1st Time Smoker (whole chicken)

[civilsmoker]

I think everyone has you covered on doing a brine that is a real game changer. I have been experimenting over the past couple of of years with doing whole birds a little different, here are two threads that show what I do. I pretty much only do whole birds including turkeys this way now.....

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/classic-whole-roasted-bird.302978/

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/roasted-baby-spuds-bird.304066/

 

[schlotz]

civilsmoker Both of those looked great! On the roasted with baby spuds version, what seasoning was used on the outside?

 

[civilsmoker]

civilsmoker Both of those looked great! On the roasted with baby spuds version, what seasoning was used on the outside?

Thanks, it was Kinders Buttery Steakhouse! Our local Costco sells it now in a big size. It is excellent on poultry! Weber Bear Can Chicken is another excellent one that is very similar to the Kinders.

 

[DrRosenrosen]

Is this your smoker?

View attachment 521281

Yes. That is the hand me down smoker I was given.

 

[tallbm]

That’s great advice. I am way too disorganized to attempt to pull this off without good record keeping.

pineywoods is right one with recording notes for your cooks. A couple of things that made it easier for me was to note down what I wanted to do with a cook and repeat that cook like 2 or 3 times a week until I nailed it then I would post my lessons learned here for myself and others. THEN I would move on to my next conquest.

See each specific meat has it's own practices, quirks, temps, process, seasoning, and wood combos. I found rarely do any two types of meats or smokes have exactly the same combo of things.

For now u are doing whole bird smokes with skin on. So you have to handle skin quirks, brining for dryness, and cook to a specific temp, and at a higher temp then most smokes, etc. but if you do ribs then it all completely changes. Do a pork butt and almost all of it completely changes again, etc.

So taking notes helps and my personal approach of working on one thing before switching to another then posting about it here really helped me nail my dishes and progress from easier dishes to the most complex :)

Nice - I am going to have to try this. I don't know that I've smoked chicken as high as 325. The skin on smoked chicken hasn't bothered me at lower temps but this certainly sounds worth trying.

I've tried like almost all the things for working on poultry skin (both chicken and turkey) and nothing has worked better for me than just cooking at a higher temp.
I've tried at least 8 different things and just gave up and went with the simplest tried and true method for me lol.

Also if u do get it nice and edible or even crisp then u cover it... the steam and moisture starts to walk it back towards tough and leathery :(

 

[DrRosenrosen]

I have found today that getting the cooker to the right temp might be a bit of an issue. I fired it up on the lowest heat setting but my temp probe was reading a fair amount over 325 (& climbing) before I turned it back off. Gonna be figuring out this smoker along the way. The bird is still bathing in the brine but I should be slathering it down in spices in the next hour or so.

 

[tallbm]

I have found today that getting the cooker to the right temp might be a bit of an issue. I fired it up on the lowest heat setting but my temp probe was reading a fair amount over 325 (& climbing) before I turned it back off. Gonna be figuring out this smoker along the way. The bird is still bathing in the brine but I should be slathering it down in spices in the next hour or so.

For this situation you will be fine. 325F+ degrees wont hurt the bird. The issue with continuing to go higher is simply that you will cook the bird so fast that it doesn't get much smoke lol.

Here are a list of cuts that don't care about being smoked at hot temps like you are getting:

• Skin on Poultry
• Pork Butt/Shoulder
• Pork Ribs
• Beef Brisket
• Beef Chuck
• Beef Ribs

Now most of these may be too big for your smoker but at least you know what works best for your very hot smoker :)

 

[MileHighSmokerGirl]

No brine. No rub. 325° pit temp for about 3.5 hrs. Give or take. Then 15 - 20 mins in the oven at 400° to make that skin nice and crispy and dark maroon.

Smoked chicken

A week was too long without a smoke. Did up a chicken tonight. Absolutely mouth watering. 🤤 Cornbread and pork n beans as a side with Arrington Vineyards Raspberry wine.

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[civilsmoker]

I have found today that getting the cooker to the right temp might be a bit of an issue. I fired it up on the lowest heat setting but my temp probe was reading a fair amount over 325 (& climbing) before I turned it back off. Gonna be figuring out this smoker along the way. The bird is still bathing in the brine but I should be slathering it down in spices in the next hour or so.

Many that have propane smoker get a needle valve to control the flame a little better

 

[gnab2]

I agree with the Q journal. Be sure to write down the ambient temp too. This way you get a log of how your cook will go with various seasons and outside temps. Even thou the grill temp is at 250 the cook for me takes longer in the winter vs the summer. Be sure to write down the rub. This way you can easily go back to the families favorite flavor. If you fail as the family sees it you still won since you got data on what not to do. I have burnt plenty of meat and chicken is a cheap easy way to learn on a new cooker. Get used to the grill first before you cook a high priced meat. Best of luck and have a great time. And Welcome to the new addiction of smoking meat.