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Four Chickens on an 18" WSM?


 
D

Dave Russell

TVWBB Honor Circle
I'm planning on cooking 4 chickens avg. about 4.5 lb. a piece tomorrow on the little wsm. Any suggestions on the most foolproof way to do it?

I haven't used the bottom rack yet, and was wondering if I should just beer can them on the top rack, or half and use both racks. Any suggestions?

Happy New Year! Dave
 
I prefer to spatchcock chickens. I don't know that you can fit two whole chickens, but if you go a step further and halve the spatchcocked birds, you should be able to arrange them just fine.

I'd brine them for a few hours and then give them a light dusting of rub. I use fruit wood like apple or cherry most of the time when cooking chicken. If you cook at smoking temps, the chicken skin will be useless. When I do whole birds, I just plan on discarding the skin. Or, you can roast at 350 or so to get better skin.
 
Thanks, Pat. I was going to roast with a dry pan around 350, but was wondering if it would be a hassle using both racks. I've already done one cook like that roasting 4 halfs on the top rack and everything went fine.

I was wondering what most folks did when they had to cook four, and was wondering if beer can chickens would be a safer way to go to ensure a juicy breast on all four birds.

Thanks for the tips,
Dave
 
The best way, imo, to ensure a juicy breast is to brine it and then not overcook it. Cooking the birds flat allows the dark meat to get done more quickly so the breast doesn't dry out.

I don't think using two racks is a pain. I'm not convinced beer can chickens get that much of a boost from sitting on the can of juice/beer either.
 
I guess I'll just do 4 chicken halfs on each rack, with the thighs turned out toward the edges best I can. Thanks, again.
 
Maybe a little late, since you seem to have made your decision, but I have done four been can chickens at a time, on a couple of occasions:
DSCN0075.jpg


I find it easier to cook them on the bottom rack.
 
Thanks, Larry. I'm not set in stone on anything, other than it's gonna be four birds, and as close to 350 as I can get it, with an empty pan. I was just wondering how most folks usually cook four birds on the 18" wsm.
 
either rack, about 4+ hours cook time according to Chris' method in the cooking tips forum. Wow, i'm sure they come out great, but thats a little too long for me. I use my one touch for beer can
 
Well, I'm a little late getting back to this, and please forgive me for not taking pics, but for those who would like to know what I wrote down in my cooking journal:


If ROASTING split chickens in the wsm, only put one bird, the smallest, on the bottom rack. (One side of one of the lower rack birds got pretty dark well before the other halves were done.)
I doubt it will make much difference, but I'll try foiling the pan with no air pockets for the most radiant heat possible. (Top grate birds done much sooner, and cooked much more consistantly than the two on the lower grate.)

The brine was very helpful (great taste, texture, and moisture retention), and from now on I'll try to brine any poultry that includes breasts. (I used 1/3 cup Morton kosher and 1/4 cup brown sugar for each bird, with two halves to a gallon bag, for about four and a half hours.)

Don't sauce any next time. Just have white sauce on the table, because it's easier and everybody seems to like it best, anyway.


I'd like to hold to the idea that turning and rotating is for grilling, so this is my queastion: I wonder if there would've been as much inconsistancy cooking down around 250, versus up around 325-350. Anybody have any experience with both ways of cooking a full load of split chicken on the little wsm?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pat McCreight:
The best way, imo, to ensure a juicy breast is to brine it and then not overcook it. Cooking the birds flat allows the dark meat to get done more quickly so the breast doesn't dry out.

I don't think using two racks is a pain. I'm not convinced beer can chickens get that much of a boost from sitting on the can of juice/beer either. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Pat, thanks for the encouragement to brine! It was well worth it. Regards, Dave
 
Glad it worked out for you. Regarding one side getting done before the other - was it windy out? Sometimes a cold wind can cool one side of the cooker more than the other.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pat McCreight:
Glad it worked out for you. Regarding one side getting done before the other - was it windy out? Sometimes a cold wind can cool one side of the cooker more than the other. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

It wasn't that windy at all, but thanks for the reminder. Even if it would've been, it wasn't that one side was undercooked compared to the others. The huge disparity was the thigh on one of the bottom grate chicken halves. It wasn't burnt, but it looked grilled, not smoked, and there was no need to check that thigh for 170 or more degrees, trust me. NONE of the other chicken halves were even close to being as dark.

The next time I do a High-temp cook using a full bottom grate I'll be sure to turn and/or rotate pieces of whatever it is. I'm really surprised at the scarcity of posts concerning the inconsistancy of the bottom grate, being so close to the pan. I would think it wouldn't make as much difference cooking low and slow, but it sure did cooking over 300.

BTW, I used one and a half chimneys of lit kingsford, and I'm pretty sure that they were burning reasonably even across the charcoal grate. It is possible that side was burning hotter to cause the difference, but I've never seen that big a difference in my vertical drum smoker, even when I noticed that the coals were burning uneven.
 
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