# Chicken, my new favorite method



## scooper (Oct 20, 2013)

Hi all, I've been working on a chicken method for a while, and I believe I have nailed it.  I can't really give it a name.  It started out as "Sauceless Wings", but it has evolved into a combination of flavors beyond that.  With the combo marinade/brine, everything, including the breast on the whole is very moist.  Wife says it is the best chicken ever. 

I take a standard poultry brine of:

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1 Gal Water
2.5 oz Salt - Kosher
2.5 oz Sugar
1 ½  tsp Garlic Powder
1 ½  tsp Onion Powder
1 ½  tsp Cajun Spice (Louisiana Cajun Seasoning)
1 ½  tsp Celery Seed

To that I add a grocery store size bottle of Kraft Catalina Salad Dressing and a bottle of Crystal Hot Sauce.

For the individual pieces I marinate 24 hours.  For the whole bird I go up to 48 hours. 

I spatchcock the whole bird because I think it cooks faster, and also gives more skin exposure, allowing it to get past the rubbery stage.

Once out of the marinade and drained, they get rubbed in:

¾ C. Sugar
1 T Kosher Salt
2T Black Pepper
1T Garlic
1T Onion
2T Old Bay
4T Paprika
2 t dry mustard
½ t ground bay
½ t ground rosemary

Like Bearcarver did, I turn the heat up near the end.  I have a propane Masterbuilt, so I can get above 275.  300 seems to be adequate.  I've gone for 350, but it starts burning the fat in the bottom of the smoker.  Not a flavor I want to add to the chicken!

I usually use my go to mix of hickory and apple.

Here are some wings, thighs, and a whole bird. 

Enjoy!













wings.jpg



__ scooper
__ Oct 20, 2013


















thighs.jpg



__ scooper
__ Oct 20, 2013


















whole.jpg



__ scooper
__ Oct 20, 2013


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## bama bbq (Oct 20, 2013)

Congrats on your success!  Looks great.


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## kathrynn (Oct 20, 2013)

Looks great...and love the color too.

Kat


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## Bearcarver (Oct 20, 2013)

Looks Awesome Scott !!!

Great color on all 3 types!!!

I don't do chicken often, but I gotta try that Brine!!

Poultry & fish are the only things I brine.

Thanks,

Bear


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## webowabo (Oct 20, 2013)

Like they said... love the color of the bird! Beautiful!


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## scooper (Oct 20, 2013)

Thank you, everyone!  I really appreciate it. 

Bear, the original way I was doing wings was just equal parts Catalina Dressing and hot sauce.  They were great, nice and spicy, but still got a bit dry sometimes.  It wasn't until I did the whole bird when I tried the combo brine/marinade. 

There is a famous Fried Chicken joint in town.  Been here 40 years.  The owners sold it to two brothers and gave them the original recipe.  It is good stuff.  But they need more than fried chicken on their menu.  I suggested BBQ'd, and they want to, but need to hire someone to do it.  I see a part time hobby/job in my future!


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## themule69 (Oct 20, 2013)

Yard bird looks GREAT! Thanks for sharing your method. Yup the BBQ might be your calling.

Happy smoken.

David


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## Bearcarver (Oct 20, 2013)

scooper said:


> Thank you, everyone!  I really appreciate it.
> 
> Bear, the original way I was doing wings was just equal parts Catalina Dressing and hot sauce.  They were great, nice and spicy, but still got a bit dry sometimes.  It wasn't until I did the whole bird when I tried the combo brine/marinade.
> 
> There is a famous Fried Chicken joint in town.  Been here 40 years.  The owners sold it to two brothers and gave them the original recipe.  It is good stuff.  But they need more than fried chicken on their menu.  I suggested BBQ'd, and they want to, but need to hire someone to do it.  I see a part time hobby/job in my future!


That's Great !!!! Gotta wash your hands between jobs though!!

I couldn't resist that. My one Vietnam Buddy, who's been cutting my hair for 48 years, had his own Barber Shop for about 20 years, but before that he used to cut hair at his house. At that time he cut hair part time at home, worked at Hatfield Meats full time (deboning Hams), and he pumped septic tanks out part time. Every time he cuts my hair, I ask Al, "Did you wash your hands??" He still laughs every time I ask him!!

