# Chicken is too smokey



## didiscd (Oct 31, 2013)

I was just reading Jeff's recipe for beer can chicken which sounds delicious. However, when I have cooked beer can chicken or chicken wings they taste so smokey that is ruins the poultry. I am using pecan wood at 225 in a side smoker called the Old Country BBQ Pits Pecos Coal Smoker. (I know side smokers aren't the best but I am stuck with this one for a while).

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I leave it fully vented so the smoke isn't trapped in there and wait until some smoke burns off the initial log before putting the chicken on. I even tried wrapping the beer can chicken in a cape of tin foil after an hour.

Thanks!

Chris


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## pigbark (Oct 31, 2013)

Can you try a bed of charcoal then add a little wood just for some smoke flavor?

I got the same result last year when I did it over Hickory chunk... it was just to heavy on the smoke flavor side, really killed all other taste..


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## chef jimmyj (Oct 31, 2013)

Like PigBark said get your heat from another source like Lump Charcoal and just add chunks of wood for flavor. Another option is to use Fruit Wood. Apple, Cherry and Peach are mild. So is Oak and Maple...JJ


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## smokeonthewater (Oct 31, 2013)

If its too smokey try reading the part of Jeff's book on the minion method ...it really works..instead of using chunks of wood just use chips...for my offset smoker I took a short fat pot(or use any charcoal basket that will fit...start my coals in my chimney then in pot or basket take a piece of 4" stove pipe or coffee can put that in center of pot or basket and fill around pipe or can with layer of charcoal...then layer of chips or cgunks then another layer of charcoal and one more layer of chips or chunks....then pour hot coals in pipe or can and witg gloves pull can out of pot...so the hot coals are in center and it burns from inside out....works great...*when filling around center pipe or coffee can dont pack it full cuz can or pipe wont pull out easy..also in that pot i used drill lots of holes


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## glocksrock (Oct 31, 2013)

I'm really surprised to hear that it's too smokey, I use the Old Country Wranger and I find that most of the time the stuff I cook isn't smokey enough for me. You could always bump up the heat so it cooks quicker and isn't in the smoke as long. Also make sure you are burning a clean fire with thin blue smoke the whole time.


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## gringodave (Oct 31, 2013)

I agree with the others who suggest that you use charcoal as your heat source and just add some wood chunks as you go. Poultry loves smoke and will absorb as much as you give it. What I do is add the wood/smoke just at the beginning and let the charcoal do the rest. Good luck!


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## dan - firecraft (Oct 31, 2013)

You can try cooking at a higher smoker temperature. I usually run my pit at 250 until the chicken gets to a certain temp. Then i increase the temp to around 325-350 to crisp the skin a bit. Higher temperature will burn a bit cleaner and you won't have the chicken on as long. Chicken absorbs smoke pretty easy so you will still have a nice smokey flavor. I also burn lighter woods like cherry when I do chicken.


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## didiscd (Oct 31, 2013)

I could. I start now with a cylinder of charcoal then drop a log of pecan onto it. Part of me wants to stick with smoking vice charcoal only because I bought a smoker (vice a charcoal pit) for that purpose, but there is also a reality that I need the food to taste good when all the prep goes into it, so maybe I will try just charcoal with small pieces of wood. Do I put the charcoal in the side box or in the pit itself and use it as a charcoaler? thanks Chris


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## ted campbell (Oct 31, 2013)

I agree with PigBark.  I would use a good lump charcoal like Royal Oak or even Cowboy and then add only a chunk or two of hickory or whatever wood you choose.  Remember you don't need much smoke at all coming out of the smoker to get the best smoky flavor.


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## didiscd (Oct 31, 2013)

Thanks JJ. I will try some fruit wood.


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## didiscd (Oct 31, 2013)

Sounds great Smoke. I just ordered the book and will give that method a try.


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## didiscd (Oct 31, 2013)

Thanks. I burn blue smoke off the first log but I usually put a second one on and for a while it burns white smoke before it burns down.


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## didiscd (Oct 31, 2013)

Great idea, thanks!


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## glocksrock (Oct 31, 2013)

Also if you keep your next log on top of the firebox to heat up, it will ignite faster and you will have less white smoke. It just takes practice to get a good clean fire. There isn't much benefit to smoking chicken at a lower temp, plus a higer temp yields crispy skin.


