my first chicken today some ?s

codymcgee · Jan 14, 2010

ok I've got a 4.12lb whole chicken that brined all night and I'm ready to smoke this thing. before i start I have a few questions

should i spray the bird every hour and what should i use for a spray?

My temps won't get higher then 250f so I'm worried about the skin. could I finish in a 350f oven to get some crisp to the skin? or would this dry the bird out?

I was going just just leave it on the smoker til 170 and pull it but I want to get it right so any help is appreciated

gene111 · Jan 14, 2010

Normally cook my chicken between 220 & 250 & skin turns out great!! Oven may dry it a little. Pulling it at 170 should be ok.

thunderdome · Jan 14, 2010

250 is what I cook mine at. No higher.

Skin gets crisp

gregzee · Jan 14, 2010

I dont always spray em down when i cook em due to not wanting to open the smoker more than i have to, but when i do spray, I do apple or cherry juice and captain morgan about every hour or so.

The last couple of birds that i smoked, this last saturday, were done at 325 for 1.5 hours over pecan and apple wood. The skin came out crisp and had a nice not overly smokey flavor, which is a must if i want my wife to eat it.

silverwolf636 · Jan 14, 2010

I just did one last week. I smoked it at 300 (first time that high) and I spritzed it on the hour with 50/50 apple juice/water.
It was a 4.85 pound if I remember right and it only took 2 hours. I was concerned about this short time but it was done and very tender and moist.
I did notice though that the tips of the wings burned at this temp. I will probably go back to 250-275 for smokin chicken.
--ray--

ciolli · Jan 14, 2010

I do mine right around 275, maybe spraying once with apple juice.... something with a little sugar will help your skin. Sometimes doing the beer-can method, sometimes not.

badfrog · Jan 14, 2010

I have never done one that I did not stay between 250 and 275 and the skin turns out great (my favorite part!). having brined, you may go a little hotter and still keep it nice and juicy...
We will be expecting some qview!!!!

codymcgee · Jan 14, 2010

got her on the smoker. no pics yet. got my thermo planted in the breast I know you should check at the thigh but I figured it would be close enough..this tiny bird didn't have much of a thigh anyway lol

codymcgee · Jan 14, 2010

ok it's been 3 1/2 hours since i put the chicken on..temp is only at 150 in the breast..seems like it shouldn't take this long at 250. any ideas

codymcgee · Jan 14, 2010

well I had some trouble

the breast temp was reading 160 so i check the thighs..both were reading anywhere from 170 to 180 depending on where i stuck it in..so i figured it was done..cooked at 250 for 4 1/2 hours.. I ate some of the breast meat and it was pretty good..then it happend. I cut down a little deeper to a joint and i noticed it looked a little red and the juices by the joint were pink. how could this be? my thermo was dead on and this bird only came in at a little over 4lbs

any ideas?

gregzee · Jan 14, 2010

Could it have been still frozen in the middle when you put it on? At 250 for 4.5 hours, i would think it would be done.

rickw · Jan 14, 2010

If you used a therm you know is correct then trust the readings. Most often when doing chix you will find some pinkish coloring around the joint areas.

Was the juices running clear?

codymcgee · Jan 14, 2010

Yes i trust the thermo..I checked it in boiling water and it was dead on..the juices looked clear to me when i pulled the therm out. however the juices around the joints looked somewhat pink

rickw · Jan 14, 2010

I'm most certain your good. One thing about doing whole birds is that there can be a reddish color around the bone areas due to the smoking process.

Can you take pics, that would help

codymcgee · Jan 14, 2010

sadly no. cam is dead..which sucks because the bird came out looking fantastic. perfect color.

oh well..I'm willing to take a chance and call it done..I've already ate some so if i get sick i guess we'll know for sure lol

gregzee · Jan 14, 2010

Chase it with a beer for me, im stuck here at work for another 6 hours.

pignit · Jan 14, 2010

One of the challenges smokin poultry is getting everything done at the same time. The breast is going to get done faster than the joints in the leg and thigh area. That is one reason folks brine... to keep moisture in the breast taking it to a little higher temp to get the joints done. To me... if your joints have red juice it's not done completely. One thing I do is smoke the chicken breast side down. I think it helps keep the breast juicy while the temp comes up on the rest of the bird. I've been experimenting with the pulled chicken and takin it all up to a higher temp but you do this with it covered and you loose that crispy skin.

rickw · Jan 14, 2010

If it is the juices that are reddish then I agree it's not done, however, if it's the joints (bones) that had a reddish tint then it's most likely good.

my first chicken today some ?s

Meat Mopper

Smoking Fanatic

Master of the Pit

Smoke Blower

Smoking Fanatic

Meat Mopper

Smoking Fanatic

Meat Mopper

Meat Mopper

Meat Mopper

Smoke Blower

Master of the Pit

Meat Mopper

Master of the Pit

Meat Mopper

Smoke Blower

Master of the Pit

Master of the Pit

Similar threads

Hot Threads