Whole Chickens

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tweekers237

Newbie
Original poster
Apr 25, 2013
20
10
South West Philly
Was my mothers Bday on Saturday so I had her and a few Relatives over for drinks and food.

Had my first go at smoking chickens.  These were whole chickens brought from a butcher in Chinatown.  They were as fresh as could be and they were whole (heads and legs).

I was reading that the skin is the hardest part to get right and my end result was proof.  Also chicken I've read are not really a "low and slow" kind of smoke.  I did a brine overnight then rubbed them down with a jerk rub.

They didnt take hardly any time. After about 2.5 hrs they were good to go and looked great.  I poked a hole in the leg and it shot juice out so I was happy that nothing dried out, and it was amazing how the chicken absorbed the smoke flavor.

Downside?  The skin was not rubbery but it wasnt crispy either.  Thats a big thing for me and my chickens.  With that said, the jerk flavoring was not really there either.  Next time i may just do a simple S,P,G rub and maybe toss the bird in the oven for a few on high.

Over all it was great.  My girl made sides and they were slammin grilled up.  We just put then on the rack in the smoker box.
 
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But seriously folks....

You didn't mention what temp you cooked at.  I usually smoke poultry at 250*-275*, then crank it up the last 30 minutes to and hour (300*-325*) to get the skin crispy.

Red
 
apologies Red.

Im a real cowboy when it comes to being a modern guy HA!   I didnt have my camera at the time, i don't have FB or instagram or twitter either!  And if you saw my cell phone you'd think im still livin in 2004!

Next time i'll post up some pics for ya, as far as temp goes the end result reached 282.  That's Farenheit of course.

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ooooooo man!  We gotta get you on board to help us drool!  Just playing...but really....we do LOVE to see what you are doing!  (sort of helps us feel better when we are not getting to play too)

Kat
 
Wish your mom a happy birthday for me too! And next time, especially if you brine, let the bird sit on a cooling rack in a sheet pan, uncovered, in the bottom of your fridge for 18-24 hours between brining and smoking. This will let the skin dry out and will give you shin that's much closer to crispy. It adds another day to an already long process, but it's totally worth it.
 
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