Yet another Chicken Smoking Q

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basic

Newbie
Original poster
May 23, 2014
4
10
Hey everyone

I'm running an OBS with and Auber PID.  I'm looking at throwing some ribs and a whole chicken in there over Hickory wood.

1. Is it allright to cook the chicken at 225?

2. Should I put the ribs above the chicken in the smoker racks or vice versa?

3. Should I be mopping the bird at all?

4. What temperature should I cook the bird to in the breast, before throwing it on the gas grill to crisp up the skin?

5. What grill temperature should I be shooting for when finishing on the gas grill, and should I do direct or indirect heat? 

Thanks in advance!
 
Yes it's okay to smoke chicken at 225.

I like to put poultry below whatever I am cooking.

I don't mop anything I smoke.

Cook the bird to 165, then finish on the grill over direct heat. 425+.
 
Even though you can cook it at a lower temp  of 225 it's much better to cook hotter... maybe go 275-300 because you're cooking ribs then still go ahead and sear the bird on the grill. 

You'll have moister chicken going hotter every time, instead of giving the chicken more time to dry out it's boiling inside. Remember poultry doesn't need much smoke, it soaks it up like a sponge.    When I cook chicken i actually go  over 400* normally.   Last night i cooked on almost 500* and it was deeelicious. 

 
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Even though you can cook it at a lower temp  of 225 it's much better to cook hotter... maybe go 275-300 because you're cooking ribs then still go ahead and sear the bird on the grill. 

You'll have moister chicken going hotter every time, instead of giving the chicken more time to dry out it's boiling inside. Remember poultry doesn't need much smoke, it soaks it up like a sponge.    When I cook chicken i actually go  over 400* normally.   Last night i cooked on almost 500* and it was deeelicious. 

How do you get any smoke on that chicken at 500? He was talking about smoking chicken right? or did i miss something?
 
 
How do you get any smoke on that chicken at 500? He was talking about smoking chicken right? or did i miss something?
I suggested he cook it @ 275-300*  since he's cooking ribs also.  My point is that you can cook chicken HOT and it's phenomenal.  I used to cook chicken @ 225 but over time evolved to going much hotter.  Most smokers can't get that hot so 450* 500* is a moot point but many can do in the 350* range atleast. 

As for mine i guarantee you it got plenty of smoke flavor.   I started with all this wood and when i finished it was all burnt up.  ....Just had left overs today and you can really taste it. 

 
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 I'm not worried about having it all ready at the same time, the chicken is just going in the fridge for lunches.

275-300 for ribs?  I was going to use the 321 rib method, which cooks at 225.  I guess I could toss the chicken in the smoker at 225 for the first hour to get the smoke and then finish it on the grill at 400+ to speed things up.  Is an hour enough time for the chicken to soak up a nice smoke flavour? 
 
 
 I'm not worried about having it all ready at the same time, the chicken is just going in the fridge for lunches.

275-300 for ribs?  I was going to use the 321 rib method, which cooks at 225.  I guess I could toss the chicken in the smoker at 225 for the first hour to get the smoke and then finish it on the grill at 400+ to speed things up.  Is an hour enough time for the chicken to soak up a nice smoke flavour?   Chicken soaks up smoke fast and doesn't need much.  Yes an hour is plenty of time.  I go heavy on the smoke if it's a short cook though like the pic i showed.   You'll want to keep your chicken in the smoker until maybe 155-160 if you're going to sear the skin on the grill.  Keeping it too long on the grill it'll get burnt.   

My chicken going hot had distance between the coals and the cooking grate so i didn't have to worry about burning. 
There isn't anything special about 3-2-1 as it's just a guide line.  I started out like you doing 3-2-1 but now just go 275 until tooth pic tender.   If you cook hotter you can still foil part of the time, it'll just finish a little quicker. 
 
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