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In need of some last minute advice on smoking whole chicken

This is not your pork!

This is not your pork!

is one Smokin' Farker
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Today is my first try on whole chicken, and I'm a little nervous right now due to my epic fail on my first try on poultry.

So I have three small Perutnina chicken each with about 2.7 lbs. They already have been brined for ~ 24 hours in Sal Marina Natural + white sugar + black peppercorns + honey, and were in the fridge for drying up the skin over night:

06_chicken_dehydrating.jpg

​

They are supposed to be served for dinner in about 9 hours. I intend to spatchcock them and put them on my WSM with some apple wood at 350-400°F.

I intend to inject and slather with the following mixture instead of simply applying a rub:

  • 2 tbs table salt
  • 1 tbs brown sugar
  • 2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 cup melted butter
Before I proceed I'd like to clarify the following:

  1. Are only the breast and thighs injected?
  2. How would I get the mixture under the skin?
  3. Do I slather the chicken before I put them on, or during the cook?
  4. Do I need to turn the spatchcocked chicken when put on the grate with skin-side facing upwards?
  5. Do I need to foil the legs and wings in the first part of the cook, for how long, or does this not make any sense?
  6. What's the estimated cooking time for a 2.7 lbs bird @ 350°F?
  7. I most likely will have to let them rest before serving, do I need to foil them for resting, or can I just put them in an oven at 200°F, and is resting chicken in an oven at 200°F a good idea?
Any other last minute advice is very much appreciated.
 
buccaneer said:
Wait, you have brined them for 24 hours and now you are going to inject them? What is your goal here?
Click to expand...
Flavor enhancement? I just thought the injected butter solution with spices is a good, please tell if otherwise. I did not assume it's either brining or injecting.

The options are to just use the solution on the outside, or to omit the butter and just rub with the listed spices.
 
I see.
Think of the chicken as a sponge.
Immerse it in water for 24 hours it will be full, all the cells plumped up and intracellular porosity full.
You can inject, experimenting is fun, but there will be limited effect and leakage...although I am certain there will be a lot of members who do it.
 
Ok, no injections and no experiments on this first try. :wink:

I just spatchcocked my first three chicken, which was easy after watching the TVWB video, and I decided on cutting them in halves, so that I can place them all on the upper grate of my WSM:

07_spatchcocked_and_halved.jpg

​

They will be sitting in the fridge for another two hours, then the plan is to rub with olive oil and apply the mentioned spices.

Timing if of the essence here now, I still don't know how long they will need to cook to reach IT 165°F in the breast, and how to let them rest till dinner without the skin un-crisping again.

Let's say I start at 4 p.m. and they are ready at 6 p.m., they need to rest for about 1 to 2 hours till my wife is back home for dinner.

Place them in oven at 200°F, which worked well with my last few briskets?

Should I foil each half tight or loose before placing in oven, or can they rest there without foiling?

I really don't want to destroy a crisp skin, so hopefully someone will read this and reply within the next few hours.
 
Use a butter herb mixture under the skin.
Soften butter, basil, parsley. just slip your fingers between the skin and meat and apply. This will add flavor to your meat and help with the browning of the skin. It would be crisp but at least it will look good.
 
Cooking at 350* will get your bird done in about 1.5 hrs. If you are able to obtain crispy skin, i definitely would not wrap.
If you can pin point the time your wife will be home, have your smoker pre-heated and get your birds on at least 3 hrs before she arrives. You should have at least a 30 minute rest time if you allow 3 hrs. It should not take any more that 2 hrs at those temps. That's been my experience.
 
eddieh70301 said:
Use a butter herb mixture under the skin.
Soften butter, basil, parsley. just slip your fingers between the skin and meat and apply. This will add flavor to your meat and help with the browning of the skin. It would be crisp but at least it will look good.
Click to expand...
So you butter herb only under the skin, nothing on the skin?

I am still not sure about the resting with or without foil, and if the oven at 200°F will do.

At this point everything is already prepared, I just need to start the fire, finish seasoning the chicken and put them on.
 
You can use butter or olive oil on the outside of the skin then apply your seasoning. The herb butter is applied between the skin & meat.
If you foil when done, you will lose any crispness of the skin.
Just let the bird rest on the counter for 30 min before eating.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You can cook the chicken skin side up for most of the cook. Right at the end with about 15 minutes left, flip it over. This will aide in cripsying the skin. But at 350 that may not even be an issue. Try to hold the chicken in the oven for little as possible. Plus remember the chicken will rise about 5 degrees when resting. Do not foil, it will make the chicken cook more and you will develop rubber skin. My 2 cents.
 
I cook Chicken 1/2''s all the time my halves average 2-2.5 lb I cook at 325* and they they are done in 1 -1.5 hrs. I let them rest about 20 min. Since yours are smaller they will be done in about 45-50 min I never check thigh temps as the thighs reach temp before the breast if the breast is 165* the thighs will be 175-185. I cook skin side up.
 
So,how did they turn out ? Looking good so far...

Sent via my Androidlicious Evo LTE!
 
WOW, it was not perfect (slightly oversmoked), but a huge success and by far the best chicken we ever had!

A full report with all the pr0n will follow, as soon as I find the time. And yes, never forget the difference in time zone if you see an Austrian, we are 6 (U.S. east coast) / 9 (U.S. west coast) hours ahead here. :wink:
 
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