My sons first Yard Birds - QView

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knifebld

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Mar 10, 2014
890
195
Valleyfield, Quebec
Hey all,

Ok so I know I have already posted a couple of Spatchcock Chicken smokes, but this one is extra special to me so bare with me! LOL

My 12 year old son, Daniel, has been so interested in smoking ever since I got into it that I let him smoke these yard bird all on his own....from prepping the smoker to cleaning the grills this was all him;

He brined them first for 24 hours, then pulled them out, cleaned them, butterflied them, and rubbed a compound butter Under the skin (thanks Scott & Josie for the tip!);


Next, he sprinkled a little rub before tossing them on the smoker;


Got the WSM all fired up and finally tossed his birds on...starting to feel very proud at this point;


Finally, after enjoying the wonderful smells of his labour for a few hours, spritzing every 30 minutes, and keeping a very careful watch on temperature fluctuations he posed in front of his first smoked chickens!


We pulled the meat together and he decided to use these for Quesadillas last night (sorry no pics of those), and these where to die for!

He loved it so much, he is now saving his money for his own smoker! LOL ....I guess he could use mine once in a while too :)

Thanks for watching/reading!

Cheers.
 
Well, how can you top that?? Not sure who's prouder...you or the young lad....lol. A future Pit Master?? just think how much he will learn from that age on if he sticks with it. Well done, sir.....well done......can't do that on an Ipod app or whatever. Hope he enjoys the comments left on here. Before you know it he might be building a pit in the backyard.....LOL.......Congrats on a fun cook I'm sure you will both fondly remember......Willie
 
Great looking birds!! Always fun to get the kids involved. My 8 year old is my little sous chef, even has his own knives! My 13 year old isn't into it unless we're making pizza!

Points for your son's cook!

points.gif
 
 
Well, how can you top that?? Not sure who's prouder...you or the young lad....lol. A future Pit Master?? just think how much he will learn from that age on if he sticks with it. Well done, sir.....well done......can't do that on an Ipod app or whatever. Hope he enjoys the comments left on here. Before you know it he might be building a pit in the backyard.....LOL.......Congrats on a fun cook I'm sure you will both fondly remember......Willie
You are spot on Chef! There is no XBOX or Playstation that can teach you this stuff. This was some good old fashion family time with my boy...and YES I must admit I was VERY proud and thinking the same...if he starts at 12 years old he is going to be one hell of a meat smoker when he grows up! Thanks Chef!
 
 
You are spot on Chef! There is no XBOX or Playstation that can teach you this stuff. This was some good old fashion family time with my boy...and YES I must admit I was VERY proud and thinking the same...if he starts at 12 years old he is going to be one hell of a meat smoker when he grows up! Thanks Chef!
You're quite welcome.....these things don't happen usually by accident. Obviously, good parenting skills were applied from early on.....keep up the wonderful job......Willie
 
Nice post, Chad, thanks for sharing that.  Nothing like it when a young one makes a meal that they're proud of, and have everyone saying 'Oh, man, this is good!'.  And you're right, time in the kitchen is seriously good family time, there are a lot of good, old fashioned values that come from making a meal.  We use it for everything from talking budgets to work ethic.

We throw another incentive in there, as in our house the one that cooks is exempt from after-dinner clean up!  Of course, you have to clean as you cook so you don't have a disaster, but our kids love to be able to sit down after the meal that they cooked and watch their parents doing the dishes.
 
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Nice post, Chad, thanks for sharing that.  Nothing like it when a young one makes a meal that they're proud of, and have everyone saying 'Oh, man, this is good!'.  And you're right, time in the kitchen is seriously good family time, there are a lot of good, old fashioned values that come from making a meal.  We use it for everything from talking budgets to work ethic.

We throw another incentive in there, as in our house the one that cooks is exempt from after-dinner clean up!  Of course, you have to clean as you cook so you don't have a disaster, but our kids love to be able to sit down after the meal that they cooked and watch their parents doing the dishes.
We have that rule too, but come to think of it, he cleaned up last night with the rest of his brothers! Thanks Wayward, you just got my son an evening of no cleanup tonight to make up for last night!
All ya needs a mini-WSM and a jigsaw with a metal blade = Mini-ZA!!!!
Sounds easy enough! Just subscribed to the Mini-ZA thread so I can refer to it when I am ready to build it, thanks! Looks like you guys had a lot of fun that day too!
 
I love this post. Not only is your son learning great smoking skills, making great food and enjoying that food with his family, he is spending time with his family and learning to work through a project. He will benefit from those skills and the memories for the rest of his life.

I remember being proud of meals I cooked and, even in my advanced years, some of my fondest memories are of time spent with my Dad. Good cook. Great chicken. Wonderful times.

Now the important question, will you hire him out for catering parties?

Disco
 
Great job on bringing him up right, lots of kids now days just think everything goes in the micro wave, I know two that can't even make toast LOL.

Great post of a proud father and a proud son.

A full smoker is a happy smoker.

DS 
 
 
I love this post. Not only is your son learning great smoking skills, making great food and enjoying that food with his family, he is spending time with his family and learning to work through a project. He will benefit from those skills and the memories for the rest of his life.

I remember being proud of meals I cooked and, even in my advanced years, some of my fondest memories are of time spent with my Dad. Good cook. Great chicken. Wonderful times.

Now the important question, will you hire him out for catering parties?

Disco
Thanks Disco. Not only would I hire him for parties, but next year I planned on entering into the Canadian amateur competition circuit and after his smoke I asked him to join my team...you should have seen his face!

He has 4 older brothers and a baby sister...so this is some good alone time with Dad that I think he needs...Dad needs it too! ;)

Cheers.
 
Teach a man to cook for himself and he'll become less dependant upon others to feed him. You wouldn't believe how many men I have known who have to go out to eat because they can't cook. Its a great thing to learn from a good teacher.

Great day around the pit.  Just wait a few more years you can enjoy his first beer together while cooking. Then you'll be wanting to tell lies!
 
It's always great cooking with the kids!!! My little sous chef is 10 and she wants to do everything with me. She helped me every step of the way on my mini wsm build and even picked out the sticker for the paint job.

Btw, does your son play soccer? In the last pic of his smoke it looks like he's wearing a soccer jersey..,
 
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I'll chime in with another "you can't top that"!!!  It's great he's got the desire at his age, too.  Keep up the good work!
Thanks, we both had a blast!
 
Handsome  lad you got there Knife! They should give you an award for raising a fine young man.
first.gif
LOL Thanks Red, not sure about an award...but he is a great kid for sure.
 
Teach a man to cook for himself and he'll become less dependant upon others to feed him. You wouldn't believe how many men I have known who have to go out to eat because they can't cook. Its a great thing to learn from a good teacher.

Great day around the pit.  Just wait a few more years you can enjoy his first beer together while cooking. Then you'll be wanting to tell lies!
Can't wait for that Foam...shared a beer with my oldest for the first time this summer during a camping trip...man did I ever feel old! :)
It's always great cooking with the kids!!! My little sous chef is 10 and she wants to do everything with me. She helped me every step of the way on my mini wsm build and even picked out the sticker for the paint job.

Btw, does your son play soccer? In the last pic of his smoke it looks like he's wearing a soccer jersey..,
He used to play, but this Jersey was one I picked up for him when I was in England a few years back. :)
 
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