At work with my Bradley

[williamzanzinger]

Im constantly trying to perfect recipes for smoked foods at work. I work in a retirement community and serve 100 people per meal everyday allday.

Ok, enough of all that. Tommorow ill be smoking darkmeat quarters in my bradley 4 shelf digital. About 24 peices , so that 6 per shelf.
This weekend I was playing with hightemps(as if) with her and even when I got her up to 320 she lost everything the moment I opened the door, dropped to 230 and stayed there most of the rest of the time. So with these 24 peices Ill never get the temps up past 220. Should I cold smoke then just roast them or deal wit the low, non crisping temps? I know for flavor I get to finish wit a bit of smoke wich I love but whats better? Crispy skin or full bore smoke?

 

[t-bone tim]

William , if it was me , I would smoke at as high a temp as possible to an internal temp of 175 * to cook and flavor the poultry, then if you want crispy skin and have a grill available , fire it up and crisp the pcs on it or pop in an oven under a broiler until you reach your desired finish , then you will have a nicely flavored and crispy product , also you may want to look at brining said pieces for 3-4 hrs prior to smoking to ensure you keep the meat moist as well , my .02 worth, hope it helps

 

[payson]

I'd also put a clean brick or two in the bottom of the Bradley. It'll help it maintain heat.

 

[homebrew & bbq]

When I did a turkey for Thanksgiving, it was in the smoker at about 230° until an internal temp of about 155°, then pulled it and put it in a 350° to bring it that last 10° to 15°. That seemed to be enough time to make the skin fairly crisp.

Hope this helps. Good luck on your smoke.

 

[richtee]

I'm with T-Bone. Grill or an oven finish at 400° for a few. let 'em sizzle. Good time to add a bit of mop/glaze/sauce with just the short time of high heat for caramelization too.

 

[hawgheaven]

I can't help much with the Bradley, but I really like grilling my chickens on my Weber using lump with chunk of hickory thrown in. They turn out great with a nice crispy skin and just enough smoke flavor.

Just another option...

 

[williamzanzinger]

Well, I did the deed with the chickens (not like that!!). Anyway they were good though towards the 160's the drippings had accumulated enough around the drip pans that I started to get some smoke from that,which is not desireable to me so i pulled them and gave em a sizzle in the oven like suggested. Overall it was succesful. I like they way the cabinet fits right on my line(set atop an unlit chargrill) smoke goes right up the hoods and alls clear. I also smoked some chicken backs for my jumbalaya stock tomorrow. Oh the joy.