Smoked/Roasted Chicken

[island boy]

Hi folk,

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m originally from the Island of Jamaica & brand new to the world of smoking.

I got started smoking by trying to make Jerked Pork (I became frustrated with trying to find Authentic Jamaican Jerked Meat in South Florida) & figured Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d have to make my own… So I played around with various pieces of equipment, techniques & formulas, & eventually ended up with a Charbroil H2O Smoker (very similar to the ECB), however I still was not satisfied with the results (I think I really need some Pimento (Allspice) Wood to get it right). Anyway I figured if Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m going to be using a smoker…. then I should know how to USE IT…..So I took Jeffâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s course. And since then Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been “a smoking foolâ€â€¦â€¦ Smoked every thing in sight & having fun doing it. Ribs, Chicken, Steak, Oxtails, Nuts you name it. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve even taken some pictures & will post them soon.

My plan for today was to do a quick Smoked/Roasted chicken….Plans got changed however, but hereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the concept:

Brine
1 Cup each salt & sugar to 1gal. Water
1 Onion quartered
Lots of garlic – smashed
10 Pimento berries
4 Cloves
2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers – rough chopped (Caution Extremely Hot) can be left out
11/2 Bay leafs
2 limes (or Lemons) Juice & skins etc.

Method
Simmer for about 10 min. in 1 quart water the sugar, salt & spices to develop the flavors. Add ice cubes to cool, and then add the whole chicken. Fill with the balance of water to make the quantity up to 1 gallon. Weigh the chicken down by some method to keep it submerged….I used a pot cover turned upside down….the handle pushes the chicken down below the surface.

My plan was to smoke heavily at 230 – 250 degrees for about 11/2 hrs then finish in the oven

I have noticed on the SMF that meats are some times wrapped in foil and finished in the oven. My question is why are they wrapped?

Thanks in advance for your answers

 

[kookie]

Welcome to the site........I believe the main reaon to wrap in foil for most is to keep the meat from drying out..........And less mess in the oven too....Some wrap in foil then wrap in towel and put in cooler to rest and reach final temp, like for doing pulled pork.........Those are just my thoughts..............

 

[earache_my_eye]

Welcome to the forum! This is a great place to get any and all of your smoking questions answered.

Depending on how you like your skin on the chicken.....I would probably cover the bird with foil in a roasting pan for the first part of its trip through the oven...then open the foil up in the last 20-30 minutes to let the skin crisp up some.

What do you mean by "heavy smoke"? Hopefully not billowing white clouds of smoke.....

Welcome again to the SMF,
Eric

 

[waysideranch]

Island Boy,

I picked up a H2O sometime ago and I don't like how the bowl sits so low its hard to get wood chunks in there. How do you load your wood chunks?? Also have trouble with temps. Does your perform well? Any advice to the H2O would be nice.

Scott

 

[vlap]

Chicken brine sounds good. Please post an authentic jerk recipe as well. I love that spicy food!!!

Welcome to the site!!!

 

[richoso1]

Welcome to the SMF. You're brine just throttled my taste buds!

 

[island boy]

Sorry I took so long to reply.
I toss wood chunks in to the coal pan through the door or using tongs I place them on the coals.

My main problem with this unit is the controlling the temperature.

I have just converted the Charbroil H20 to a gas smoker by “borrowing†a side burner from my Grill.
If youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re interested I could tell you how I did the conversion.
Took the converted smoker out for a ‘test driveâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] yesterday with 9* Jerked Shoulder & 8* Smoked shoulder along with some heads of Garlic & whole Vidalia Onion. The unit maintained temps of 225 to 245 pretty well, smoking with this unit is now a breeze.

 

[white cloud]

Welcome, Yeah your brine sounds good. You seem to be on the right track. Looking forward to a jerk jerky recipe.

 

[richoso1]

What Kookie said...

 

[rivet]

Your brine sounds excellent. I smoke a lot of whole chicken often and do at least one turkey every summer. I think I will brine the turkey with your recipe....I like the idea of the scotch bonnet peppers. The result must be mild since the bird can't absorb that much. I'll keep you posted on the results!