First Time Smoking Chicken

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bsds71

Newbie
Original poster
Apr 24, 2017
29
12
I have a few questions on smoking a chicken.  I have smoked brisket and pork, but never chicken which is my favorite food and what I cook with 90% of the time.  I have always been intimidated of cooking it in the smoker though.  I would like to do a pulled chicken for sandwiches.  I have never used a whole chicken and always stick to boneless skinless chicken breasts.  However on a recent trip to Florida I had some amazing pulled chicken sandwiches and I am willing to bet it wasn't boneless skinless breasts.  So my first question is, should I use a whole chicken?    Also, would it be weird if I removed the skin after?  I don't ever remember skin being in any pulled chicken or maybe I just never tasted it.  And is spatchcocking necessary?  Thank you!
 
I saw your Roll Call thread and that you are using an MES.  The issue with the MES is the top temperature is 275F.  For chicken skin to render properly, it really needs to be hotter.  You can do that on a grill or in the oven after the smoke if you want to incorporate the skin into the shredded chicken.  If not, skip the crisping stage and pull the skin off when you are ready to shred the chicken. 

Yes, you can absolutely use a whole chicken.  It's a little more work than say thighs, leg quarters, split breasts, and definitely more work than boneless/skinless, but it is easily done.  If you are not going to use the skin, just put some of your rub or spices under the skin, or use them in a brine (brining is my favorite way to have shredded chicken). 

Spatchcocking is not necessary, but it speeds things up with a whole chicken.  Helps it cook a little more evenly too.  I beer can my chickens.

A 50-50 mix of cherry and hickory wood is my favorite for chicken 

Have fun and keep us posted how it turns out.

Ray
 
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I prefer to cook whole yard birds spatchcocked.
Spatchcocking is an excellent method for evenly cooking a bird and for crisping every inch of skin.
But the big deal for me is how fast you can cook a bird, Cornish Hen to Turkey, simply turn up the heat and you're turning up the cooking time.
(chuckling) Well, that is as long as you don't incinerate the bird outright.

But for pulled chicken I love thighs and breast, IMO they're perfect, tasty meat that comes easily right of the bones.
Perfect for tacos, fajitas, salads and sammiches.

Crisp that skin, pull it off, chop it small and add back into the pulled meat... Mega added flavor.

I've my favorite method of smoking and grilling my birds now.
Spatchcocked and seasoned bird
Smoke first for about an hour at 350'-375'F
Then onto a 350'F or higher grill, skin up, and finish cooking to an IT of 165'F or just over that.
 
Thank you for the tips!  I actually love boneless skinless chicken breasts and would prefer to use only the breasts(I wont feel as guilty about the super fat white sauce I'm going to be drowning it in :)).  But I keep reading that they dry out easy and wont retain moisture in the smoker.  Maybe skin on breasts would do better or do you think I would be ok using boneless skinless breasts? 
 
If you cook your breasts to internal temp they will not dry out. You need to pull them when the internal temp is at 160-165 and let the carry over temp finish them.

We cook skinless breasts all the time to temp and they are never dry.
 
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​Thank you!  I am just very used to my skillet, oven, or crock pot with my chicken breasts smothered and covered. My husband does the grilling, but I'm doing the smoking. Hehe, stepping out of my comfort zone!  I'll let you know it turns out!
 
 
Thank you for the tips!  I actually love boneless skinless chicken breasts and would prefer to use only the breasts(I wont feel as guilty about the super fat white sauce I'm going to be drowning it in :)).  But I keep reading that they dry out easy and wont retain moisture in the smoker.  Maybe skin on breasts would do better or do you think I would be ok using boneless skinless breasts? 
Hi there and welcome!

I have smoked plenty of boneless skinless chicken breasts and a number of whole chickens (skin on).

Brining the chicken breasts will  be key to keeping your boneless skinless chicken breasts from drying out and works the same for a whole chicken.   Many here only brine when buying "no solution added" chicken which is a smart idea since you aren't adding more stuff to the chicken.  I have had success brining all kinds of chicken so play around with it and see what works well for you.

A simple salt brine is 1/3 cup of table salt disolved in like 1 quart + 1 cup of water for about 2-5 pounds of chicken.  ****Just be sure to not add salt to the chicken when seasoning before your smoke the chicken!!!!

