I had a fishing trip scheduled for today, but they cancelled yesterday afternoon and my best friend's wife has been requesting it for some time now and I've got my new offset with only one cook on it so far, so.......
Let me start by saying that this isn't my favorite way to cook chicken, but I'll do it. In fact, it's been so long that it took a while just to locate my racks.
Brined the chicken for a few hours, rinsed and into the refrigerator overnight.
Racks ready for the chickens. Budweiser in the cans as I don't want to waste my good beer on this
. Besides other than moisture, I don't really know if the liquid in the cans adds any appreciable flavor to the chicken and I've heard and read both sides of this.
Rubbed with a Kansas City style rub and placed on the racks. Injected the breasts with a mixture of melted, unsalted butter, unsalted chicken stock, and a regular BBQ rub. Plugged the neck openings with onions. Ready for the smoker.
Mixed up a pan of baked beans. Eight cans of Great Northern beans, 2 chopped Vidalia onions, 2 chopped bell peppers, about a cup of molasses, a cup of raw sugar, about 1/2 bottle of ketchup, and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Salt & pepper to taste.
Mix it all up.
Then dress it up with bacon.
A pan of homemade mac and cheese. Two pounds of elbows boiled until tender, 2 cans of evaporated milk and then add enough whole milk to make 8 cups total, 8 eggs beaten, 2 sticks of unsalted butter. Put the butter in a pan and dump the drained hot elbows on top. Mix in 2 1/2 lbs of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese. Stir all to combine and melt the cheese and butter. Pour milk mixture over it all and let it rest.
Sprinkle more shredded cheddar on top. You can't have too much cheese, right? I've not added any salt to this pan.
Time to get the smoker up to temp using cherry and some of my newly acquired, well-seasoned maple and hopefully rolling some thin blue smoke. It's close, but not quite even across the length. My 1st cook on it, I noticed that it took a while for the temperature to even out.
Everything on the smoker to get happy (hopefully). Never cooked beans or mac & cheese on a smoker. I'll be curious to taste just how much smoke they pick up, if any. Regardless, it keeps the heat out of the house on this forecasted 95℉ day.
At about the 1 1/2 hour mark, decided to take a look. Beans and the mac & cheese are bubbling, but not much color on the chicken yet. The I.T. on the chicken is around 125℉ on both a breast and a thigh.
Decided to make them swap seats and see what that will do. Temperature side to side varying about 25°-30°, the side with the pans being hotter. After the swap, same thing. The hotter side on the right now.
Mac & cheese after about 2 1/2 hours. Removed to a warm oven to hold.
The chicken is done. I.T. around 170℉ all around and juices running clear.
The beans are ready.
Charcuterie for an appetizer.
The crowd will be here shortly.
The second cook on my new smoker went fairly well. Never cooked beans or mac & cheese on one before so I'll be interested in the flavor.
I'll be back with more about this cook and my guest's reactions.
Let me start by saying that this isn't my favorite way to cook chicken, but I'll do it. In fact, it's been so long that it took a while just to locate my racks.
Brined the chicken for a few hours, rinsed and into the refrigerator overnight.
Racks ready for the chickens. Budweiser in the cans as I don't want to waste my good beer on this
. Besides other than moisture, I don't really know if the liquid in the cans adds any appreciable flavor to the chicken and I've heard and read both sides of this.
Rubbed with a Kansas City style rub and placed on the racks. Injected the breasts with a mixture of melted, unsalted butter, unsalted chicken stock, and a regular BBQ rub. Plugged the neck openings with onions. Ready for the smoker.
Mixed up a pan of baked beans. Eight cans of Great Northern beans, 2 chopped Vidalia onions, 2 chopped bell peppers, about a cup of molasses, a cup of raw sugar, about 1/2 bottle of ketchup, and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Salt & pepper to taste.
Mix it all up.
Then dress it up with bacon.
A pan of homemade mac and cheese. Two pounds of elbows boiled until tender, 2 cans of evaporated milk and then add enough whole milk to make 8 cups total, 8 eggs beaten, 2 sticks of unsalted butter. Put the butter in a pan and dump the drained hot elbows on top. Mix in 2 1/2 lbs of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese. Stir all to combine and melt the cheese and butter. Pour milk mixture over it all and let it rest.
Sprinkle more shredded cheddar on top. You can't have too much cheese, right? I've not added any salt to this pan.
Time to get the smoker up to temp using cherry and some of my newly acquired, well-seasoned maple and hopefully rolling some thin blue smoke. It's close, but not quite even across the length. My 1st cook on it, I noticed that it took a while for the temperature to even out.
Everything on the smoker to get happy (hopefully). Never cooked beans or mac & cheese on a smoker. I'll be curious to taste just how much smoke they pick up, if any. Regardless, it keeps the heat out of the house on this forecasted 95℉ day.
At about the 1 1/2 hour mark, decided to take a look. Beans and the mac & cheese are bubbling, but not much color on the chicken yet. The I.T. on the chicken is around 125℉ on both a breast and a thigh.
Decided to make them swap seats and see what that will do. Temperature side to side varying about 25°-30°, the side with the pans being hotter. After the swap, same thing. The hotter side on the right now.
Mac & cheese after about 2 1/2 hours. Removed to a warm oven to hold.
The chicken is done. I.T. around 170℉ all around and juices running clear.
The beans are ready.
Charcuterie for an appetizer.
The crowd will be here shortly.
The second cook on my new smoker went fairly well. Never cooked beans or mac & cheese on one before so I'll be interested in the flavor.
I'll be back with more about this cook and my guest's reactions.
