Chicken Quarters

[smokinken]

Looking to smoke some chicken quarters on a electric smoker.  Anyone out there got a good recipe for doing that?

 

[flash]

Chicken does not take long on a smoker. If you have a favorite marinade give it a whirl. I prefer a rub. Memphis Rub being one (Google it up), sometime Shooter's Snake Bite Chicken rub (one of our member's here recipe, you can do a search) or another one I have, but yet to try is Weber's Kick'n Chicken.

 I like Pecan wood, sometimes Pecan and Cherry. Usually do it at 215 to 220º because I am close to done in 2 to 2 1/2 hours. My wife wants her chicken DONE. So this 165º internal temp (when said chicken is finished) is not good enough for her.

Chickensmoker0009.jpg

• flash
• Sep 1, 2012

What you will find is the skin will be rubbery. Unless you can bring the smoker up to the 300º range. I usually then transfer to the hot grill and crisp the skin up there and achieve a 180º IT for the wife. Still comes out quite juicy.

ChickenGrill0010.jpg

• flash
• Sep 1, 2012

 

[bgaviator]

Do most people still brine chicken/turkey before smoking it?  Whenever I grill chicken, I always use a basic brine, and the chicken never comes out overcooked.  So is this still something you want to do when smoking?

 

[smokinken]

Brining is all about personal taste and health.  For those on a low or no sodium diet brining meats is not an option. For those who are able to tolerate the added sodium then brining is an option.  Brining help to give one a margin of error when smoking.  If you brine there is less of a chance the meat will come out dry and tough if overcooked. However, brining is not absolutely necessary. I've done it both ways down through the years and have found that if I used my meat thermometer correctly and stayed on top of the smoking process I usually ended up with a positive result.  Smoking meat in a smoker using a pan of water near the heat source helps greatly in helping keep the meat moist and adds flavor. To brine or not to brine is a debate that has been going on since smoking began.  All I can tell you is I no longer brine anything.

 

[smokinhusker]

I've done both ways, depends on how much time I have. 

Here's some chicken quarters I did on MES40 that I did not brine.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/118547/chicken-leg-qtrs-with-q-view

 

[flash]

Do most people still brine chicken/turkey before smoking it?  Whenever I grill chicken, I always use a basic brine, and the chicken never comes out overcooked.  So is this still something you want to do when smoking?

 I never brine.

 

[halfevl333]

Just posted a sort of similar question in the General Forum...  I have a Big Chief Smoker I just bought a couple months ago and when I tried to smoke chicken it came out pretty dry.  I tried it with a whole chicken and only used two pans of wood and then finished in my oven and it had a good smoke flavor, but was a little on the dry side.  I tried parts and pieces and did the same thing and it all came out VERY dry, not to mention the skin was tough.  I brined both the whole chicken and the parts using the recipe in the users manual ( it is pretty vague on how to do it).  Would putting a pan of water on the drip pan help to keep things from getting dry??  Also, if I finish cooking on the grill (gas), how do I keep the chicken from getting dry and the skin tough??  I also have a small charcoal kettle grill, should I use that instead? And how do I keep the heat up to make sure the chicken is cooked?  I finally bought a remote reading thermometer so I can check the temperature..nothing worse than raw chicken (I know from experience unfortunately)...   I bought some rub at a Craft Fair and would love to try it, but am a bit nervous..   I want to try ribs and roasts but hate to ruin any more meat experimenting...  Any suggestions would be appreciated..  I know the Big Chief Smoker is not made for fully smoking meat, you have to finish cooking in an oven (or so I have read)...

 

[flash]

Well you did your chicken pretty much how I did mine in the above pics. I use a propane conversion GOSM smoker, then transfer to a Gas grill to crisp up the skin and then take them to the 180º area. Never been dry. Now I do use a water pan, but that adds very little moisture to the meat. How about your temp gauge? Are you sure it is accurate? My original one was off by 65º.  Do you use an internal meat probe in the chicken?

 The skin will remain tough unless you cook at 300º plus, but on your gas grill they should crisp up fine.