Chicken Leg Quarters -- first attempt

[ralar]

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• ralar
• Mar 23, 2015

My fiance and I made or first batch of chicken in our new NES 30. He brined the chicken last night. This afternoon I took the chicken out of the brine, rinsed it, dried it, and put it on racks in the fridge to air dry. A few hours later, I preheated the smoker to 250, added some hickory chips, seasoned the chicken with my rub, and put it in the smoker. I added chips a couple times over the 2-1/2 hours the meat cooked. I opened the door 2 or 3 times to check temperature with an Instant read thermometer. The thermometer was always within 1 degree 1° F of the internal probe, so I'll stick to the probe next time and not open the door and let in cold air.

The end result was ok, but not great. The chicken looked beautiful, but the skin was rubbery (we ran out of propane, or I would have thrown it on the grill for a few minutes) and the smoke flavor was a bit too intense.

What changes would you make, and what type of wood is best for chicken?

Thanks!

 

[pc farmer]

Hickory is strong for poultry.

I use a mild wood for chicken.

Dry the bird overnight to help the skin.

Cook as hot as your smoker will go.

I cook at 300 or highrer.

Hope this helps.

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Chicken looks good, sorry it didn't turn out like ya wanted... c farmer give ya some great advise! I personally like apple wood for poultry !