Erm.. what the hell?

[trillo15]

Maybe someone can shed some light on this. Second time in a row this has happened. Smoking whole chicken 1st one was left whole, second one was spatchcocked. Had my thermopro in the breast. Both times, temp came up consistantly, until it hit 162F. About 1 degree every 3-5 min or so. Once it hits 162, it stalls. Has sat there for 45 min now. Smoker is at 280F. Even shot it with my thermopro instant read to ensure my TP08 was acurate. Both read the same. Why is it stalling? Its a pain in the ass when your planning sides.

 

[motocrash]

The roosters'll do that.Just kidding or maybe not...I've had yardbird do the same thing a few times.

 

[chopsaw]

162 is almost done ,,, or done . Depends on who you are . Another 45 minutes at 280 ? Have to say , my TP-20 has been giving me fits lately , to the point I don't trust it any more . I have never had chicken do that .

 

[chef jimmyj]

Them birds are done! Don't sweat 3°. Check out the chart below. All bad news bacteria were dead in 3 minutes when the IT hit 150°F. Waiting for 165 is just drying that bird out...JJ
Pasteurization Time for Chicken With 5% Fat Content (7-log10 lethality)
Temperature Time
136°F (58°C) 68.4 minutes
140°F (60°C) 27.5 minutes
145°F (63°C) 9.2 minutes
150°F (66°C) 2.8 minutes
155°F (68°C) 47.7 seconds
160°F (71°C) 14.8 seconds
165°F (74°C) Instant

 

[SmokinAl]

I have been pulling my chickens out at 157 in the thick part of the breast.
After a 10 minute rest they are ready to eat, and very juicy!
Looking at JJ's chart, I guess I could pull them even earlier, but the legs & thighs need to go a little higher or they will be tough. Usually when the breast is 157 the thighs are about 175, which is perfect.
Also I always spatchcock my poultry, or part it out.
Al

 

[trillo15]

Thanks for all the advice guys.. Maybe as a new guy to smoking and not wanting to make anyone sick, I am over paranoid!

 

[chef jimmyj]

Most of the USDA guidelines for IT were written or revised, aka increased, after the Jack in the Box Ecoli outbreak. The USDA set the finished temp so high that a min wage, don't give a crap, fast food worker could not possibly make anyone sick. Not to mention folks that have No Clue about food safety let alone know about bacteria...JJ

 

[indaswamp]

Learning about pasteurization and Sous Vide cooking opened up a whole new world to me as far as cooking times/temps. Knowledge is power they say. Great post JJ!

I agree with what has been said-those birds are done!