Smoked my first whole chicken yesterday


 

Craig Parmele

New member
It turned out GREAT!! I wish I could say as much for the wings that I smoked...
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I put them on the grill for a few minutes and got a little distracted when I went back out they were all ablaze! Disappointing. The Chicken though I brined the night before put a light rub on and it was fantastic. I was really surprised how quick it cooked and how nice it looked. Also, made a trip up to the Backyard BBQ store in Wilmette (those guys are great) and got some lump charcoal. This was the first time I have cooked with lump charcoal. It did burn trough a little quicker than the Kingsford competition briquettes that I have used in the past but I really liked the lump charcoal over all. Looking forward to taking advantage of this mini heat wave in Chicago and getting in a few more smokes before the weather goes Artic on me again.
 
Craig,
Just curious what kind of brine you did. Any flavoring or just salt? How long did you brine it for? I tried a brine yesterday for the 1st time on some boneless/skinless chix breasts. It sure kept the meat juicy!

Yeah I know what ya mean, gotta enjoy the mini-thaw
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here before winter bites us again.

Joe
 
Try and stay warm up there! Congrats on your first chicken! My first chicken was last week. It was so good I had to do another tonight and that came out great as well. I think next time I'll have to be a little more adventurous and brine the chicken like you did.
 
I wouldn't think of doing a chicken, turkey or pork loin without using a brine. Keeps everything moist and adds a ton of flavor. Nice work on the chicken.
 
Craig, I've done Larry Wolfe's Sriacha Chicken wings several times and I learned quickly that I needed to make sure I put the wings on indirect! The sauce and skin still firm up nicely but without the risk of the towering Weber Inferno!

Congrats on the whole bird - guess you'll have to keep on practicing on the wings but then again, that's where the fun is!

Pat
 
Pat- Loved the "Towering Weber Inferno" that will I am sure be used many times in the future.

Joe- I used a simple brine I found it @ 3men.com consisting of:
1 gallon water
3/4 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon each of dried tarragon, thyme, black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

I put it in the fridge for around 9 hours....washed it off then rubbed it down with Italian dressing and a chicken rub and let it sit in the fridge for another 4 hours or so. Used apple and hickory about half and half.

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