Bear


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## chef jimmyj (Oct 20, 2013)

The Chicken looks great! What a Blast from the Past! Back in the 60's Mom would marinate Ribs in a mix of 1 Bottle Catalina Dressing and 1 Jar Smucker's  Apricot Preserves. She only Baked them, but I imagine a low and slow Smoke would make for some good eats...Hmmm...
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Thanks for sharing your recipes. The Dressing and Hot Sauce add about a cup of Vinegar to your brine. My brine too made for better Chicken when my Chef mentor told me about using it 20 years ago. Great discovery!...JJ


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## hambone1950 (Oct 20, 2013)

Well , it LOOKS unbelievable! I would dearly love to taste a wing.... or 6. 
Really nice post. Thanks for laying out the procedure so neatly. You and Bear musta gone to the same cooking school. :biggrin:


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## ferd66 (Oct 20, 2013)

Those birds look great.

I, too, have been brining all my chicken.  I keep it very simple though.  4 cups warm water, 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 T of cajun seasoning.  Stir until dissolved and add 4 cups cold water.


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## disco (Oct 20, 2013)

These look great! I will have to try your recipe. Thanks for the post.

Disco


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## dewetha (Oct 20, 2013)

i going to save this as Scooper's chicken :)

i am also glad your screen name isn't pooper.


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## scooper (Oct 21, 2013)

LOL!  Yes, Bear, I wash my hands.  Probably way too much.  I'm OCD about it. 

Chef JJ, I will try it with vinegar next time.  Thanks!

Hambone, I learned from Bear.  I really liked his style of posting, and modeled mine after it.  We're here to share, so we should share everything.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





dewetha, that's funny! 

Thank you again, everyone!


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## chef jimmyj (Oct 21, 2013)

scooper said:


> LOL!  Yes, Bear, I wash my hands.  Probably way too much.  I'm OCD about it.
> 
> *Chef JJ, I will try it with vinegar next time.  Thanks!*
> 
> ...


I would add the Dressing...OR...Vinegar but not both. Not that it will hurt anything but you found a combination that taste great to you, extra vinegar would throw off the balance. If you Google Catalina Dressing you will find that it is very basic and made from common ingredients. You might consider ,making your own. You don't need the preservatives Kraft adds...JJ


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## reinhard (Oct 21, 2013)

Looks like a great brine and rub!!!! I will definatly do this. Always ready to try something new.  Thanks for sharring. Reinhard


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## dirtsailor2003 (Oct 21, 2013)

Great looking birds! Spatching is my preferred method for whole birds. We make out own Catalina. Pretty simple recipe, easy to remember, easy to make larger or smaller. Here is the base recipe, blend all the ingredients together except the oil. With blender running add oil last.

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire

1 cup oil ( whatever you prefer)

salt and pepper to taste

I am not sure where this came from as it has been hand written on a recipe card that came in a book my grandmother had. Card says Catalina 68. I am assuming 1968, as her other cards are all marked in a similar fashion.


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## dewetha (Oct 21, 2013)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Great looking birds! Spatching is my preferred method for whole birds. We make out own Catalina. Pretty simple recipe, easy to remember, easy to make larger or smaller. Here is the base recipe, blend all the ingredients together except the oil. With lender running add oil last.  Equal parts of the four main ingredients, then 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, twice the oil.
> 
> 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
> 
> ...


you can't go wrong with a grandmother's recipe :)


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## smokinhusker (Oct 21, 2013)

Outstanding!!!


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## floyd (Nov 3, 2013)

No one seems to be addressing the grill temp. I have heard to do a good chicken from 225 deg to 350 deg. What do you BBQ'ers think?


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## pgsmoker64 (Nov 3, 2013)

Floyd said:


> No one seems to be addressing the grill temp. I have heard to do a good chicken from 225 deg to 350 deg. What do you BBQ'ers think?


There is nothing wrong with the grill temps used by scooper, probably why it hasn't been addressed.

Great looking chicken Scooper!!!

You can start out low and then go high at the end or the way I do it is go right to 300.  The higher temperature gets the birds done a little quicker and makes for a nice crispy skin!  Also, to me, keeping the temperature consistent provides consistent heat to the meat, which I prefer.

