Smoked Chicken


 
J

Joe Tacoma

TVWBB Member
I want to know what temperature people like to smoke their chickens at. I have done some leg quarters and half chickens and at around 275 and they were good. This weekend I am thinking about cooking some leg quarters and am thinking about cooking them at around 240-250 to see if there is a difference compared to 275.

Also I will throw cook a tri tip for about and hour or so and then take the cooker apart and set the grate right about the charcoal to finish it off and give it a bit of a char. Does anyone else do this and any suggestions?

Has anyone used Goya marinade? I like using the Goya Criollo marinade on thin cut flank steak and then grill them. It tastes great. I think I'm going to marinade the leg quarters with it and try it on the smoker.
 
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Joe Tacoma said:
I want to know what temperature people like to smoke their chickens at. I have done some leg quarters and half chickens and at around 275 and they were good. This weekend I am thinking about cooking some leg quarters and am thinking about cooking them at around 240-250 to see if there is a difference compared to 275.

Also I will throw cook a tri tip for about and hour or so and then take the cooker apart and set the grate right about the charcoal to finish it off and give it a bit of a char. Does anyone else do this and any suggestions?

Has anyone used Goya marinade? I like using the Goya Criollo marinade on thin cut flank steak and then grill them. It tastes great. I think I'm going to marinade the leg quarters with it and try it on the smoker.
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I prefer a little hotter, around 325. Chicken doesn't have the marbling and fat like beef or pork that needs to be rendered out. Therefore, low and slow isn't as important. At this temperature, the skin is cooked a little better.
 
Joe, the first smoke I ever did on my wsm was chicken legs marinated in the Goya Crillo marinade and it was awesome. I smoke chicken at around 275 to 300, some people like to do a high heat cook for their chicken to get crispy skin but I discard the skin after it's cooked so that's no big deal for me. I don't think 250 will be much of a difference than a temp of 275, just might take a bit longer to cook. I've done tri-tip a couple of times and found it had good color without having to give it a char. I'm sure the guru's of the forum will be along shortly to give you some great suggestions and tips.
 
Great, cant wait to try it Angie! Did you add seasoning to the chicken or only Goya? I remove the skin as well I was just wondering if it would be more tender at 240-250 but ill probably stick to 275. I mainly want to try the Goya on it.
 
Joe Tacoma said:
Great, cant wait to try it Angie! Did you add seasoning to the chicken or only Goya? I remove the skin as well I was just wondering if it would be more tender at 240-250 but ill probably stick to 275. I mainly want to try the Goya on it.
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No seasoning but I did add olive oil to the marinade. What I do is with eight chicken legs, I put into two separate ziplock bags so four in one bag, four in the other. Shake the mojo really good then pour half in one bag and half in the other over top the chicken, Then take a 1/2 c. olive oil and put 1/4 in one bag and the remainder 1/4 c. in the other. Smoosh around and let it marinate overnight. Delicious!
 
Best chicken I've ever had was when I take out the water pan and load up the 18.5 with a large chimney load of KBB. Put the chicken on the top rack open all the vents to wide open and prop the door open. The juices from the chicken flaring up give the chicken a great flavor and because the chicken is so high up it doesn't burn it. Works with marinades or dry rubs. Great stuff.
Like what's been said above, no advantage to doing chicken low and slow.
 
Rich Dahl said:
Best chicken I've ever had was when I take out the water pan and load up the 18.5 with a large chimney load of KBB. Put the chicken on the top rack open all the vents to wide open and prop the door open. The juices from the chicken flaring up give the chicken a great flavor and because the chicken is so high up it doesn't burn it. Works with marinades or dry rubs. Great stuff.
Like what's been said above, no advantage to doing chicken low and slow.
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I bet that tastes terrific Rich. Chicken can definitely be cooked on high or low and slow. I have been able to get some nice smoke flavor in my chicken when doing it low (225-250) for 3 hours but I also agree the flavor Rich is talking about cant be beat. The choice is yours.
 
I smoked a whole chicken for the first time last night on my 22.5 WSM. It bought it in two halves and did not marinate it but did rub it thoroughly with Kosher salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Threw some mesquite chips on about 20 unlit coals and poured a full chimney of lit on top of those.

I smoked it for about 1 to 1-1/4 hour between 275 and 325* and it came out amazing!! Crispy skin and great flavor. Moist white meat which was amazing.

I've never used my WSM for chicken of that sort before. I've done turkeys but just never thought of doing chicken in that manner. Not sure why?! :confused:

I'm once again hooked on my WSM. Love that thing! ;)
 
Rich Dahl said:
Best chicken I've ever had was when I take out the water pan and load up the 18.5 with a large chimney load of KBB. Put the chicken on the top rack open all the vents to wide open and prop the door open. The juices from the chicken flaring up give the chicken a great flavor and because the chicken is so high up it doesn't burn it. Works with marinades or dry rubs. Great stuff.
Like what's been said above, no advantage to doing chicken low and slow.
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That is my favorite method as well, however, I have not left the door open. I will try that next time.
 
I don't think there's a single best answer to this. It depends on what you like. Low and slow will give you lots of smoke flavor but the skin with be inedible. It'll look nice and brown but will be flabby and rather nasty. If you want to do something like pulled chicken, this is a good approach. Just take off the skin before pulling.

If you want to do a whole chicken for cutting into conventional pieces, I would recommend high heat. Run with a dry water pan or no water pan (as suggested by someone else) and run the temperature to 325F-350F. You might even want to get the WSM up to 400F before putting on the chicken and then reduce the vents to bring the temperature down to 350F. This will quickly render the fat and give you a nice crispy skin. Basically, you're using the WSM as a charcoal oven with smoke. This is my preferred method for poultry. I like the crispy skin.
 
I have not tried Goya but as for temps I find I like chicken in the 325 range minimum. Skin if any is crispy and we like the meat texture better.
 
I bought a big of Sharpes brand peach wood chunks. I have not used peach wood yet and have been eager to try it. When I saw it being sold at Lazy Acres Market I bought a bag. I have heard that when using fruit woods it is best to use them freshly cut, but I do not know if this applies to fruit wood chunks as well. Is this true? I will use the peach wood for some spare ribs and chicken.
 
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