After your initial brine and cook feel free to play around and adjust the brine or amount of chicken so the salt flavor is to your liking.

This simple brine will ensure your boneless skinless chicken breasts or whole chickens do not dry out... provided you don't do a super long, low and slow smoke.

Brine for at least 2 hours and anywhere between 4-6 hours for a breasts should do the trick.  I at the least do whole chickens over night if I can.  The longer you brine the more salt and moisture will be absorbed so don't go crazy brining your chicken breasts forever or else they may turn into a salt bomb lol.

Finally, once the chicken breasts have finished brining in the fridge pull them out, pat them dry, then season them to your liking, WITHOUT salt.  Same goes for whole chicken.  Then you just cook in the oven, grill,  or smoke the chicken and you are in business!!!

By the way, I never brine chicken quarters (except when attached to a whole chicken).  They are juicy enough with the skin on so no need to brine for moisture.  Also, it seems that chicken skin needs to be cooked at temps around 325F in order to not turn out rubbery and leathery so keep this in mind if you do quarters or whole chickens.  Doubling up on the smoke helps with the quick chicken cooking times as well.  I do so with the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS) by lighting both ends of the row of pellets :)

I hope this info helps and I look forward to seeing what you smoke!
 
 
IF you don't have one get yourself a reliable instant read therm. A good cheap one is the Javelin by Lavatool. You can get one online through Amazon for $25. One of the sponsors of this site Thermapro also has a good option the TP03.

Here are my review of the TP03. I have a review of the Lavatool also but I can't find it to save my life!

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/261008/thermapro-tp03
I didn't realize that Thermapro was a sponsor.

They are not listed on the sponsor page.

Are you sure they signed on as a sponsor?

Al
 
I highly recommend the Javelin ($25.) probably one of the best units for a budget price.

The Javelin Pro and Thermapen Classic are both mid-range priced at $59. +/-
The Javelin Pro has the edge with a Backlight feature.

The Thermapen Mk4 is backlit and has an auto rotating display, but it costs $99.

Catch any of these on sale and you'll be a happy Pitmaster.
 
I highly recommend the Javelin ($25.) probably one of the best units for a budget price.

The Javelin Pro and Thermapen Classic are both mid-range priced at $59. +/-
The Javelin Pro has the edge with a Backlight feature.

The Thermapen Mk4 is backlit and has an auto rotating display, but it costs $99.

Catch any of these on sale and you'll be a happy Pitmaster.
I agree on the Javelin. I have three of them. One is 4 years old and I'm still on my first battery, even though I use it everyday.
 
Thank you for all the advice. I brined 3 boneless skinless breasts in not a typical brine because I ran low on salt! I had to improvise with chicken broth(not the reduced sodium kind) also mixed it with Red's Apple Ale, not sure if it made a difference but the breasts were full of moisture and flavor. They were so good we decided not to shred it, just ate with a fork and knife. The only thing I will change next time is to open the valve a little more? It was a little too smoky for my preference. Next up, a pork shoulder! Thanks again! Oh, I just use the meat probe that comes in the smoker, is that ok? I use an electric smoker, which I have a feeling is frowned upon here :/?
 
I believe the MES (Masterbuilt Electric Smoker) is supposed to be run with the vent wide open.  I believe I have only read to close it down to help build up the temp or keep more humidity/moisture inside the smoker.

I love boneless skinless chicken breast (BSCB) in the MES!  I use the Pit Boss Competition Blend with it and double up the smoke.

I pull at 165F IT (Internal Temperature) and I can't seem to over smoke them.  I've even doubled up on Hickory smoke because they cook so quickly at 275F.  I am always smoking some chicken WITH skin when I do my BSCB so I run the higher temp to try and fight the leathery skin issue on the other chicken.

Anyhow I'm glad you had a great smoke and I look forward to seeing some pics and future smokes!
 
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Sounds like it turned out mouth watering fantastic, way to cook!
Look forward to the pork shoulder, take some pics.

As a group we frown on no one's smoker, electric or otherwise, we'll try to help you cook in what you have.
Individually, well... Everyone has an opinion and ya know what they say about opinions.
That said, some types of smokers have limitations and pros/cons.
But use what you have, learn to use it well, and you can turn out some great cooks.
 
