (or understand) but if you look at this thread it hits a lot of them. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...-just-season-the-pulled-pork-after-its-cooked
It's discussing pulled pork, but I'm assuming the same principles apply and multiply due to chickens delicate nature compared to a pork butt! I'm sure there is a thread like this on chicken rubs too, but my kid fell asleep again so I am too! Good luck!
 
texas.gif
  Good morning and welcome to the forum, from a beautiful day here in East Texas, and the best site on the web. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything.

Gary
 
texas.gif
  Good morning and welcome to the forum, from a beautiful day here in East Texas, and the best site on the web. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything.




Gary
Hey Gary.. which part of Texas? I used to live in Lufkin. Beautiful down there, wish I could talk my wife into leaving Illinois (wishful thinking!)

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Hey Gary.. which part of Texas? I used to live in Lufkin. Beautiful down there, wish I could talk my wife into leaving Illinois (wishful thinking!)

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I am right out of Tyler (Whitehouse)

Gary
 
Thanks Al. I'm doing 2 chickens, so I'll check one of them out and let you know. Thanks for the link.

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Thanks for the info. I've also read to omit the salt and sugar while letting it sit and reapply another layer before putting in the smoker. I plan on getting some use this summer, so I'll try a few different ways.

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