Looked at the Green Mountain Grills today.

[gomez93]

I would think you're doing more drying than cooking at 180°
I do ribs at 275° and they're done in 4 hours or less

 

[jcjack]

@tikigriller  - I hear you on following the GMG website, but even the "pros" don't always get it right. I echo what Mowen and Gomez93 said.  180F is simply way to low and does more to dehydrate than to cook.  You can still get good smoke in the 225F to 275F range from the GMG-DB.  If you're worried about good smoke flavor, feel free to start the ribs at 150F for the first hour, but crank that puppy up to 250F after that and go for four more hours.  You should get fall-off-the-bone ribs from there.  To be sure, use a temperature probe to make sure the meat gets to at least 190F.  A range of 190F to just over 200F is what you want for tender meat.

 

[tikigriller]

You all are spot on!! There were sections of the meat that were good. There were sections that were like jerky.

Guess I should have had this conversation prior to cooking!!

Doing beer can chicken Wednesday. Any suggestions on cooking temps and times for that one?

 

[jcjack]

I did a spatchcock chicken last weekend. With chicken, I had it at 275F to 300F most of the time. Since I had spatchcocked it, I put it skin side down to get it crispy and upped the heat to 350F towards the end. It got most of the way there, but the internal temp read 165 before the skin was fully crisped. Next time, I may crank up the heat a bit more towards the end.

For beer can chicken, If you were doing a straight smoke, seems 300F to 350F would do it. Using a food temp probe would seem key to getting to the right temperature.

 

[jcjack]

You may even want to go lower on the temperature. Something in the 250 to 300 range if you wanted to get more smoke flavoring. I should add that when I did mine at 300 to 350, it had a light smoke flavor, not heavy at all.

 

[tikigriller]

I don't think I want a heavy flavor..just enough to taste a difference between the GMG vs the Charcoal vs the Gas.

I have more of a concern for crispy skin.  I love a good crispy skin....on pretty much anything I cook with skin.  Skinless stuff, I still like a good bark to it.  Those two things are what held me back from getting a pellet grill/smoker in the past.

 

[tikigriller]

This grill is going to get me fired. I am spending too much time researching meals vs. working.....

Ok...so I am going to spatchcock Wednesday now instead of Beer can.  Skin side down though?  I definitely want a crispy skin.  I saw another thread that recommended drying out the skin by leaving it uncovered the night before.  Would you recommend seasoning it for any amount of specific time prior to cooking it, or is it just season and go?  Does not sound like this is a meal that takes very long, so I might be able to do this one tonight as it seems prep time is pretty limited and I have a range chicken sitting in the fridge right now!~

My initial plan is going to go for skin side down at 325 based on your results.  I so need this one to turn out after my rib disaster.  Funny thing is, my wife claimed to like the ribs and really has no idea what she missed out on!!!  LOL

 

[jcjack]

LOL! You know how the saying goes - happy wife ...

On the spatchcock, I didn't have time for an overnight brine or rub. I'd recommend it for deeper flavor. But it's not critical. Give yourself time to smoke at 300F (2-3 hours). Let the thermometer in the breast meat be your guide. Once it hits 150F internal temp, crank to 350 or even 400 to get the skin crisp and get it all the way to 165F. Leave skin side down the whole time. I was going to flip but the indirect heat with the GMG-DB prevented the flare ups and burned skin typical of regular direct flame grills. Good luck!

 

[tikigriller]

Perfect.

Sorry to say however, you keep bringing up questions now.

Brine......I know this is soaking the chicken overnight and can make it juicier and even pink when eating, but is there a specific trick to it? What does one put in their brine traditionally speaking?

 

[jcjack]

Brining consists of soaking the bird overnight in a salt and water solution. You want enough water to cover the bird. Use about 1/4 cup kosher salt two every 4 cups of water. You can also add brown sugar, orange or lemon slices, rosemary, or any other spice you'd like in the brine.

When you are ready to smoke, pull the bird out of the brine, rinse under cold water, pat dry, and then put your favorite rub over the bird. Smoke away!

As a shortcut, You can dry brine. That involves rubbing the bird inside and out with kosher salt and letting it sit in the refrigerator for a couple hours. After the couple hours are over, rinse the bird in cold water to wash away the salt, pat dry, season with dry rub, and then smoke.

Let us know how it turns out!

 

[tikigriller]

Last question...I promise...well..at least for this one.......do you rub just over the skin, or do you try to get between the skin and the chicken as well?

 

[jcjack]

For the rub? I have always just coated the surface on the skin. If you can get between skin and meat, I'd be interested to hear how that works out for you.

No worries on questions. Happy to help.

 

[tikigriller]

Getting ready to put her on.......take the temp at the breast, right?

 

[jcjack]

Yes. Thickest part. Avoid hitting the bone.

 

[mowin]

165* breast, 170* thigh. I always brine my yard birds.
Kosher salt light br sugar, ginger, onion and garlic power.
Brine overnight, rinse, dry skin, and rub. I usually separate the skin from the breast meat, and add a couple pats of butter between the two.

The only time I can see the meat turning pink after brining is if you added cure#1 to the brine. That will add the pink color and also change the flavor.

 

[rogerwilco]

One can also check for doneness by sampling the temperature of the thigh, but it should be 5°-7°F higher than what would be indicated for the breast. I predict you're going to nail this cook!

 

[tikigriller]

I brined it overnight just with water and salt.  Pulled it out today at about 3:30, per another posts recommendation towards crispy skin desires, hit it with the hair dryer for a few minutes to dry out the skin some.  Put Pappy's Rub all over the outside and just put it on the GMG right now.

Dinner shall hopefully be ready to go around 730 or so.  (we traditionally eat late around these parts)  I decided to NOT go breast side down.  My brain just felt like it would dry out the meat.  I also chickened out on smoking it at 300 first and then hotter at the end due to my Rib's disaster the other night.  Went with 335 hoping to shorten the additional heat at the end to make sure the skin is crispy if I need it.  It is about 90 degrees outside right now, so even though I had some folks recommend up to 350, I thought it would be smart to stay below that mark with the additional outside heat.  Have no idea if that makes a darn difference.

Quick.....if you see anything I have done that is taking me down a path of disaster, speak now or forever hold thy peace.

Simple sides tonight......some rice and a Pear Salad.....nothing extreme.  Have to keep the focus on the meat!  LOL

Boy do I hope this turns out better than the ribs!  With all the help I have gotten from around here, I am pretty confident it will be.  Did some burgers yesterday with Cheddar Cheese and Bacon and a couple brats, and they came out awesome!!  I got the hang of the simple stuff I have cooked for years.  Believe it or not...well, with all the questions, it is pretty easy to believe...this is the first time I have ever cooked a full chicken and not just chicken parts!  I figure it is August, so practice a few chickens, make one or two trial runs at a turkey, and then I will be good to go come Thanksgiving!

 

[tikigriller]

One beaf I have with the GMG....the Wifi Range SUCKS.  My grill is not that far from the signal, and I can't get it to connect, so I can't use the handy dandy app.

 

[jcjack]

Funny - my wifi range is pretty good. Router is in the family room. Back door from the FR to the deck and the GMG is there. Good signal all around. Good luck with the bird!!

 

[tikigriller]

I am paranoid.......seems like the temp on the chicken is racing up much faster than it should.  It's been on the grill for about 30 minutes or so and it is already at 120.  Is it safe to say the temp is going to slow down as it gets closer to the end desired temp?