Cooking Chickens-Need Advice

[creek bottom]

I need some advice from you experts. I've been tasked with cooking 30 chickens for a grad party in a couple weeks. My plan is to get them halved, so that's 60 halves. Doing them on my A1, which is a reverse flow, offset stick burner... Any advice on keeping them moist? Brining is not really an option, I don't have the means to do that many. Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Just IMO but I would spatch them and smoke them at a high temp. Use your favorite poultry rub and put pats of butter under the skin on the breasts. You should be able to smoke 30 in no time even if its in 2-3 waves

 

[HalfSmoked]

You could brine them in a large cooler. How do you plane on storing them before and after the cook?

Warren

 

[Jonok]

I gotta think that you could put 6-10 in a 5 gal bucket, so brining should be easy (brine, chickens, ice to avoid dying from salmonella). You will get more birds in per load if they’re whole. Spatchcocked may produce superior food, but I only really use that technique on cast iron...

 

[creek bottom]

You could brine them in a large cooler. How do you plane on storing them before and after the cook?

Warren

The party is at my church in our pavilion. The grad's mom is picking the chickens up from the butcher two days before the party and putting them in the refrigerators at the church kitchen. The party is after service starting at noon... I'm planning on getting there around 6 AM that morning to get the fire going in the cooker. Hoping to have the chickens on by 8 AM. HOPEFULLY, birds will be done by 11 AM. That will give me time to get them off and cut them up... Just my plan. Let me know if I'm off, PLEASE.....

 

[JC in GB]

You could inject the birds before putting them on the cooker. You wold probably need an assistant for that.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Birds in half you should be find. Also making sure of the IT temperature breast at least 165 thighs 175.

Warren

 

[creek bottom]

You could inject the birds before putting them on the cooker. You wold probably need an assistant for that.

My wife has trouble getting going that early...

 

[HalfSmoked]

tallbm and creek bottom Thanks for the likes it is appreciated.

Warren