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Lol thanks for the abbreviation tips, tallbm! And I'm going to have to do some research on my vent openings. I'll be honest I have seen some recipes for the MES having vent open, partially open, I just have always kept it closed(cracked) and the results have always been AMAZING. Well, the 4 times I've used it, and not including the completely burnt, over done pork butt from last week(I got cocky, don't want to talk about it) or the slightly over smoked BSCB.
 
Sounds like you have it down Charlie Brown. I leave the vent wide open on my MES for all my cooks and I don't put any water in my water pan. Doesn't seem to matter what I cook there is always plenty of moisture and humidty in there. If I want to retain more moisture I will foil.

Advise #1- Definitely get yourself a good "leave in" type remote thermometer like a ThermoWorks Smoke or Maverick ET (series). Don't even bother with the MES meat temp probe or what your MES temp says it is. They are almost all WAY off. An "instant read", pen type thermometer is also a fantastic tool you should also have, but you don't really want to be opening your MES door all the time do you?  

Advise#2- If you are planning on "pulled chicken", it doesn't really matter what cut it is. It really is all good. It just comes down to what you like. I am normally a thigh (dark meat) kind of guy when it comes to straight chicken but for cubed or pulled, and especially if there is a sauce, a mix of both is nice. (think chicken salad) low and slow comes a close second only to a rotisserie bird. Cost wise, whole birds are MUCH cheaper too! And yes! Do what Cranky says about finely chopping the skin!

Advise#3- Spatchcoking is not really necessary, but does offer subtle nuances in achieving a more even heat. Just dry and season your bird and put it on the rack like a thanksgiving turkey. Set your temp as high as your MES will go (275), and let it ride till it gets to 165' on your meat probe stuck in the thickest part of the breast but not touching the breast bone (time doesn't matter!).  It will be fantastic just like that! I wouldn't put any stuffing in it though with the low temps of your MES.

Advise #4- Do yourself a favor and get a smoke generator of some sort such as AMAZEN 5x8 tray (called an AMNPS) for using pellets and forsake your chip loader. No constant reloading of chips. With most electric smokers (Masterbuilts included) you are at the mercy of the heating element to ignite and keeping your smoke going. A maze of pellets will go nearly 12 hours (sometimes more) a any smoker temp before you have to open the door!
 
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The MES is notorious for both the meat and temp probes being off. 

I would suggest you get a dual probe unit.  Many use the Maverick dual probe but Thermopro has come on strong and been getting good reviews.  If you go to the Itronics.com website and use the coupon code SMOKINGMEATFORUM you will get 20% off.  The TP-20 seems to be the choice there for the dual probe.

I purchased the TP-20 and the probes were only off by 1 degree (211 instead of 212) during my boiling water test for accurracy.  I can totally live with that and if a chicken breast reads 165F on my probe then it is likely 166F so I am covered in the safer direction with the 1 degree difference.

Also the TP-20 is much much much much much easier to setup and use.  The Maverick takes practice or about 3+ uses to start getting the setup figured out.

I don't know if people frown upon the electric smokers here on the site.  It has been a very safe place as Chile mentioned.  

Also most MES owners seem to add the Mailbox Mod and the AMNPS (A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker) so they can get maximum smoke control independent of the MES heating element and they get the set and forget smoke generator.  People get anywhere from 9-12+ hours of immediate thin blue smoke from the AMNPS.  I have yet to go beyond applying 6 hours of smoke to anything and that was 1 and 1/3 rows filled out of 3 rows :)

Here is my mailbox mod:



 
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Wow, thank you! I'm loving this forum more and more. It makes me want to smoke meat every day...And the money that we'll save from going out to eat can be spent on these new smoker accessories. :) You all are right, electric smokers not frowned upon, definitely my best option for a newbie with 3 little ones running around! I'm just used to the meanies at a Home Building Forum I lurk at Lol. Goes to show, BBQ'ers are much happier and nicer people! ;)
 
You all are right, electric smokers not frowned upon, definitely my best option for a newbie with 3 little ones running around! I'm just used to the meanies at a Home Building Forum I lurk at Lol. Goes to show, BBQ'ers are much happier and nicer people! ;)
The online etiquette here is great.  I'm guessing your Home Building community could learn a thing or two from the community here.

It's probably safe to say that I post enough or about enough oddball topics to definitely annoy some people but the community has been great, helpful, and super supportive with no issue.  

I think as long as a member is civil and positive then all is good, no matter how silly or odd a post someone like me makes :D
 
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