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first cook in progress- questions
- Thread starter t wright
- Start date
well...one is done...the 8 guests love it...
still 3 more half chickens to go
i think the problem was the the chickens were a little bigger and took up the whole top...they were about 5.5 lbs each..
glad to see one finally come up to temp...
meat was tender as could be...
rub was HOT
guests were thrilled with chicken and the fatty although the fatty fell apart a little when trying to take it out
still 3 more half chickens to go
i think the problem was the the chickens were a little bigger and took up the whole top...they were about 5.5 lbs each..
glad to see one finally come up to temp...
meat was tender as could be...
rub was HOT
guests were thrilled with chicken and the fatty although the fatty fell apart a little when trying to take it out
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Sounds like it is going well.
Yes, packing the top restricts airflow and that the chickens were larger certainly adds to the time. (I prefer chickens of 2.5-3 pounds. They can be hard to get but I then try to stay under 3.5.)
Did you put the chickens in cold or at room temp? The former adds to time too.
Regardless, sounds like you are having a good time and enjoying your food.
Yes, packing the top restricts airflow and that the chickens were larger certainly adds to the time. (I prefer chickens of 2.5-3 pounds. They can be hard to get but I then try to stay under 3.5.)
Did you put the chickens in cold or at room temp? The former adds to time too.
Regardless, sounds like you are having a good time and enjoying your food.
thanks kevins...i put them on at room temp...here is the thing i would do different
I bought the birds on wed. night and cut them in half following the video on the site...(i seriously have never done anything like this before and it's awesome so far)...they were still slightly frozen when i put the rub on and left them in the fridge overnight
it left a lot of juice and part of the rub came off...also we put too much rub on...it wasn't too salty but very spicy...
next time i'll buy the birds in advance and let them get to normal fridge temp before i rub them and leave them overnight + all day...
all in all for NEVER having smoked before i'm pleased...it wasn't perfect...it didn't look great, but it tasted great and EVERYONE was pleased...i haven't eaten much at all i was so nervous that it would turn out well
next time i'll buy smaller...got them for .82/lb thought...can't beat that.
I bought the birds on wed. night and cut them in half following the video on the site...(i seriously have never done anything like this before and it's awesome so far)...they were still slightly frozen when i put the rub on and left them in the fridge overnight
it left a lot of juice and part of the rub came off...also we put too much rub on...it wasn't too salty but very spicy...
next time i'll buy the birds in advance and let them get to normal fridge temp before i rub them and leave them overnight + all day...
all in all for NEVER having smoked before i'm pleased...it wasn't perfect...it didn't look great, but it tasted great and EVERYONE was pleased...i haven't eaten much at all i was so nervous that it would turn out well
next time i'll buy smaller...got them for .82/lb thought...can't beat that.
one more question...sorry bout that...
some of the leftovers have cooled off...some are still pretty hot...at what point is it good to put it in a ziploc and put in the fridge...also, how long till it goes bad in fridge? (can you tell i'm a newb?)
THANKS so much...i couldn't of done it without this board and probably would have never bought a smoker had I not got bored at work one day and started surfing the web..it feels great to have found a new hobby!
some of the leftovers have cooled off...some are still pretty hot...at what point is it good to put it in a ziploc and put in the fridge...also, how long till it goes bad in fridge? (can you tell i'm a newb?)
THANKS so much...i couldn't of done it without this board and probably would have never bought a smoker had I not got bored at work one day and started surfing the web..it feels great to have found a new hobby!
Yes to the airflow. Yes to the smaller birds. Try and stick with the broiler/fryers for even cooking. As Kevin said the 2.5-3 lb range is ideal. What happens with the bigger roasters is the white and dark meat doesn't cook even like the smaller fryers do. This also applies to fried chciken as well.
KevinJ
TVWBB Pro
Each of the first cooks you learn something different. Now you know how you want to prep for the next one. When I cook I also dont eat that much because i want everyone to eat and enjoy. Byran and Kevin K would probably be able to tell you how to cool off the spice in the rub but i would say cut way back on the cayanne and then start increasing it each cook until you find the heat that you like. When starting out, to me if it looks good then its a bonus, but if it taste good then thats what it all about. Then you work on what evver you want. Again, well done.
It's best to get the leftovers on a wire rack which will promote faster and all around cooling. Once cooled down to room temp, about an hour, place in a open zip bag on the top shelf of your fridge right in the zone where the cold air blows out. Leave the bag open for about another hour or till chicken is fairly cold and seal up. You don't want to close the bag up too soon. One it builds up a lot of moisture and two it slows the cooling process down. Left overs should be eaten within 3-5 days.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Take the cooler pieces and put them on a rack (like a cake cooling rack) over a sheetpan and stick in the fridge. Just tent with foil--don't cover tightly.
Put the hot chicken on a rack and leave to cool--uncovered--on the counter for another hour. After that move the chicken in the fridge into a Zip-loc but don't seal it till morning--leave it open. Move the chicken from the counter to the rack in the fridge. Chill at least an hour before bagging but you can bag in the morning if you wish. Seal the bags only when COLD.
Shelf life is several days to a week or more, depending on fridge temps. When cold, you can remove meat from the bones of some pieces, pack well, then freeze. It can be used for fillings.
Put the hot chicken on a rack and leave to cool--uncovered--on the counter for another hour. After that move the chicken in the fridge into a Zip-loc but don't seal it till morning--leave it open. Move the chicken from the counter to the rack in the fridge. Chill at least an hour before bagging but you can bag in the morning if you wish. Seal the bags only when COLD.
Shelf life is several days to a week or more, depending on fridge temps. When cold, you can remove meat from the bones of some pieces, pack well, then freeze. It can be used for fillings.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Same thoughts, B and me.
Though shelf life can be pretty good (smoke helps), as I note, quality can suffer sooner, as Bryan notes with his suggested 3-5 days.
If you do want to freeze some meat, do so sooner than later. If done later you are simply freezing diminished quality.
Though shelf life can be pretty good (smoke helps), as I note, quality can suffer sooner, as Bryan notes with his suggested 3-5 days.
If you do want to freeze some meat, do so sooner than later. If done later you are simply freezing diminished quality.
David Lohrentz
TVWBB Pro
I realize that a lot of people rub their meat the night before, but I don't think it is necessary or worth the hassle when making Q. Marinading or brining in advance are a different story, but for rubs I just apply right before putting on the cooker.
Yes, It can go much longer than the 3-5 I posted but I was being cautious. As Kevin said it depends on several factors. I have no problem eating chicken that was smoked and cooled properly after 7 days. My cats are still eating leftover smoked turkey breast from 2 weeks ago. It's not slimey nor does it smell bad. Not sure I would eat it, but trust me. If it was bad they wouldn't be eating it. I'm not saying to eat 2 week old poultry I'm just saying.
Mark Atkins
New member
I think this is an interesting question - as you see lots of recipes requiring a number of hours for the meat to sit in the rub before cooking.
Has anyone done a side by side taste test? Same meat, same amount of rub, different 'sitting' times?
next time i'm going to put the rub on about an hour before...i'm not an expert by any means and my taste buds like most anything...i don't think it will make a huge difference. For me, i did it the night before, b/c i wanted to get rolling as soon as i got home from work so i put the rub on way in advance.