Beboned Whole Bird at 275?

coonanan · Mar 26, 2012

Hi All,

So this will be my second smoke after doing a Pork Butt this past weekend. Sorry I missed the Q-View as it turned out great but I had a few too many beers with a couple friends.

I have a Pollo alla Diavola recipe that I've been doing the past couple years in the oven. It consists of deboning a whole bird and rubbing with Dijon, Fresh Oregano, Fresh Rosemary, and Red Pepper Flakes. Then Salt and Olive Oil right before you begin the roast.

The Mrs. absolutely loves this so I figured... What the hell, why not smoke it.

I didn't do a brine as I'm pressed for time with work. I just deboned the bird and rubbed it with the mixture above, and I'm going to fridge it overnight. I'm using an MES 30" and was thinking I would smoke it breast side down as the back skin is slit/ separated and that part of the meat will be losing too much moisture???

I am in need of the expertise of you guys/ gals on this wonderful site...

1- Would 275 (highest my smoker goes) work as a temp on the smoker for this? Or should I go lower?

2- Should I not smoke breast side down?

3- Did I make a big mistake not brining?

4- Approximately how long will a 4 pound bird take at the recommended temp? Also keeping in mind that it's deboned.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Pat

P.S. I'll get some Q-View posted tomorrow.

scarbelly · Mar 26, 2012

Wow this is a tough one. All of the recipes for this call for high temps and for a quick sear. To adapt this recipe for the smoker you could approach it from two different directions and I am not sure which one I would take - You could give it a quick sear to crisp the skin and smoke breast up to allow the smoke to penetrate or you could smoke then sear to seal in. It also calls for smaller birds to finish it faster.

I am going to PM my friend JJ to see if he has an idea - good luck and good smoking

coonanan · Mar 27, 2012

My plan is to sear after on propane at a high heat. This is what i normally do after roasting in the oven. Thanks in advance.

scarbelly · Mar 27, 2012

It would help if you posted the recipe you normally follow so we can help adjust

pineywoods · Mar 27, 2012

There are a couple different views on smoker temps if you smoke at 225 it will get more smoke flavor but the skin is usually like rubber. If you crank up the heat you will get less smoke flavor but the skin comes out better. As for the brining try it both ways and see what you think of the differences then you'll know which you prefer. I would suggest the same with the temps a lot of smoking depends on personal tastes so try things a couple different ways and figure out what you like best. It's also very handy to keep a log of your smokes to reference later and see what spices, rubs, methods you liked and to get an idea of how long things take in your smoker. Have fun and happy smoking

chef jimmyj · Mar 27, 2012

If I was doing this bird I would brine, makes a world of difference, then smoke at 225*F to a breast internal temp of 145*F then Sear it on both sides until done, 165*F. With it deboned don't expect it to take long, maybe an hour...JJ

oldschoolbbq · Mar 27, 2012

Just what I was gonna say , JJ. And don't forget the Q-view

Have fun and...

coonanan · Mar 27, 2012

Pineywoods said:
There are a couple different views on smoker temps if you smoke at 225 it will get more smoke flavor but the skin is usually like rubber. If you crank up the heat you will get less smoke flavor but the skin comes out better. As for the brining try it both ways and see what you think of the differences then you'll know which you prefer. I would suggest the same with the temps a lot of smoking depends on personal tastes so try things a couple different ways and figure out what you like best. It's also very handy to keep a log of your smokes to reference later and see what spices, rubs, methods you liked and to get an idea of how long things take in your smoker. Have fun and happy smoking

OK... So I didn't do the Brine but followed your temps. The outcome was far better than I expected. I only had Hickory on hand and it was a little too much in my opinion(On the smoky side) after only giving the bird a half hour of smoke. Below is the pre-bird.

At 145 I pulled it from the smoker, and let sit on a plate for 10 minutes. Not the prettiest bird I've ever seen

.

I then seared it on a 450 propane grill until 165 in the breast. It was then foiled, toweled, and coolered for approx half an hour.

So... The taste test was fantastically tender. Right up there with the most tender poultry I've had.

So I made a roux, added some white wine, a little more dijon, and the juices from the bird plate...

Wow! what a phenomenal smoky gravy! Below it is plated for a no carb dinner for the Mrs.

Thanks for all the help! I will definitely try a brine next time.

P.S. It was good enough to pour Myself some dessert!

scubadoo97 · Mar 28, 2012

I've recently been boning out a chicken and leaving it in parts. Breasts, wings and thigh/leg. The only part with bones are the wings. I'm not a big fan of brining chickens which will cook pretty quickly so I just added some rub. The Oakridge poultry rub is working really well. Into the smoker set @ 275. After about an hour I check the temps. I can pull the breasts as they near 160 and the thigh/leg and wings when they hit 170-175. The skin on the wings is very edible and nearly crisp. I get very moist tender flavorful chicken that cooks quickly, picks up enough smoke and is down right easy if you don't mind boning out a chicken. My bones and trimmings go into a bag in the freezer which is destine for stock so I like generating a lot of bones and the practice of deboning the chicken improves my butchering skills. My last chicken was kept intact less the bones and grilled instead of smoked.

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Beboned Whole Bird at 275?

coonanan

Newbie

scarbelly

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

coonanan

Newbie

scarbelly

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

pineywoods

SMF Hall of Fame Pitmaster

chef jimmyj

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

oldschoolbbq

Legendary Pitmaster

coonanan

Newbie

scubadoo97

Smoking Fanatic

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