Smoked Chicken - Not A Fan


 
J

James Harvey

TVWBB Pro
I've been doing a few chickens here and there for the last few years. I can finally say that I don't really appreciate them smoked. It's not the rubbery skin that comes with low temp cooks, I generally do them HH now and the skin is crispy enough. I just can't get past the smoke flavour. When I started, I used way too much. Last weekend I used 2 chunks of cherry for 2 birds and they were off in just over an hour with lots of smoke left.

Guess my gasser wins this one.
 
I use applewood with my chicken. I "lightly" smoke all poultry. I actually prefer smoked chicken. Done properly, it is juicy and tasty.

However, we are all different in our tastes. I suggest that a person do what appeals most to him/her.


Keep on smokin, (or not:rolleyes:),
Dale53:wsm:
 
Joe Lake said:
I think the charcoal has enough smoke for chicken. I do not add any wood.
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I don't do chicken often, but when I do, I skip the wood also. I do like the lower heat chicken cooks though. I don't eat the skin whether it's crispy or not. I think the lower temp cook yields a moister breast meat which is what I prefer.
 
James,

I hated all chicken. If I did eat some, it had to be overcooked and then only white meat.
Well... times have changed. Since becoming a judge, I have had some of the best chicken ever. Delicious, juicy chicken with bite through skin (not necessarily crisp, just easily bitten through).
Some time during the cooking process, the chicken is cooked in butter.
Now I look forward to the chicken entries at competitions. In fact, just returned from another KCBS comp today where the chicken reigned supreme.
May I suggest, if you WSM is already 'seasoned' with delicious smoke flavor, using no wood at all. Poultry takes on smoke flavor very easily, too easily as you have found.
 
Joe Lake said:
I think the charcoal has enough smoke for chicken. I do not add any wood.
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This ^^^

When I do low and slow chicken I'm in for 3-5 hours.

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James, maybe you have not perfected your chicken cooking methods. I have had some apple wood smoked chicken breast that was some of the finest bbq that I have tasted.
Try smoking with 1 chunk of applewood, make it a fresh boneless skinless breast to 165F (NOT higher) and you may be pleasantly surprised.
 
Thanks all. Further to my post, I've used many different woods but the overall smoke taste doesn't agree with me. I love the colour of a smoked bird though (nice Joe).

Bob - I've by no means perfected my method. Pretty sure I'm less than a 7/10. Can't even fathom smoking filets. Rather grill them for 5 mins and sit for 5 more and eschew the smoke altogether, never mind the setup/cleanup.

Now, if you want to talk sauce...
 
My friend's wife won't eat chicken if it has been smoked. She thinks charcoal alone (and a seasoned smoker) adds enough smoky flavor. That said, my wife tell everybody that the best thing to ever come off my smoker is beer can chicken smoked over apple wood! Like Robert said earlier, find what works best for you and roll with it! Good luck and enjoy!
Tim
 
I prefer Cornell or Roadside Chicken over "smoked". However, Kettle Fried Chicken is pretty good, too!

I normally brine poultry in some concoction, remove the water pan, and cook it on the top rack of a 300-350*F 22.5" WSM fire. My next trick will be to hang one open pit style.
 
My go to chicken approach used to be beer can cooked indirect on gas grill. A quarter turn every ten minutes or so resulted in uniformly crisp skin and tasty, but not smoky, chicken. That might work for you given your dislike of smokey bird.

Now I tend to do indirect high heat on the kettle, and I do use one chunk of cherry. We like the flavor and color it adds. The bone in thighs I cooked this weekend were killer. But to each his own.
 
Dwain, big fan of Roadside Chicken. Not for the WSM but for any gasser (especially broken down cottage grills). Serve it with a little Spanish rice and maybe a cob of grilled corn.

Chris, per the above, some marinated thighs without smoke are great. I smoke a few birds a season to break up the roasts. I think last week was the last. So much easier to clean the gasser.
 
Tony R said:
Use lump charcoal only on your next cook for chicken.
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Great tip. The best smoke flavor on any chicken off of my WSM's has been lump only with a Minion start. I don't add any wood unless the lump is burning so clean as to not produce any discernible smoke.
 
A bit of smoke is, for me, essential. It's easy to overdo it, though. Usually it's high heat using lump with one small piece of mild smoke wood like apple.
 
Chris in Louisiana said:
...Now I tend to do indirect high heat on the kettle, and I do use one chunk of cherry. We like the flavor and color it adds. The bone in thighs I cooked this weekend were killer. But to each his own.
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Ditto that. I put the wood chunk on the cooking grate over about a chimney's worth of hot lump. Here's the best way I know of to grill spatchcocked chickens: http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/08/the-food-lab-how-to-grill-a-whole-chicken.html?ref=grilling
 
Carl H. said:
A bit of smoke is, for me, essential. It's easy to overdo it, though. Usually it's high heat using lump with one small piece of mild smoke wood like apple.
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Yea, me too. I like Alder on poultry, and the key is getting to the thin blue invisible smoke which adds all the flavor. I try not to add any poultry till the thick white stuff clears off because that contains alot of this and that which can make smoked poultry taste over-smoked/bitter.
I'll add a few smallish chunks to the chimney starter along with my lump, and once the white smoke is gone than I'll dump it.:wsm:

Tim
 
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