chicken breast help

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schaydu

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Jan 13, 2010
239
17
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
I am preparing for my first smoke and i decided to do something simple to boost my confidence, so i chose some chicken breasts because i had some in the freezer. Anyhow what temp should i cook them at and about how long would it take? any adivce would greatly be appreciated
 
i like cooking my chicken pieces at a little higher temp so the skin crisps up a bit
you might want to brine them for a few hours in some tenderquick
it will make them more juicy. brine then rinse, put a little rub or lemon pepper on them cook to temp of about 180* shouldnt take more than a couple hours if you run the smoker around 275* or so
you can also finish them on a hot grill with some sauce for a few minutes after smoking
 
Now I have mostly smoked whole birds but I have smoked pieces a couple of times. I also smoke the bird at a higher temp too. Maybe about 300-325°. I would also brine them but I don't use tender quick to me it give the chicken a hammy taste but thats a personal thing. I use Tip's slaughter house brine (look in the marinade section) for only a couple of hours then smoke them till the internal temp is about 165° or so and then let them rest for about 30 minutesand then "Enjoy" oh yea don't forget the Qview too.
 
If you like eating the skin I would recommend a smoker temp of 275 or higher I do mine about 300. If your not going to eat the skin then 225 will give you a little more smoke flavor but the skin will more than likely be like rubber. Either way I would take them to about 165-167 and then tent foil them once they come out of the smoker for 20-30 minutes. Often times if I'm doing chicken breasts and haven't brined them I will just drape a slice of bacon over it to help with moistness.
 
i just brine them in salt water and spices for about an hr and smoke them at 275 or higher........if the skin needs crispin' up i toss them on the firebox part of the smoker.
 
thanks for the advice guys. I cooked them at 275 til they reached 180. I used charcoal and pecan. I was pleasantly surprised at the results i got. One question, how do you brine and what exactly is it?
 
brining is, you are basically soaking them for a few hours in liquid of some sort. with spices added. you can use tender quick cure, salad dressing, buttermilk, the choices are about endless. mix up your favorite concoction and give it a try. what you are doing is imparting another flavor and moisture into the chicken.
you can also spritz or mop while you are smoking to add flavor and moisture.
you also use brining or curing when you are making things like belly bacon, canadian bacon , ham , pastrami, corn beef and the like.
get yourself the bible of sausage making and cureing meat, by Rytek Kutas. it will help you become an expert at it all.
 
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