Hen and Spares

[Paul Jenkin]

Hello all. I plan to smoke a nearly 8 lb "baking hen" along with spare ribs. I've only seen recipes for smaller chickens. The ribs shouldnt be a problem, as I have smoked babybacks using one of the recipes in the cooking topics. Does anyone have cooking time suggestions for my hen, or any general ideas on how to do this. Thanks for any help.

Regards,
Paul J.

 

[Bryan S]

Paul, I would just cook it like a reg chicken or small turkey. Figure on 25-30 min per lb. You could brine it if you have the time. I like to brine turkeys when doing them on the WSM. I usually do them in the 10 - 12 lb range so your not that far away. This is a great one to use. Apple Brine

 

[Russ Hazzon]

Bryan, I'll second the suggestion for brine. Not only does it do a lot for flavor, but keeps the meat moist AND, as a bonus, reduces your cooking time.

The most important thing to remember when cooking poultry with another meat is to ALWAYS cook the bird on the bottom. This will avoid any contamination and the pork drippings from the ribs will baste and add flavor to the hen.