Have fun with it!

Bill


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## floyd (Nov 3, 2013)

Thanks PG.  We're almost neighbors; I am down in SoMD. I'll give it a try at the higher temp and see how it goes.


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## link (Nov 4, 2013)

That looks really awesome.


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## bkleinsmid (Nov 4, 2013)

Floyd said:


> No one seems to be addressing the grill temp. I have heard to do a good chicken from 225 deg to 350 deg. What do you BBQ'ers think?


Floyd..........I like 325* for birds. Nice skin and not dried out...

Brad


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## leah elisheva (Nov 4, 2013)

Wow! That not only looks amazing, but it looks like it SMELLS amazing too! Great job! Cheers! - Leah


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## irie (Nov 4, 2013)

man that looks great, gotta try that brine recipe.


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## floyd (Nov 4, 2013)

I did the whole deal,: brine, rub and sauce. Those spatched chickens were moist and absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pix before they were consumed, but both chickens looked just like the picture above! My sons went crazy over them and I am not sure they let the grand-kids have any! I had trouble keeping the temps up in the high 200's, but it was great in the 250 range and that worked best for the small pork that I cooked during the same smoke. The butt took a good 2 hours longer to get to 198 deg.  

This smokin' sure yields some goooood food! Tonight, I'll try the pork, too.


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## dave17a (Nov 4, 2013)

Have splatchedcocked and done my own thing. Will do all these recipes. Love it all.


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## dougmays (Nov 4, 2013)

That color is amazing!


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## chef willie (Nov 5, 2013)

Wow.....outstanding looking chicken. Well done! Another 2 things to put on the 'to do' list.....Scoopers Chicken and DS's grandma's Catalina Dressing. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner is in my very near future and with my newly acquired kitchen shears spatchcocking chicken is a breeze now. Congrats on making the banner as well....Willie


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## rubrchickenhead (Nov 6, 2013)

Thanks for sharing,


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## lazykitty (Nov 6, 2013)

That bird looks great.  I'm doing a 'test' turkey this weekend, and I think I'm going to use your recipe.


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## hoity toit (Nov 10, 2013)

250-275 is what I go with..


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## smokesurfer (Nov 12, 2013)

Ok... bit of a newb here.  Spatchcocking? and I see the temps laid out but how about cooking times?  I really want to try this but I don't want to flub it due to missing one minor detail.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.


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## dewetha (Nov 12, 2013)

smokesurfer said:


> Ok... bit of a newb here.  Spatchcocking? and I see the temps laid out but how about cooking times?  I really want to try this but I don't want to flub it due to missing one minor detail.
> 
> Any advise would be greatly appreciated.


cook the chicken to internal temperature not time. chicken, in general, is a quicker cook and more reactive to temperature, especially in the higher temp ranges.


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## spatrick (Nov 12, 2013)

Looks awesome, trying this on wings tonight.


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## hambone1950 (Nov 12, 2013)

smokesurfer said:


> Ok... bit of a newb here.  Spatchcocking? and I see the temps laid out but how about cooking times?  I really want to try this but I don't want to flub it due to missing one minor detail.
> 
> Any advise would be greatly appreciated.



Spatchcock just means cut out the backbone and spread eagle the chicken or turkey on the grill. Just go to YouTube and type in spatchcock chicken. A very useful technique.


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## rrsteve (Nov 13, 2013)

Great looking chicken Scooper, and sounds as though it would be a taste that my wife and I would really like. One question..I'm assuming the 2.5 oz. each of salt and sugar is weight   and not volume, am I right?. Man if there is a to screw something up I will find it and I want to do this in the next day or so.

Bob


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## seriousbbqs (Nov 14, 2013)

Good looking que and thanks for sharing your recipe. I am also a fan of the spatchcock method.


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## big biscuit (Nov 14, 2013)

Everything looks delicious!!!


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## oldschoolbbq (Nov 15, 2013)

Would be fun to try one like that, should have a lot f flavor.


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## oldschoolbbq (Nov 15, 2013)

Hmm. Me thinks I'll give that try. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






. And will be nice and spicy.


