Smoking Chicken First Time

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jerryb52

Newbie
Original poster
My first try last week with fish did not turn out well. Fillets too small, cooked too long at too high a temperature and didn't dry of from brine which made them very salty. Had to throw them out.

Now I would like to try chicken on my 30" Masterbuilt Smoker.

Any simple suggestions?

Please advise on temps, time and whether  to brine or not.

Hot smoke or cold?

(Many years ago, over 20,  I had a smoker that I only used a couple times, but smoked a chicken and it was great)!

Thanks,  Jerry
 
I would say hot for sure. Brine if you want but make sure to not add salt to your seasoning when the chicken goes on. What kind of chicken part you plan to use?
 
I did chicken leg quarters for one of my first smokes few weeks back on my MES 30. I did one naked (no brine, no seasoning) one seasoned and one brined and seasoned. The all came out real good. Slight difference in the brind one and just the rubbed one not sure if it was totally worth it but I guess that's personal preference. The naked one was good just on its own as well and it gave a good base line to tell what I should expect from seasoning and from smoke independently, I highly recommend this especially starting out. I did mine on 230* for 4 hours little water in pan however I think that just caused excessive steam, bone in chicken is pretty juicy as is so next time I'd probably leave it out. Skin will be rubbery so might want to toss skin side down on hot grill at end but only 2 or 3 minutes to crisp it. Best of luck let us know how it goes.
 
I've done chicken thighs a bunch of times. Always brine them. Afterwards pat dry. And put them uncovered in the fridge for a couple of hours. This will cause skin to dry. Then sprinkle with a little paprika garlic powder onion powder black pepper and just a tiny bit of salt. Gotta becareful of double salt jeopardy. Then crank the smoker to 300 with no water pan. This makes the skin pretty crispy I found. Doesn't take long. About an hr to hr and half. Check for 165.
 
My first try was chicken breasts.  This was the rub recipe I got from a member here (Tropics) and it worked out really well.  I did not have thyme and sage, so I just used italian seasoning.  I brined the breasts in salt, water and bro sugar for about 3 hours, but with the salt in the rub, I don't know that it was really needed.  I set my smoker to 225 or 250, I cannot remember and went for about 3 to 4 hours.  I think the IT was at about 165.  They were a hit with the family.  

Chicken Rub
Ingredients

2 tablespoons non-iodized salt (I might have cut this down a buit due to salt being in the brine)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground thyme (used about a teaspoon and a hale of Italian seasoning, did not have Thyme or Sage)
1 teaspoon rubbed sage  (used about a teaspoon and a hale of Italian seasoning, did not have Thyme or Sage)   
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper

I used the same recipe rub for another chicken breast smoke where I flattened them and stuffed them with Jalepeno and cream cheese mixture.  
 
 
My first try last week with fish did not turn out well. Fillets too small, cooked too long at too high a temperature and didn't dry of from brine which made them very salty. Had to throw them out.

Now I would like to try chicken on my 30" Masterbuilt Smoker.

Any simple suggestions?

Please advise on temps, time and whether  to brine or not.

Hot smoke or cold?

(Many years ago, over 20,  I had a smoker that I only used a couple times, but smoked a chicken and it was great)!

Thanks,  Jerry
Jerry I most highly recommend a Nekkid Chicken. Its the greatest way to start. 

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/156212/nekkid-chicken-foamheart

Seriously, its simple, its fast, its delicious. Its really my favorite.  
 
Morning Jerry.

FYI, I found out the hard way that if you want nice juicy results, ALWAYS brine chicken. I didn't the first few times and my chicken was always dry--I was really getting frustrated until it was "suggested" that I brine before smoking.

Gary
 
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