This time the chicken was mostest excellent Dudes! Ya know how you can do the same exact thing 10 times but then you get that one that's better than all the rest? I had a great supper tonight!
Lets start at the beginning, Thursday night; I washed and cleaned a 6.5 lb chicken. I made my brine of Pop's formula IC brown sugar, 1C white sugar, a little shy of a cup of salt (since it is canning salt so you need less volume to get and equal weight). Added a bit of thyme, rosemary, and sage, and a little piece of lemon I had laying on the counter. I dissolved it in 2C of boiling water. Allowed it to sit and steep for 30 mins. then added 2C of ice and about 3/4 Teaspoon of cure. I know its a bit heavy (not too much but a little because I will add another cup of water to top off my brining bucket), but going for a short brine in my opinion so it will help infiltrate the meat faster.
<Shouts up at the projector room> Ok, lets start up those pictures!
Washed and cleaned
Hot brine, with ice and cure#1
The best curing container for chicken. Holds exactly 1 chicken, the proper amount of brine solution, and the top will slide down holding the bird under the liquid and allowing no spillage. The perfect chicken brining container.
Into the reefer over night.
The next night I remove it from the brine, rinse & pat dry.
Back into the reefer uncovered to dehydrate thereby allowing me to skip any de-watering cycle to start smoking.
See how pretty and yellow the skin turned? Thats the fat in the dry skin, sometimes referred to here as pellicle. Its makes the smoke just jump onto the skin. Now ready for the smoker.
Preheated from the previous smoke to 275 and immediately turned down to 235 to get the temp close to 250 degrees.
While this is all going on, I get in the baking mood. Light bread rolls!
I mix it up and roll it up and roll it up and throw it in the pan!
One hour and 1/2 later.........
Check the bird, cause the bird is the word! and insert probe and pecan shells for smoke. BTW I went light on the smoke this time.
Let them babies rise! (BTW I had enough dough for two of these, or donuts, or cinnamon rolls).
When the chicken hit 160 IT I pulled it knowing it would travel after pulled, sorta faster than normal because I am assuming the change in the density/texture of the cured meat.
Just out the smoker, I tripped on a cinder block and nearly busted my part where the body meets the saddle! BUT didn't drop the chicken, and if I did I wouldn't tell.
BTW did I mention I made cornbread dressing & giblet gravy during my spare time?
And the juicy Bear shot. Look at the red in that dark meat a sign of a good cure. It tasted awesome! I believe that if I offered two sides and a hot roll, I could sell this all day long out beside the road for a dollar a plate.
Thats it.
BTW just a handy reminder, any time you change any component on your smoker any piece of equipment can change how you are used to it operating. Always run a check before diving in head first, it could save you a little embarrassment & aggravation.
Thanks for checking it out. Sure was good!
OMG I forgot the rolls!
Makes ya mouth kinda drool don't they........ <Chuckles>
Lets start at the beginning, Thursday night; I washed and cleaned a 6.5 lb chicken. I made my brine of Pop's formula IC brown sugar, 1C white sugar, a little shy of a cup of salt (since it is canning salt so you need less volume to get and equal weight). Added a bit of thyme, rosemary, and sage, and a little piece of lemon I had laying on the counter. I dissolved it in 2C of boiling water. Allowed it to sit and steep for 30 mins. then added 2C of ice and about 3/4 Teaspoon of cure. I know its a bit heavy (not too much but a little because I will add another cup of water to top off my brining bucket), but going for a short brine in my opinion so it will help infiltrate the meat faster.
<Shouts up at the projector room> Ok, lets start up those pictures!
Washed and cleaned
Hot brine, with ice and cure#1
The best curing container for chicken. Holds exactly 1 chicken, the proper amount of brine solution, and the top will slide down holding the bird under the liquid and allowing no spillage. The perfect chicken brining container.
Into the reefer over night.
The next night I remove it from the brine, rinse & pat dry.
Back into the reefer uncovered to dehydrate thereby allowing me to skip any de-watering cycle to start smoking.
See how pretty and yellow the skin turned? Thats the fat in the dry skin, sometimes referred to here as pellicle. Its makes the smoke just jump onto the skin. Now ready for the smoker.
Preheated from the previous smoke to 275 and immediately turned down to 235 to get the temp close to 250 degrees.
While this is all going on, I get in the baking mood. Light bread rolls!
I mix it up and roll it up and roll it up and throw it in the pan!
One hour and 1/2 later.........
Check the bird, cause the bird is the word! and insert probe and pecan shells for smoke. BTW I went light on the smoke this time.
Let them babies rise! (BTW I had enough dough for two of these, or donuts, or cinnamon rolls).
When the chicken hit 160 IT I pulled it knowing it would travel after pulled, sorta faster than normal because I am assuming the change in the density/texture of the cured meat.
Just out the smoker, I tripped on a cinder block and nearly busted my part where the body meets the saddle! BUT didn't drop the chicken, and if I did I wouldn't tell.
BTW did I mention I made cornbread dressing & giblet gravy during my spare time?
And the juicy Bear shot. Look at the red in that dark meat a sign of a good cure. It tasted awesome! I believe that if I offered two sides and a hot roll, I could sell this all day long out beside the road for a dollar a plate.
Thats it.
BTW just a handy reminder, any time you change any component on your smoker any piece of equipment can change how you are used to it operating. Always run a check before diving in head first, it could save you a little embarrassment & aggravation.
Thanks for checking it out. Sure was good!
OMG I forgot the rolls!
Makes ya mouth kinda drool don't they........ <Chuckles>
Last edited:
