# Spachcock chicken good, not great



## dembones (Sep 9, 2013)

Well I smoked my first chicken yesterday, looked great, tasted great but lost points for a general lack of juiciness. It wasn't really dry but compared to the rotiserrie chicken I make on my grill with the rear burner, it fell far short. It took 2 hours to get the internal temp right, and at the end I put the grate over the coals, flipped it over and crisped up the skin a bit.













ck2.jpg



__ dembones
__ Sep 9, 2013


















ck1.jpg



__ dembones
__ Sep 9, 2013


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## mdboatbum (Sep 9, 2013)

Looks good. Maybe you just overshot it on the internal tamp. If you're gonna put it over the coals, you can pull it at 155˚ and carryover and the blast of heat from being over the coals will take it to 165˚. Plus, some chickens are just not as moist as others. Keep at it!


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## dembones (Sep 9, 2013)

I had the temp probe in the thigh, went to 170 which was my understanding for desired IT for thigh, 160 for breast. Had a slightly pink look to it so it didn't look over cooked. The breast in particluar lacked juice which may very well have been from the hot coals as you suggest. The smokey flavour was darn good though.


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## turnandburn (Sep 9, 2013)

Mdboatbum said:


> Looks good. Maybe you just overshot it on the internal tamp. If you're gonna put it over the coals, you can pull it at 155˚ and carryover and the blast of heat from being over the coals will take it to 165˚. Plus, some chickens are just not as moist as others. Keep at it!



i agree there. i pull my birds at 155 and put them on my gasser grill til final temp. works like a charm..if youre pulling off at temp then running over coals youre overcookin the bird. best part is chicken is cheap enuff to practice on. lol. good luck with the next one.


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## turnandburn (Sep 9, 2013)

dembones said:


> I had the temp probe in the thigh, went to 170 which was my understanding for desired IT for thigh, 160 for breast. Had a slightly pink look to it so it didn't look over cooked. The breast in particluar lacked juice which may very well have been from the hot coals as you suggest. The smokey flavour was darn good though.



id keep the temp probe in the thickest part of the breast.


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## dembones (Sep 9, 2013)

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be trying this again! This was only me 2nd smoke so I have a LOT to learn.


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## turnandburn (Sep 9, 2013)

dembones said:


> Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be trying this again! This was only me 2nd smoke so I have a LOT to learn.



always probe in the thickest part in any meat. if the thickest part is up to temp then youll know the smaller part definitely is up to temp. theres lots here to soak up and read. its all about learning. youll get the hang of it in no time. practice practice delicious practice..haha. have fun with it.


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## jerseydrew (Sep 9, 2013)

try using a brine next time too..


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## dembones (Sep 9, 2013)

I figured the thigh was as thick as any part and if anything ends up undercooked it would be that.

I've never tried a brine on anything but it's on the list, what a great new hobby, eating


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