Skinless chicken breasts, lightly coated in mustard & a touch of oil, dusted with freshly-ground white pepper and onion powder. Normally prefer chicken thighs, but thighs weren't on discount.
Smoked on a mix of cherry & apple, ~235F, for a few hours, until an IT of about 148
Yeah, I need to change the foil on the heat shield...
Lovely color and the texture that I like. The "skin" that forms is vaguely sausage-like: thin but toothsome, a bit of snap to it.
A little bit of sheen inside. I didn't get the chance to brine the meat this time and I'd say the difference was minor but noticeable.
However, since it's mostly going into "wet" dishes (soups, stews, maybe some chicken salad), juiciness wasn't as much of a concern this time. I've got enough sauces if I still want to make a sandwich or wrap, and it's probably still good enough for adding to pizza or pasta.
Would use more oil and a bit less white pepper next time (and also dry-brine!), but generally happy with the results.
Smoked on a mix of cherry & apple, ~235F, for a few hours, until an IT of about 148
Yeah, I need to change the foil on the heat shield...
Lovely color and the texture that I like. The "skin" that forms is vaguely sausage-like: thin but toothsome, a bit of snap to it.
A little bit of sheen inside. I didn't get the chance to brine the meat this time and I'd say the difference was minor but noticeable.
However, since it's mostly going into "wet" dishes (soups, stews, maybe some chicken salad), juiciness wasn't as much of a concern this time. I've got enough sauces if I still want to make a sandwich or wrap, and it's probably still good enough for adding to pizza or pasta.
Would use more oil and a bit less white pepper next time (and also dry-brine!), but generally happy with the results.
