HELLLPP!! WHOLE CHICKENS

[jbfromtennessee]

NEIGHBOR ask me to smoke a chicken for a get together with her family.. No problem, can do.. Until she brings me two of them and they weigh six pounds each..I was thinking one chicken at 4.5 pounds which i have done many that came out great..these will be whole, injected like i love em, smoked side by side with a dry rub.. Generally takes 2 or so hours at 250ish for my smaller single..so, how long should I expect at 250+ on my mes30 to get these two to 165 IT...thanks in advance..

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

First off, welcome from a neighbor! I would crank your MES as far as it will go, and start probing after around 2 hours. I'd want a 3 hour window for this cook. If it finishes early, wrap it in foil and throw it in a cooler until mealtime.

 

[fivetricks]

Considering you'll never get great skin out of the mes I would allow 4-4.5 hours for the cook. You can always cooler them if they finish early.

Also; +1 on the spatchcock for sure. Cuts your times wayy down and cooks more evenly.

 

[jbfromtennessee]

thanks for the help.. I will put them on at noon as she says she would like to have them in her hands at five..I will try to post some results and possibly a pic if I don't get caught up in the moment and forget..thanks again..jb

 

[fivetricks]

I always forget to take "done" pictures as well. Too busy once everything is coming off the smoker.

 

[oldsmokerdude]

Chicken is one of those meats that doesn't benefit much from the "low and slow". I would smoke them at 300 or higher if your MES can do it. As mentioned, for additional smoke flavoring, spatch cock those babies, which has the added benefit of reducing cooking time a bit.

This may be a bit controversial, but if you taking the internal temp to 165, the breasts are going to be very dry. I personally cook to 155 IT and haven't had an issue.

 

[chef jimmyj]

This may be a bit controversial, but if you taking the internal temp to 165, the breasts are going to be very dry. I personally cook to 155 IT and haven't had an issue.

I totally agree! 155°F in the Breast and 165 in the Thigh...JJ

 

[johnmeyer]

Definitely spatchcock.

I want my chicken really smokey, so I do it a little differently, keeping the temperature down to the "usual" 225° F, rather than higher so that it can stay in the smoker for as long as possible. When the breast hits 160°, I pull the spatchcocked bird from the smoker, and then put it on the grill, skin side down, to crisp it up. That, of course, only takes a few minutes and, as always, you have to watch it like a hawk so it doesn't flare up and ruin the whole thing.

I take one last temperature reading of the dark meat to make sure it is good and done because breast meat is good eating, even if a little underdone, but underdone dark meat is no fun to eat.

 

[cmayna]

Love spatchcock chicken using indirect heat on my webber.Couple hours with smoke and then slide over on top of the charcoals for a quick crispening of the skin. But ya gotta work with what you have. Please post some pics of the finished product.

 

[jbfromtennessee]

Oldsmoker, i have always injected mine with a mixture of butter, apple juice and a little wickers. they have always come out moist at 165 IT. if these look like they are gonna beat my 5 pm deadline i may wrap in alum foil and put in ice chest when they hit 160 IT..

 

[jbfromtennessee]

Came out great.. very moist, very done..took 3.5 hours at 275..