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## brady311 (Nov 16, 2013)

I am giving your rub recipe a try today. My 7 year old son who loves chicken said i had to make it because it looks amazing. I am using chicken quarters and i added rosemary to the rub.













chicken.jpg



__ brady311
__ Nov 16, 2013


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## GaryHibbert (Nov 16, 2013)

Hey Chef

Just exactly how do you spatchcock a chicken.  I've been looking, and everybody talks about it but nobody really says.  Up here in the bush, I fear that is a totally new word/concept..  If we want breast and thighs, we generally just step on the wings and pull up on the legs and everything not reuqired stays behind

All help greatly appreciated

Gary


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## Bearcarver (Nov 16, 2013)

Gary,

Check this out:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/spatchcock-chicken

Bear


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## GaryHibbert (Nov 16, 2013)

Great video, Bear

Thanks a lot--now I know

Gary


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## scooper (Dec 7, 2013)

rrsteve said:


> Great looking chicken Scooper, and sounds as though it would be a taste that my wife and I would really like. One question..I'm assuming the 2.5 oz. each of salt and sugar is weight   and not volume, am I right?. Man if there is a to screw something up I will find it and I want to do this in the next day or so.
> 
> Bob


Sorry I did not get back to you sooner.  I have been busy with work, and down with some back issues.  I did reply to your ?'s about the propane smoker in the PM. 

The measurement is a volume measure.  The original recipe I believe is a variation of a poultry brine floating around.  [if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings>  <o:TargetScreenSize>800x600</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]Slaughterhouse Poultry Brine By Tip Piper of Hillbilly Vittles

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Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-priority:99;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;mso-para-margin:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}</style><![endif] I just multiplied the measurements for how much water I needed.


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## scooper (Dec 7, 2013)

I found the original poultry brine.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/tips-slaughterhouse-recipes-for-poultry


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## mchar69 (Jan 3, 2014)

I followed your recipe and brined a spatched chicken. Excellent.

Then smoked 2 1'2 hrs.

My mistake - Mesquite too strong and long. (for most people.

That was my excuse to eat just about the whole thing myself!)

The bird was still REALLY moist, but was oversmoked.

It was actually the moistest (? ) I have ever had off my grill. 

BUT - I'm not sure the Sugar topcoat

concept was working for me, tasted great, disappeared!

AND the brining was a revelation!

Thank you a million for that and it should be a sticky.

My next spatch will be your brine,

then my spicy creole rub, then a lighter applewood smoke for less time.

I'll post up here when that will happen - Maybe Superbowl Sunday!

Happy Smoking.

Mark


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## scooper (Jan 3, 2014)

Thank you, and I am glad you liked it!  The brine really does help with the moisture.  I have done it with mesquite before, but I always mix it with apple or cherry to mellow it out. 

I made some while the daughter, son in law, and grand kids were here over the holidays.  It was a huge hit.  I know the SIL liked it because he asked for the recipe.  He has a Traeger, but he's fairly new to smoking, and doesn't like it too complicated.  So he said he probably wouldn't bother with the brine/marinade part.  I tried to explain why it was important, but then I realized that whenever the grand kids eat here, they always say my BBQ is better than their dads.  So I didn't push the brine on him too much.  I like the ego boost!  LOL


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## mchar69 (Jan 6, 2014)

> So he said he probably wouldn't bother with the brine/marinade part.


He'll learn!

Gently nudge him and tell him* I SAID SO*!

I am re-thinking the smoke and next time will use apple - perhaps the harsher

Mesquite changed your flavor -  I'll try the Creole and your rub, and do a taste test.

With Q-View of course!

To Brine, or NOT to Brine.... really isn't any question at all!


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## bigr314 (Jan 8, 2014)

Just saw your post. That chicken looks unbelievable. I will be cooking this on my next cook. Thank you so much for sharing.


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## GaryHibbert (Jan 8, 2014)

I just had my first spatchcocked chicken yeasterday.  Unbeleivable!!.  It was a store bought/Louisianna spice version that Linda oven cooked as I was late coming home.  Stuffed with rice and egg plant (which I hate)  Absolutely deliciouse.  OK, I'm hooked.  LOL  Now just gotta do my own version of this.......

Gary


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## speeddemon40 (Jan 10, 2014)

This looks like a great recipe! I think I am going to try it for my first smoke this weekend.

