Toggle sidebar

Tried some Poultry over the past week

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
Remove the Ads for LIFE - 50% Off!
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
imjackb

imjackb

Newbie
Original poster
Dec 22, 2016
9
13
Leland, NC and St. Augustine, FL
Hi Smokers!



Decided to try my hand at some Poultry smoking this past week.





Started with a whole Chicken.  Brined overnight.  Applied some rub, filled the cavity with cut up apple, onion, garlic, lemon and popped it into the MES at 250.



It took about 5 hours and came out great.  Great except for the skin.  A little too rubbery for our tastes.  However the meat under the skin was really moist with a light smoke taste.



20170120_155344.jpg

20170120_155344.jpg










20170120_175954.jpg

20170120_175954.jpg




Finished bird.









Next was a Turkey breast.  I tried letting it sit in the fridge uncovered over night to see if I could improve the skin. The breast was already enhanced so did not brine.  Spatchcocked, applied some rub, wrapped and placed in fridge for another 4 hours.  



When MES showed 250, placed Maverick probe in one side of breast and placed MES probe in other side. Placed second Maverick probe on same rack as breast to monitor the box temp.  I placed the breast in the MES meat side down for first 2 hours and then flipped it.  I was getting some discrepancy between MES temp and the maverick probe I had on the rack with breast. MES temp showed 250 while Maverick temp showed 233.  Changed MES setting to 255. Maverick temp went to 240.  I decided to leave it there.  



I took the breast off when Maverick probe was at 165 but found that when I flipped the breast the maverick probe had been pulled out slightly so it was reading higher than actual internal temp.  I should have believed the MES probe which was showing 144.  I pushed the probe back in and finished the breast in the oven at 350 to let the IT get up to 165.





20170129_151518.jpg

20170129_151518.jpg






20170129_172236.jpg

20170129_172236.jpg




Once again the meat was moist and had a great flavor.  The skin was still too rubbery for us.





Good fun and tasty eats!





Cheers
 
Birds looking good!

I have found two ways to overcome the rubbery skin: first is to remove the skin (this is done around the house because the girls don't like skin)

or crank the heat up 300-325 degrees. the birds cook faster but you get the crispy skin. for wings( the only skin my wife eats) i will smoke 45 minutes an then throw on a hot grill for 10 minutes to crisp up. you could experiment with a situation like that for whole bird.

Happy Smoking,

phatbac (Aaron)
 
Looks tasty.

Rubbery skin is a problem when smoking at temps below 325°. I would suggest trying the following.

1. Crank your MES up to the max temp that it will go. let it get good and warm before placing the bird in the smoker.

2. If using a whole bird, spatchcock it.

3. Dry brine the bird. 2-4 tablespoons of salt w/ 1-2 teaspoons of baking powder. Apply before drying in fridge

4. Dry the skin. Not just pat dry. Dry in the fridge uncovered on a drying rack for at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight and up to 24 hours. In a pinch you can hit the skin with a hair dryer on low right before the cook if you have to.

5. Cook the bird in your pit until the IT in the breast or thigh is 165°. Check the bird when the IT is 150°. if the skin isn't looking good, pull the bird and place in a 425° oven to finish.

6. Allow the bird to rest on the counter 15-30 minutes before carving. No need to wrap, at most loosely covered in foil.

All in all the best solution is to cook in a pit with a temp that is at least 325°.
 
phatbac said:
Birds looking good!

I have found two ways to overcome the rubbery skin: first is to remove the skin (this is done around the house because the girls don't like skin)
or crank the heat up 300-325 degrees. the birds cook faster but you get the crispy skin. for wings( the only skin my wife eats) i will smoke 45 minutes an then throw on a hot grill for 10 minutes to crisp up. you could experiment with a situation like that for whole bird.



Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)
Click to expand...
Thanks phatbac! We like to eat it without the skin. I may try throwing it on the grill with the next one just to give it a try. I have always cooked my wings on the grill. I was looking at several recipes for wings but they were all showing around 2.5 hour cook times. I will give your method a try. Thanks.
 
dirtsailor2003 said:
Looks tasty.

Rubbery skin is a problem when smoking at temps below 325°. I would suggest trying the following.

1. Crank your MES up to the max temp that it will go. let it get good and warm before placing the bird in the smoker.

2. If using a whole bird, spatchcock it.

3. Dry brine the bird. 2-4 tablespoons of salt w/ 1-2 teaspoons of baking powder. Apply before drying in fridge

4. Dry the skin. Not just pat dry. Dry in the fridge uncovered on a drying rack for at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight and up to 24 hours. In a pinch you can hit the skin with a hair dryer on low right before the cook if you have to.

5. Cook the bird in your pit until the IT in the breast or thigh is 165°. Check the bird when the IT is 150°. if the skin isn't looking good, pull the bird and place in a 425° oven to finish.

6. Allow the bird to rest on the counter 15-30 minutes before carving. No need to wrap, at most loosely covered in foil.

All in all the best solution is to cook in a pit with a temp that is at least 325°.
Click to expand...

Thanks, DS! Those are great recommendations. As I continue to experiment I will certainly give your recs a try. I am kind of temperature challenged with the MES so I need ways to overcome. Cheers
 
As said above a quick trip to a hot grill will get the skin crispy!

Either way your birds look fantastic to me!

Al
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Similar threads

B
Help with pulled turkey breast recipe.
Replies
4
Views
312
Poultry
cptnding
cptnding
Chris_in_SoCal
Holey Mole Enchiladas
Replies
8
Views
348
Poultry
gmc2003
gmc2003
DougE
My take on Hassleback Chicken Breast
Replies
21
Views
767
Poultry
DougE
DougE
SmokinEdge
Spinning a Duck
Replies
40
Views
1K
Poultry
DRKsmoking
DRKsmoking
chopsaw
Chicken Parm
Replies
31
Views
2K
Poultry
forktender
forktender
zooloo10
Smoked whole chicken on MES 30
Replies
0
Views
1K
Poultry
zooloo10
zooloo10
P
turkey breast
Replies
4
Views
2K
Poultry
tallbm
tallbm
Its_Raw
Old Country Brazos - Few Mods and Some Observations
Replies
0
Views
690
General Discussion
Its_Raw
Its_Raw

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Top Bottom
Back
Clicky