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## bhawkins (Oct 31, 2013)

You can use the side firebox. Cut your pecan into fist size or slightly smaller chunks. Mix in well with lump charcoal using the minion method. I do this all the time and have never had a problem with too much smoke from seasoned pecan.


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## cappyr (Oct 31, 2013)

*A lil smoke goes a long way with chicken.  When I do drunk chicken I use natural lump charcoal alone.  gives plenty smoke.  If ya doing it over direct heat its a good trick to put chicken standing in a pie pan that helps roll the heat around.  Ya can poor beer in the pan too for extra flavor.*


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## chef jimmyj (Oct 31, 2013)

didiscd said:


> I could. I start now with a cylinder of charcoal then drop a log of pecan onto it. Part of me wants to stick with smoking vice charcoal only because I bought a smoker (vice a charcoal pit) for that purpose, but there is also a reality that I need the food to taste good when all the prep goes into it, so maybe I will try just charcoal with small pieces of wood. *Do I put the charcoal in the side box or in the pit itself and use it as a charcoaler? thanks Chris*


You can go either way. If doing a full smoker use the SFB if you are only cooking enough to fill half the grate, you can build a fire on one side and cook the chicken on the other. Below is a recipe I came up with just for this indirect method of cooking...JJ

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/121378/pit-chicken-aka-roadside-chicken-for-you-west-coast-guys


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## pigbark (Oct 31, 2013)

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__ pigbark
__ Sep 27, 2013






in this pic, that smoker is not cooking .. I am just getting it fired up, when its warmed up and ready there is only heat and a few streaks of smoke coming out.. Mostly  clear heat..













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__ pigbark
__ Oct 12, 2013






I have a small pan and add wood to it and cover it with foil and poke a few small holes in for smoke to escape, set it on top of the hot coals and let r cook...

Chef JJ that recipe sounds pretty good.. Does it have a strong Vinegar taste or is it on the mild side?


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## chef jimmyj (Oct 31, 2013)

No strong vinegar taste just a bit of tang. It really is one of my best Chicken recipes. There was an old black guy that set up a corrugated steel pit in the parking lot of a beer distributor. Metal milk crates made the base  and held a bag of lit Charcoal Briquettes with the corrugated just wired together to form a box and a sheet of expanded metal for a cooking grate. He put the chicken halves on and just kept turning them and drenching the birds with a Vinegar based sauce out of a gallon jug with some holes drilled in the cap. Was the best chicken I had ever eaten. I ate it so often that we got friendly. He talked a little bit about what was in the bottle but was not giving up the full recipe. I would talk him into some extra sauce on the side for dipping. I messed around with trying to reverse engineer that stuff for a couple years. The recipe above is very close and just as good...JJ


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## pigbark (Oct 31, 2013)

As long as its a tangy flavor I will love it- some recipes the vinegar is way to strong for me and reminds me of Carolina style Q.. im not a big fan of it lol...

_ill give that a shot here soon... _


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## chef jimmyj (Oct 31, 2013)

Straight out of the bottle it is Vinegary and similar to a Carolina Mop but the finished Chicken has just a bit of Tang without the real strong Vinegar flavor. You can always add more sugar but watch your temps. Getting the sauce too hot with the extra sugar can burn the bird...JJ


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## floyd (Oct 31, 2013)

Your basting recipe is REAL close to my Eastern NC BBQ sauce we use for pork and chicks. I plan to try it this weekend. Thanks for the motivating threads.


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## cliffcarter (Nov 1, 2013)

didiscd said:


> I was just reading Jeff's recipe for beer can chicken which sounds delicious. However, when I have cooked beer can chicken or chicken wings they taste so smokey that is ruins the poultry. I am using pecan wood at 225 in a side smoker called the Old Country BBQ Pits Pecos Coal Smoker. (I know side smokers aren't the best but I am stuck with this one for a while).
> 
> Any thoughts would be appreciated. I leave it fully vented so the smoke isn't trapped in there and wait until some smoke burns off the initial log before putting the chicken on. I even tried wrapping the beer can chicken in a cape of tin foil after an hour.
> 
> ...





glocksrock said:


> I'm really surprised to hear that it's too smokey, I use the Old Country Wranger and I find that most of the time the stuff I cook isn't smokey enough for me. You could always bump up the heat so it cooks quicker and isn't in the smoke as long. Also make sure you are burning a clean fire with thin blue smoke the whole time.





glocksrock said:


> Also if you keep your next log on top of the firebox to heat up, it will ignite faster and you will have less white smoke. It just takes practice to get a good clean fire. There isn't much benefit to smoking chicken at a lower temp, plus a higer temp yields crispy skin.


