first smoke with my new WSM 18


 
J

Joe Monaco

New member
First smoke. Weather - clear and mid 40's
Two 5lb + chickens, over night wet brine, Mike D's BBQ Rub
no water. Hunsaker diffuser over the fire basket.
I was concerned about hanging heavy chickens with only hangers so I bought 2 paper towel holders from Dollar Tree to use as hanger supports. They worked great as hangers but I think they are too long as the birds were very close to the fire. I had to remove the lower grate to make room.
Anyway, the cook went OK. The thermometer on the lid was 325 mostly. Cooked birds to 170.
Meat was delicious but the skin was tough and rubbery.
Any comments?
 

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Joe Monaco said:
First smoke. Weather - clear and mid 40's
Two 5lb + chickens, over night wet brine, Mike D's BBQ Rub
no water. Hunsaker diffuser over the fire basket.
I was concerned about hanging heavy chickens with only hangers so I bought 2 paper towel holders from Dollar Tree to use as hanger supports. They worked great as hangers but I think they are too long as the birds were very close to the fire. I had to remove the lower grate to make room.
Anyway, the cook went OK. The thermometer on the lid was 325 mostly. Cooked birds to 170.
Meat was delicious but the skin was tough and rubbery.
Any comments?
Click to expand...
chicken cooked less than 325F will always have rubbery chicken skin. that fat layer under the skin doesn't render and baste the top skin so that's where the rubber part comes in. so if you're seeking low and slow smoked chicken, toss the skin, OR, remove the skin and sear it up in a cast iron skillet and serve it with the bird. consider the CI skin like bacon. it does taste good. just another step in your cooking process.

i personally like a smoked chicken, cooked over oak wood and at 400F or so. you get the smoke flavor and crispy skin. and going indirect on heat ensure the moisture stays inside the bird. another way to keep a juicy bird it to dry salt brine it, or inject the bird. so this way on higher heat, you still have a very juicy done bird.

keep cooking. keep experimenting. you'll figure out what you like and don't like. many here will share and offer feedback. we've all done these lessons over time. you're off to a great start.
 
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I smoked duck a few times with WSM18. The first time I did 250F with water and the skin was so rubbery, and not edible. Second time with no water, a little improvement. And later I read somewhere that the temp has to be high and I did not use water, so empty the water pan and I opened all the bottom vents, I think I did not light enough charcoal in the begging and it can hardly go up to 375. Maybe around 330ish and the results were much better. So I guess if I remove the water pan, it can get a hotter temp easier but may let the direct heat burn the duck so I did not try that.
 
Not a bad frost run! Practice will get you the results you desire. Keep at it!
I agree, 350+ will help with crispy skin, I like the simply fry the skin and serve it as chicken bacon idea Brett suggests!
 
Most people's (including mine) first attempts at smoked chicken turn out with rubbery skin. Brett gave good suggestions above.
 
Chris' HnF recipe below is the place to start for cooking poultry on the WSM.

Agree with all the above -- you need a higher temp (basically roasting temp of 325F or more) for the skin. Several ways to do that:
  • go with Chris and raise the overall cook temp and remove the water pan/diffuser and cook directly over the fire
  • remove the wsm middle section and give the chicken a high temp finish right over the hot coals
  • finish under the broiler in your kitchen
BTW, I hang stuff in my WSM (a la a pit barrell cooker) all the time. Great for ribs and chicken. It is a slightly different cooking method and flavor than regular WSM cooking, but gives you more ways to use the WSM.

Several companies make hanging kits -- Hunsaker, Gateway, Lavalock, PBC, etc. I have the Hunsaker, but they all work well. Although maybe you continue to "hang" with your DIY rig.


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Hot & Fast Chicken - The Virtual Weber Bullet

Hot & Fast Chicken: Tender, well-rendered chicken skin worth eating is achieved using a high-temp smoke-roasting method in the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.
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Thanks for the comments.
After reading the comments, I searched rubbery skin and learned a lot - how could I have missed this? . I thought in 2 months of research I had read about every major problem I might encounter in smoking. - Wrong. In all my grilling, I've never had anything but delicious crispy chicken skin.
Maybe the vortex plate wasn't such a good idea. The birds were hanging low and inside temps were probably higher towards the top of the smoker. Probably should run the smoker as designed first before I decide which options I might need.
I'll probably encounter another issue with my second cook. More to learn. Got to say, its more interesting and fun than grilling over hot coals
 
It is a fascinating method of cookery!
I think you have the right idea about learning to use the WSM as designed before adding complications, once you have a better understanding of the way it works add whatever you want. That said, I was thinking that I had to have a bunch of additional geegaws and jimcracks but, after reading about the pros and cons of MOST add ons, I have opted to just buy more meat! The WSM is really good at doing what it was designed for, it is NOT a universal cooking unit, it does an amazing job as a smoker.
Just have a great time making feasts, life is good with a WSM!
 
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