First timer (Smoking Help)

[Guest]

i just got my wsm last night! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif i used charcoal for the heat & wood chips for the smoke. i put a 5 # chicken on the bottom rack (yes i filled the water bowl) and had the temp at 250-275 degrees. i added my water soaked wood chips (about a handfull) every 30 minutes. i cooked the bird for 4 hours. the meat was great but the skin was like leather and a little to smokey. i read some people put the wood chips in a tuna can???
any help will do
thanks
brad
ps if there is a standred chicken recipe i.e. temp, amount of smoke and time please let me know.

 

[Guest]

BG - Congratulations and welcome to the club! I am a new member myself...chicken was my first project as well. I believe that I made the same mistake you did - that is using too much smoke wood. I was of the thought that if a little is good, then a lot must be great...how wrong I was... This site has outstanding chicken recipes and the procedures are super easy to follow. Beware - this will become addictive.

 

[Guest]

Coach B
thanks i also thought (being a guy) if a little is good then more MUST be better. i will use the chicken recipe on this site. thanks again
brad

 

[Guest]

BG - Welcome to the club. For the smoke, I highly reccomend trying wood chunks instead of chips. You can usually get them at Home Depot or Lowes. The only problem is that they only carry Hickory or Mesquite. With chunks you can just put on a couple in the begining and not have to worry about soaking or replenshing them.

As far as chicken skin on the smoker, it has been the source of much concern and posts in the past! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

The reason the skin is rubbery is that the smoker isn't hot enough to get the fat to render out of the skin. The consenus seems to be to either run the smoker hotter than normal for chicken(around 300 -325) or to finish the chicken for 10 minutes or so over direct heat, either over the charcoal bowl or on a gas grill. Me, I just discard the skin, since I am fat enough already! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Good luck.

Doug W.

 

[Konrad Haskins]

I only use dry wood chunks and go with the no visible smoke or a thin blue line of smoke. Belching white smoke is not what I aim for. When I started I used wet wood chips and belched white smoke and now that I don't my product tastes better.

BG I see you are in Seattle. Good News and Bad News. The good news is if you click on the little house logo it will take you to my website on the links page is Rick Naug's contact info. He is our wood guy and has most any wood chunks you could want. The bad news is they only come in HUGE bags that cost a very reasonable $28 and that is enough to keep you smoking for a very long time.

Local events where you can see folks cooking with WSM's are listed on my events page.