Cooking with wood and trying to maintain a very low temp in the cooking chamber is why your chicken is too smoky. By trying to keep your temp too low you restricted air flow to the fire which makes the wood smolder and produce more smoke. If you are going to cook with wood only you must keep a small, hot, clean burning fire. If you do you will not over smoke your meat. There is no sense in limiting your self to low temperatures when BBQing chicken or any meat, next time take the temp up to the 300°-325° range, you'll be done faster, the chicken will not be too smoky to eat and you'll crisp, delicious skin.


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## gary s (Nov 1, 2013)

Chicken is definitely one meat you can over smoke pretty easy. I can't tell you how many times I have eaten Chicken out at different BBQ joints and It would be over smoked you get that strong and little bitter taste. I learned this myself from over 35 years of BBQing.  I usually cook chickens when I am cooking other stuff. Since Chicken cooks pretty quick I wait till pretty close to the end to put them on. I rub my chickens with EVOO and my Rub, put them on the smoker and check my fire and stack to see how it's burning. I will add a small piece of wood (usually pecan)

That way it will smoke just for a little while and go back to the thin blue smoke or just heat coming out of the stack. I will spritz them a few times with apple juice or 50/50 apple juice and apple cider vinegar Smoke at 225. They come off with a deep deep golden brown almost mahogany in color and a mild smoky flavor..

Gary


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## redwood carlos (Nov 1, 2013)

glocksrock said:


> I'm really surprised to hear that it's too smokey, I use the Old Country Wranger and I find that most of the time the stuff I cook isn't smokey enough for me. *You could always bump up the heat so it cooks quicker and isn't in the smoke as long. Also make sure you are burning a clean fire with thin blue smoke the whole time.*


This is my advice as well.


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## bama bbq (Nov 1, 2013)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> There was an old black guy that set up a corrugated steel pit in the parking lot of a beer distributor. Metal milk crates made the base  and held a bag of lit Charcoal Briquettes with the corrugated just wired together to form a box and a sheet of expanded metal for a cooking grate. He put the chicken halves on and just kept turning them and drenching the birds with a Vinegar based sauce out of a gallon jug with some holes drilled in the cap. Was the best chicken I had ever eaten.



That reminds me of the best chicken I ever had. It was on the North Shore of Oahu. This guy had a bed of coals in a 16' trailer and sprockets rigged up on the end of spits, a bicycle chain, and an elec motor. He had a mop and a tub of sauce he was hittin those chickens with as they turned. His wife would pop those birds three or four times with a meat clever and serve it in a styrofoam box.  We ate that chicken on the hood of the car with our fingers at his roadside stand. Man, I can taste it now!

To the original post: I like to think of smoke wood as a strong spice. A little goes a long way.


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## gary s (Nov 1, 2013)

Another thing, different types of wood are stronger and harsher than others and can impart a strong smoke taste. Mesquite is one you have to be carful with or you will defiantly have a strong smoke taste. Also I make sure my wood is well seasoned. Green wood and seasoned wood will leave different levels of smokiness. I find seasoned wood is a lot milder.

Gary


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## pigbark (Nov 2, 2013)

Bama BBQ said:


> That reminds me of the best chicken I ever had. It was on the North Shore of Oahu. This guy had a bed of coals in a 16' trailer and sprockets rigged up on the end of spits, a bicycle chain, and an elec motor. He had a mop and a tub of sauce he was hittin those chickens with as they turned. His wife would pop those birds three or four times with a meat clever and serve it in a styrofoam box. We ate that chicken on the hood of the car with our fingers at his roadside stand. Man, I can taste it now!
> 
> To the original post: I like to think of smoke wood as a strong spice. A little goes a long way.


I think that guy was on TV not long ago,, by the time they got to the other end of the trailer they were done... that chain drive ran them like a rotisserie rite?


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