Second chicken breast smoke and thermometer question

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fratthewcraig

Fire Starter
Original poster
Mar 3, 2015
54
10
Had about 2 pds chicken breast. Brined with quarter cup salt,garlic salt, Worcester, brown sugar. Had it in tere for about a hour and now in the smoker at 190. My internal temp has been going way to high way to quick and I wonder if my thermometer probe is reading the temperature from some of the par that is sticking out.when I open the door to the smoker it drops down quick so I assume it might be taking readings from a few dif areas mybe?
 
What type of thermometer are you using (digital probe, instant read, etc.) Not that it matters a whole lot... try re-positioning the probe... sometimes your not in the meat but rather a piece of fat or something ... I think I may be reading the question wrong.. I'm assuming your talking meat IT ??
 
Sounds like your probe is reading the smoker temp.

It the tip of the meat probe sticking out?
 
Ah I didn't think of that. I may be sticking it too far trough the breasts
 
Could be   There not to thick, easy to do

Gary
 
for my smoke I used 2 chunks of hickory with the rest apple/pecan mix. I use two hickory chunks cause I was having trouble getting a good smoke under 200 so I got the hickory lit good and added the rest
Of the chips
 
Nice , keep those pics coming 

Gary
 
I left them on the smoker a little to long so they were a little dry but i also think i may need to do longer than a hour brine.  Ill prob do a over night or atleast 4-8 next time
 
I have found that about 4 hours is a good timeline on brining boneless chicken breasts.  I usually do 5 pounds of breasts in a brine solution of 1 quart of water, 1/4 cup kosher salt and 1/4 cup of sugar along with a packet of whatever McCormick marinade or seasoning hits me while at the grocery store.  Once on the smoker (I use my UDS for breasts), I'll flip them about halfway through the cook, pulling the pieces as soon as they reach 160 to 165 IT in the thickest part, never dry.  Checking the IT becomes quite a bit easier with the Thermapen...blue that is, cause it's the fastest!
 
whats a therma span? well i did an amateur mistake and just turned off the smoker and left the breasts in for a while after the machine was off.  I figured the machine would cool down very quickly since it was about 15 last night but that wasnt the case and i think they dryed out a bit.  ill try a longer brine next time and take them off once they hit 160!
 
It's easy to dry out a breast-very lean. Really important to put the tip of a tested temp probe in the thickest part and not overcook. I pull mine at 165* IT and foil and let rest. You're right, you do need more brine time. I usually do 4 hrs for breasts and overnight for a whole split bird. But, that's just my experience, there are a lot of different ways to smoke anything. Good luck on your next smoke, David.
 
Thermapen is made by Thermoworks, super fast IT reading.  It's the top of the line in instant read thermometers available.

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/

They sell for $96, but if you sign up for their emails and like them on Facebook, occasionally they will have an open box sale or an overrun sale on one color and knock them down to under $80.  Invaluable tool when it comes to cooking, all types not just BBQ. Temp readings in 2 to 3 seconds.

Back to the breasts, once I reach 160 to 165 IT, I'll pull them, place them in a pan, tent them with foil and let rest for 15 minutes or so, then slice across the grain and serve or bag and vac seal for later use.  Great for quickie dinners during the work week.

I agree with David on the whole, split birds, I go overnight or at least 12 hours, sometimes more.  
 
 
I left them on the smoker a little to long so they were a little dry but i also think i may need to do longer than a hour brine.  Ill prob do a over night or atleast 4-8 next time
The salt content of the brine makes a difference as well. The basic ratio is 1 gallon water to 1 cup salt (although some recipes call for 1/2 cup salt). The whole point of the brine is to allow the salt to permeate into the meat to help retain moisture. If you don't have enough salt then you wont get the full effects of the brine.
 
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