Cook time

[TNJHubert]

Im smoking my first whole chicken tomorrow. Well, first time smoking anything. I just put it in a brine of 1 gallon water, 1 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tbs peppercorn and 1 tablespoon of garlic. How long do I brine it? How long do I let it air dry? And how long will it take to smoke if it’s spatchcocked? I know you go by IT but I need a general idea so I know when to start it.

 

[tropics]

Not enough info!
Smoker?
Location?
How hot are you smoking?

 

[SmokinAl]

I would brine it a couple of hours.
Then let it air dry overnight.
If it's a 5-7 lb. chicken at 225 it will take a couple of hours to get done.
I pull mine out when the breast hits 157, and the thighs are about 170-175.
After a short rest on the counter the carryover cooking will bring the breast up to 165 & the thighs up to 180.
That's perfect for us.
Al

 

[TNJHubert]

Not enough info!
Smoker?
Location?
How hot are you smoking?

Sorry! I have a MES 30, so it only goes up to 275, which I'm assuming I smoke it on the whole time. I live in southern Oregon, about 30 minutes from the California border.

 

[TNJHubert]

I would brine it a couple of hours.
Then let it air dry overnight.
If it's a 5-7 lb. chicken at 225 it will take a couple of hours to get done.
I pull mine out when the breast hits 157, and the thighs are about 170-175.
After a short rest on the counter the carryover cooking will bring the breast up to 165 & the thighs up to 180.
That's perfect for us.
Al

Well I let it brine over night... It's 6am, should I take it out of the brine and start air drying? It's been about 9 or 10 hours in the brine.

 

[SmokinAl]

Yes take it out.
Al

 

[petehalsted]

Al has you going for this smoke.

For you next smoke, you might want to read up on dry brining. It accomplishes the same thing without all the mess, and combines the brining and air drying into one step.

Either method is fine, but for me once I learned about dry brining, I haven't wet brined anything since.

 

[TNJHubert]

Al has you going for this smoke.

For you next smoke, you might want to read up on dry brining. It accomplishes the same thing without all the mess, and combines the brining and air drying into one step.

Either method is fine, but for me once I learned about dry brining, I haven't wet brined anything since.

Okay, thanks!

 

[TNJHubert]

Yes take it out.
Al

Okay, I did. It's spatchcocked and laying on a drying rack over a pan to catch drippings. We usually eat dinner around 4 or so, about what time should I start smoking it? And do i start at 275 straight out of the gate all the way through? I was thinking of doing a 50/50 mix of hickory and apple

 

[tropics]

I would start it about 2 hours ahead of time,you can always finish in the oven to try crisping the skin
Richie

 

[TNJHubert]

I would start it about 2 hours ahead of time,you can always finish in the oven to try crisping the skin
Richie

Thank you! I'm super excited! What seasoning pairs well with hickory/Apple? Should i just do POG?

 

[tropics]

I did a small turkey yesterday and only used SPOG
Richie

 

[bluewhisper]

You will like the spatchcock presentation, it's really more practical for serving than a regular intact bird. It heats faster and more evenly, too.

You can tell a lot just by the appearance to see when you should start checking temps. It should start getting some golden color. You may or may not get crisp skin. Sometimes people think that the skin has too much smoke flavor, anyway.

If you start cooking in the smoker and finish in the oven, your kitchen will smell like smoke - just tell people ahead of time so they won't be surprised.

Good luck! It will take practice to get the hang of this. You're learning the cooking and the cooker at the same time.

 

[TNJHubert]

Well she's in the smoker! I have it on 250 with a mix of hickory and apple. I put some POG and butter under the skin and on the skin and I got my IT all setup. I hope it comes out okay!

 

[Rings Я Us]

Mine took 4 hours at 265 to 275 ish yesterday. Lol 4.5 lbs.
Brined it also with some cure salt in the brine. Really good though.

 

[TNJHubert]

Mine took 4 hours at 265 to 275 ish yesterday. Lol 4.5 lbs.
Brined it also with some cure salt in the brine. Really good though.

View attachment 348913

Yum. I hope mine comes out good!