hey everybody, embarrassed to admit it, but i am Swine and Bovined out. And looking to slum it today with a Spatchcock chicken or two. Never done a chicken on a smoker, none the less on my YS 640. Can anybody give me simple advise on...
rub
estimated cook time
desired internal temps
desired pit temp
top rack/lower rack
thanx in advance
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"Pissing off muslims one rack at a time"
Either rack. Lower will cook it faster as it is next to the diffuser and hotter. I cook poultry at 325-350. No need to cook lower.
herb..will a simple montreal chicken rub suffice? should i rub both sides of the chicken? Skin side up or down on the grates? ballpark/estimated cook time for 2 hens? should i pull at 170 internal? and lastly...do you flip the birds during the cook or run them on one side the whole way? sorry to bug you on all the questions.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"Pissing off muslims one rack at a time"
Any rub you like will work. I lift the skin and use melted butter on the meat and put rub under the skin, then put the skin back in place and use melted butter on the skin and then sprinkle more run on the skin. I also rub the back side of the chicken. I cook breast up, never flip, and take the chicken off the cooker when the meat in the thigh is 160-165 degrees, and let it rest for 15 or so minutes before serving.
I use and actually prefer Montreal along with a little salt pepper and garlic powder. Conversely I do flip every 20 minutes usually at 350. The biggest issue for most is the skin. Most want it crispier and that is a judgement call with a little art to it. The final product is left up to preference and trial and error.
Hope it goes well and too your preference.
thanx guys...i appreciate the input. tricky tricky...i didn't know about peeling up the skin, rubbing, and putting the skin back on. its already on the smoker, but ill be sure to do that on the next cook for sure.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"Pissing off muslims one rack at a time"
hey you guys never chimed in with an estimated cook time @ 325-350. its a 4.5 pounder
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"Pissing off muslims one rack at a time"
When I turn I check with my thermapen about the third time. Let the thermapen let you know but should be not to long after the third turn...also a good time to sauce if you're gunna
came out decent..i did not flip .took about 1.5 hours. i cooked it on the top rack @ with the smoker set @375, figured it would be around 350 on top rack. i got a little distracted with the internals...when i finally probed with the thermapen, i was at 200 on the breast, and around 190 on the thigh. it wasn't super juicy, but then again it wasn't dried out either ,and the skin was crispy enuf.. ill pull the next cook at around 180. Thanx again for all the input
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"Pissing off muslims one rack at a time"
I find that with chicken,steaks,burgers and dogs I need to be a little more hands on than with my long cooks. Thats why I flip (gives me something to do). It also seems to jump the last 20-30 degrees pretty fast...another reason why I flip and test. Honestly probably hard to tell if it makes any difference in how the bird cooks but just my way of staying on top of it.
I was taking out at 165 which is I believe the usda recommended doneness temp and letting it sit to raise a few degrees while letting the juices flow but my wife wanted a few more degrees so now I shoot for the 170-175 mark.
I will say Herb is on it as far as lifting the skin. Semi quick cooks might not pick up the flavor of the smoke as much but I do find that I need to season afterward if I just season the skin.
West...so do you also peel the skin back and season like herb said? i may take your advise and flip on the next one, but whats gonna stop the skin from falling off and just laying on the grate and burning up? I thought slumming should be easy, haha
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"Pissing off muslims one rack at a time"
Not sure how Herb does it but I do not peel back. I actually went on line and found a video. Pretty much just make or find a hole to start. I usually start at the bottom of the chicken. Then slide under the skin to loosen just about anywhere you can...the wings are next to impossible. Without using a somewhat traditional rub think about making a paste (butter with seasoning) to make your inside rub. Then stuff with your mixture. It will look a little lumpy and like its on steriods (like a russian swimmer) but then give it a massage to even it out a little. The melting butter will ooze pretty much everywhere but I do put a rub or season on the outside also. Problem is when you do pack the skin when you flip...more comes out. I pretty much only pack when I spatchcock and then only part of the time.
Forgot you were spatchcocking when I first suggested the flip. I always flip when I cook breasts or cut ups and usually do not flip when I spatchcock and stuff.
At about 2 minutes into this video shows the process (yes I know it is a turkey, but it's poultry): http://thesauce.atbbq.com/video-spatchc ... ng-turkey/
Hey Herb...love the bucket in the video. Actually the inside part that holds the meat down. Any idea who makes it or where I can get one?
I will say Chef Tom makes it look easy. Larger bird allows you to shove your whole hand inside. For me with a chicken I am usually only using a few fingers and have not really tried popping the whole leg out to season.
thanx for the link herb, that pretty much clears things up for me on how its done.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"Pissing off muslims one rack at a time"
that was even better video link.. chef tom makes it look foolproof
Fort Lauderdale, FL
"Pissing off muslims one rack at a time"
After watching the video it reminds me that I need to resharpen just about every tool in my arsenal.
OK, let me throw a wrench in the gears...doing chicken this way is great, but, you need to try smoking the chicken at 235 (if you spatchcock, do the back too), and when the internal temperature of the thighs is 165, take the chicken (and backbone) off the cooker, and put it into a large stockpot with enough water to cover the chicken. Simmer (very low boil) the chicken until the meat falls off the bones. Now pull all of the chicken out of the pot, separate the bones and other inedible "stuff" (including the skin) from the meat, cut or tear the remaining chicken into small pieces and put back into the pot. Now add veggies (and whatever else your grandma put in her chicken soup), and simmer until ready to eat. I have added pasta and rice just prior to eating with good results as well.
You will never eat regular chick soup again!
I cook a cooker full of chickens this way, and then vacuum seal the birds whole in 1 gallon vacuum seal bags, and freeze. Now whenever we get the urge to make chicken soup, we take a bag out, open it and put the frozen chicken into the pot and follow the above process.
I just ate dinner but for some reason I have a craving for chicken soup....That sounds really good
Thanks Herb
Yoder_Herb wrote:OK, let me throw a wrench in the gears...doing chicken this way is great, but, you need to try smoking the chicken at 235 (if you spatchcock, do the back too), and when the internal temperature of the thighs is 165, take the chicken (and backbone) off the cooker, and put it into a large stockpot with enough water to cover the chicken. Simmer (very low boil) the chicken until the meat falls off the bones. Now pull all of the chicken out of the pot, separate the bones and other inedible "stuff" (including the skin) from the meat, cut or tear the remaining chicken into small pieces and put back into the pot. Now add veggies (and whatever else your grandma put in her chicken soup), and simmer until ready to eat. I have added pasta and rice just prior to eating with good results as well.
You will never eat regular chick soup again!
I cook a cooker full of chickens this way, and then vacuum seal the birds whole in 1 gallon vacuum seal bags, and freeze. Now whenever we get the urge to make chicken soup, we take a bag out, open it and put the frozen chicken into the pot and follow the above process.
Oh yea, thanks Herb. You have a real vac unit for sure.
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