My first MES smoke – Martini Brined Chicken w/Qview

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az_sailor

Newbie
Original poster
Feb 20, 2009
14
10
Gilbert, AZ (a Phoenix suburb)
Hi all,

Well, I broke in my new Sam’s MES this weekend and would have to rate it as a successful first attempt. I spatchcocked a 5lb chicken and brined it overnight in my Martini poultry brine. Rinsed and dried the bird and let the skin dry out for two hours in the fridge. Brought the MES up to 260 and popped her in on the second shelf so I could watch the magic through the window. I smoked the bird for just about three hours using a mixture of soaked alder, maple and hickory chips. Out of curiosity about the accuracy of the built-in meat probe, I inserted it on one side and a second probe from a Pyrex thermometer I have on the other side. It was good to see that the built-in meat probe was pretty accurate, differing only about 2 to 5 degrees. The warmer the chicken became, the greater the difference between the two thermometers. I fed the smoker a handful of chips every 30 to 40 minutes over the three hours. The smoke was indeed “thin and blue” which made me very happy. The skin got pretty dark early, raising some concern, but it never got too dark. I pulled the bird when the temps read 171/176 (Pyrex/MES) and rested it under foil for 5 minutes. At first I was concerned that it wasn’t cooked through because the legs would not move easily. However the juices were running clear so I carved the bird. It turns out that the skin tightens up in such a way on a spatchcocked chicken that the legs are held in place pretty tightly. As soon as I cut the skin there, the leg moved very freely – confirming that it was done. The payoff was sweet. My wife just raved, and I humbly
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had to allow that it was the best darn chicken I’d ever had. Success! Thanks to all (and specifically RSands) for the help and encouragement.


Paul

Qview legend:
1) Spatchcocked bird
2) Into the brine for an overnight stay
3) About to come out of the MES; both temp probes in place
4) The finished bird in all her glory!
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That certainly looks good to me. Congrats on breaking in the MES properly!
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My wife loves chicken from the smoker (what's not to love ). I always have to do them 3 at a time. One for diner, the others she slices/shreds and quick freezes to use for her wraps and salads ...
 
Nice job, hope you like your MES as much as I do.
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I really like it! It works great and the window is cool (even though it seems to let out a lot of heat). I love being able to add wood chips w/o opening the smoker, and the built-in meat probe. Clean-up is pretty easy if you just follow the suggestion from SMF to cover the drip tray and water pan with foil first.

The only downside is how addictive it is. We're going to a St Patrick's Day party on Saturday, and ordinarily I'd of just grabbed a sixer of Guiness to take and called it good. Now I'm thinking "I wonder if they'd like some ABTs or a couple of fatties? ...or what about smoked corned beef?"

I think I'm hooked.
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Paul
 
Sure, I would be happy to. I'm trying to be a good SMF citizen, and thought it probably should be posted in the Poultry folder instead of the Electric Smokers folder. I didn't see one for Brines.

In any event, here is a link to my post with the recipe. It worked great for me and if you give it a try, I hope it will for you too.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/showthread.php?t=74461

Paul
 
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