- Jan 2, 2010
- 14
- 10
Greetings from the Constitution State.
Equipment: Bradley Digital Four Rack.
Status: Complete noob.
I attempted my first batch of meat last night and realized I was going to need help. One Google later and here I am.
Here is how my first attempt went. I preheated the over to 180f and once there I put in about 12 chicken legs and a 1/2 inch piece of steak, then started the smoke generator.
According to the recipe book and based on what I knew about grilling, it seemed like 3 hours at 180 would be a good place to start.
2 hours into it, it was slow going and I was hungry so I turned the heat up to 240 and then checked in on it every 20 minutes or so until the chicken looked done, probably about three hours from when I started.
At some point the steak looked down so I took that out and ate it.
The steak was great, a bit overcooked but I suppose that is a simple matter of timing. The smoke flavor was abundant but not overdone and it really was a great tasting piece of meat.
When I finished the chicken though, it was not good. The inside was hot, juicy, and perfect. The skin however was very hard and the smoke flavor was wayyy too strong. They were uneatable without taking the skin off. I cooked with the vent closed the whole time but every 30 minutes or so I would open the door and check in on it - I lack basic skills in patience and I am one of those who believes the microwave cooks faster if you stare into the window.
Any tips? I obviously did something wrong on the chicken. My smoker is entirely automatic. Aside from the vent, there is no way to adjust how much smoke is in the smoker aside from turning it on or off. It seems like with the chicken I should have cooked it the same time but smoked it less? I don't know and that is why I am here.
Equipment: Bradley Digital Four Rack.
Status: Complete noob.
I attempted my first batch of meat last night and realized I was going to need help. One Google later and here I am.
Here is how my first attempt went. I preheated the over to 180f and once there I put in about 12 chicken legs and a 1/2 inch piece of steak, then started the smoke generator.
According to the recipe book and based on what I knew about grilling, it seemed like 3 hours at 180 would be a good place to start.
2 hours into it, it was slow going and I was hungry so I turned the heat up to 240 and then checked in on it every 20 minutes or so until the chicken looked done, probably about three hours from when I started.
At some point the steak looked down so I took that out and ate it.
The steak was great, a bit overcooked but I suppose that is a simple matter of timing. The smoke flavor was abundant but not overdone and it really was a great tasting piece of meat.
When I finished the chicken though, it was not good. The inside was hot, juicy, and perfect. The skin however was very hard and the smoke flavor was wayyy too strong. They were uneatable without taking the skin off. I cooked with the vent closed the whole time but every 30 minutes or so I would open the door and check in on it - I lack basic skills in patience and I am one of those who believes the microwave cooks faster if you stare into the window.
Any tips? I obviously did something wrong on the chicken. My smoker is entirely automatic. Aside from the vent, there is no way to adjust how much smoke is in the smoker aside from turning it on or off. It seems like with the chicken I should have cooked it the same time but smoked it less? I don't know and that is why I am here.