A few questions though. How large of a bird was that? That seems like a lot of brine/ marinade for the 3 lb bird I got.

Also, do you rinse the bird after brining, before you apply the rub?

Thanks!


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## humdinger (Jan 10, 2014)

Speeddemon,
Yes, rinse the bird first to get all the salt off. I sometimes pat dry with a few paper towels after rinsing too.


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## speeddemon40 (Jan 13, 2014)

Turned out pretty good for my first go at smoking! Thanks for a great recipe!


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## rshermaniv (Jan 20, 2014)

I was going to smoke a chicken this past weekend so I perused the forum looking for a good recipe and I stumbled upon Scooper's recipe.  It looked intriguing with the Catalina and Louisiana hot sauce brine, so I decided to give it a go.

Here's the chicken before going on the smoker with the rub applied:













smokin chick before.JPG



__ rshermaniv
__ Jan 20, 2014






and there was alot of extra room in the 2.5 gallon zip lock bag, even with the chicken in there so i added 12 wings to the brine bag, so here they are with the rub about to go in the smoker:













smokin wings before.jpg



__ rshermaniv
__ Jan 20, 2014






Here's the smoker at work, and my dog Wolf enjoying them smells...













smokin smoker.jpg



__ rshermaniv
__ Jan 20, 2014






This is how you smoke meat in San Diego in the middle of January by the way...













smokin cig.JPG



__ rshermaniv
__ Jan 20, 2014






And this is how the chicken turned out, beautiful!













smokin chick done.jpg



__ rshermaniv
__ Jan 20, 2014






I would have to agree with Scooper, this is the best chicken I have ever baked, grilled, smoked, etc...  The flavor of the brine really penetrates all the way through with the 48 hour soak, and the chicken stays nice and moist all the way through.  I smoked it at 250-300 degrees until an internal temperature of 165, then i pulled and put into an over at 400 for about 10 minutes to crisp up the skin.

I also must say this, the wife and I normally don't like "moist" chicken, we want it cooked all the way through, the crispier the better.  But this chicken changed our minds.  This was moist, but a different kind of moist.  The usual moist gives us the impression its not really cooked all the way through, the moist from this smoke can only be described as delicious!

I will be using this marinade and dry rib from now on!  Thanks again for your help Scooper!  

(and on another note, I couldn't figure out how to get this pictures to print right side up, even though I did save them correctly, right side up, the auto-format is tipping them on their side.  If any moderator can fix the picture orientation that would be great.  If it's unfixable then meh...  advice on how to fix this in the future would be appreciated!)


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## sushitampa (Jan 20, 2014)

this looks so damn good! have to try this next time i defrost some chyocken!


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## jaxrmrjmr (Mar 26, 2014)

rshermaniv said:


> I was going to smoke a chicken this past weekend so I perused the forum looking for a good recipe and I stumbled upon Scooper's recipe.  It looked intriguing with the Catalina and Louisiana hot sauce brine, so I decided to give it a go.
> 
> Here's the chicken before going on the smoker with the rub applied:
> 
> ...


Good looking chicken there.  I think the thing that some people have against "moist" chicken is that it can come along with a sort of mushy texture.  That usually means too much sugar in the brine.  This can be fixed by either decreasing the amount of sugar or introducing an acid to the brine.  Scoop uses the vinegar in the dressing (an acid) to keep the bird from getting mushy even though he brines it for two days.

Just stumbled across this thread and I will have to try.  I love hot wings and my favorite dressing is the tangy bacon catalina!  Looks like a match made in heaven.


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## floyd (Mar 27, 2014)

Great looking, spatch cocked bird. That recipe is the best. My whole family loves it!


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## steelcitysmoke (May 28, 2014)

I know I'm going to sound stupid but what size bottle of the Crystal Hot Sauce is used in this recipe? I've found 6oz and 12oz bottles in the grocery stores around me. Extra heat won't bother me. I'm concerned about the extra salt if I'd use too big of a bottle.

Thanks!


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## gittsov (May 31, 2014)

It looks awesome! I am new to the forum, but there are so many good ideas.

How long would you smoke boneless pieces?
My smoker wouldn't go over 270 degrees.


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