Chicken Problems

[Mark D. Anderson]

Hi everyone!

OK, I'm doing my first smoke of the year with a whole chicken about 3-1/2 lbs.

I've been smoking it for about 4 hours at 230 degrees, but I can't get the chicken above 150 degrees (well below the 180 that's recommended).

I tried a few thermometers and that 150 is correct.

What am I missing here?

 

[Doug D]

Where are you measuring that 230°? At the lid or at the grate the chicken is on? If the former, you're actually cooking at several degrees below 230. Also be sure your thermometer tip is not touching bone when you take the reading. Chicken is considered done (safe to eat) and palatable when the white meat reaches 165°, and the dark about 175°. You're going to have some dry chicken regardless this time, as either taking the internal temp too high or cooking too long at too low a temp dries out poultry.

Next time, consider firing up with about a chimney and a half of fully lit charcoal, leaving the water pan dry, and shooting for cooking temps of around 325°. You could make the most of your fuel by doing 2 chickens that size instead of a single. Brining also helps keep poultry moist so, if you overshoot 165, you have a margin of error. Poultry marked "enhanced with a solution of" or similar has technically already been brined. Note that cooking to 161° or so and removing the bird to rest for 15 minutes will allow moisture to re-distribute in the meat and residual heat to take the final rested temp up to the desired 165.

 

[Paul G.]

At 230, a whole chicken could well take longer than 4 hrs. I do butterflied halves at that temp and often go 4 1/2 hours.

With a whole chicken, you should measure temp at two points. One in the breast and the temp should be 160 - 165. In the thigh you're looking for the 175 temp. If its right in the thigh the breast is certainly ok.

My experience is not the same as Dougs in so far as driness. Even with the longer low temp cooks, with water in the pan, I've found the chicken to be quite moist ...?

Just give it more time.

.

Paul

 

[Doug D]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Doug D:
You're going to have some dry chicken regardless this time.. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I should have instead said "the possibility exists that you're going to have some dry chicken" if either of the two factors I mentioned occured.

Although a lot of people like to do poultry low & slow in the WSM, my point in recommending a higher temp cook was that you're not trying to render fat or break down connective tissue like you are with a butt or brisket. A high temp poultry cook gets you great results in half the time, and the meat being slow to reach the desired internal temp is never an issue.

 

[Josh Z.]

Don't fall into the dark side.... keep on smokin those birds Low AND Slow! I do like the higher smoked chicken, but the low and slow ends up being truer to what I think of as smoked chicken. I like how juicy and loaded with smoke the lower cooked chicken comes out.

Like Paul I also butterfly those bad boys before they go on the smoker.


Paul,

We seem to be the speaker of the same truth

It just might be us two talking the greatness of the low and slow chicken, but it is obvious that we are the two who are "in the know". Keep on talking about it becuase when you go silent, I tend to think I'm the only one out here who still thinkst that way.

Keep on smoking low smokin those chicks

Josh

 

[Paul G.]

I won't get in a Q'ing debate with Doug, because I know who will lose ... and it won't be him

I've just done chicken low/slow for a long time and really like it. I've also done the higher heat cooks on both the WSM and kettle .. good, but not really special.

However, I am going to try the "Roadside Chicken" recipe Bryan S posted.

Keep an eye on the Gulf, Doug ... it's that time of year

Paul

 

[Mark D. Anderson]

Thanks everyonefor the advice. I'm gonna have some more questions, but I'll start a different thread for those. At least I know I'm not doing anything wrong. Whew!

 

[Alexander]

I like the idea of cooking the bird low and slow but what about the skin? If I crank up the temp during the last hour or so, will it get the skin crisp? We have some picky ones here so I cant let them down.