Chickens

[Jeb VonCameltoe]

I have done ribs and thanks to lots of input from you guys a successful picnic roast. Now, my plan this weekend is to do a few chickens. My questions are...

Butterfly them or cook them whole?

Brine or not to brine?

Dry rub or not to dry rub?

Definitely going to sauce but when?

Temp and any particular wood?

What I'm thinking is to leave them whole and to brine in a nice citrus based liquid for an hour or so in the fridge. Hit it with a garlic rub, maybe add a little heat to it. Hit it with sauce say 30 minutes before I pull it off the smoker. Thinking cooking at 300ish until the meat hits 160ish. I plan on smoking with whole applewood logs and hickory chunks.

Again, you all saved me from making some beginner mistakes on my shoulder. Hoping you all can lead me down the same path of perfection on these chix!

Thanks in advance!
~Jeb

[Ron_L]

If you have room, spatchcock (butterfly) them.

Brine - I use a simple brine (1 cup salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 gallon water, plus rub)

Rub - Plowboys Yardbird

sauce during last 30 minutes, apply two coats.

I cook chicken hotter to get better skin. 275 minimum, more likely 325. Cook to 160 in the thigh and 150 in the breast then rest. One trick is to ice the breast for 30 minutes before cooking to get it to finish the same time as the thighs.

Apple and cherry are nice on chicken.

[Southern Home Boy]

Sure. Sounds good. Do that. :becky:

Seriously, the best part about BBQ is that it is a highly personal journey. You can do what others have done, but if you don't try something different, you'll never do anything new.

If you use someone else's techniques or recipes, and you really like it, you'll never try anything different and you'll never develop your own style.

I'm constantly playing with recipes, cook times, temps, techniques, etc. I've made some spectacularly BAD food, but I've also stumbled on stuff that have become uniquely "mine".

[campdude]

I do them whole, but have done them butterflied too. Brine and do your fav rub ( plowboys yardbird is very good). 300 -325 if you want the skin to be crispy as opposed to rubbery. I face the breasts away from the heat and put the temp probe into the thigh. When it's time to sauce I'll rotate breast to the heat. Sauce 2 or 3 times over the last half hour. I use K mixed with cherry or pecan for chickens or turkeys. Depending on the size of the chicken it should take roughly 1 1/4 to 2 hours at 300-325 for a whole bird.

[btcg]

Good advice from Ron... especially the brine. That'll make it very tasty!

Sauce @ the end. Char em up after.

[Jeb VonCameltoe]

Sure. Sounds good. Do that. :becky:

Seriously, the best part about BBQ is that it is a highly personal journey. You can do what others have done, but if you don't try something different, you'll never do anything new.

If you use someone else's techniques or recipes, and you really like it, you'll never try anything different and you'll never develop your own style.

I'm constantly playing with recipes, cook times, temps, techniques, etc. I've made some spectacularly BAD food, but I've also stumbled on stuff that have become uniquely "mine".

goes without saying; however, I'm new to smoking meats and need to learn the basics from the folks that have been at it a lot longer than I. With such a knowledge base at my fngertips I would be foolish not to tap into it!

[chambersuac]

I do what Ron suggested, except I add a bit of rub to the brine - and I don't USUALLY sauce (that's served on the side). Good luck!

[1FUNVET]

I do what Ron suggested, except I add a bit of rub to the brine - and I don't USUALLY sauce (that's served on the side). Good luck!


I agree. My wife likes her with sauce so only part of the chickens get sauce and my share does not.

[vr6Cop]

What I'm thinking is to leave them whole and to brine in a nice citrus based liquid for an hour or so in the fridge. Hit it with a garlic rub, maybe add a little heat to it. Hit it with sauce say 30 minutes before I pull it off the smoker. Thinking cooking at 300ish until the meat hits 160ish. I plan on smoking with whole applewood logs and hickory chunks.

~Jeb

Jeb, it looks to me like you have it pretty much down pat. That's about how I do mine, but I rarely brine.

[aquablue22]

I have a whole bird, spatchcocked, soaking in Kozmo'z chicken soak right now, just getting ready to fire up the Egg and smoke it! Good stuff......If you have room spatchcock them, they come out really nice and tasty!

[Smiter Q]

Use a KOSHER salt for brine, NOT regular table salt... or you may find it unpalatable and too salty.

Difference between spatchcock and butterfly is that a butterfly is cut on breast side, spatch is done by cutting out the spine on either side.
I like to spatch instead of butterfly as it keeps the breast centered, as opposed to split and at the sides of the bird.

Here is a pic of a spatch that was brined. It cooks more even this way, and the brine made the skin glisten. Hope your cook goes (or went) well!
http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv129/BWaustinTX/Grill057bbq.jpg

[chaddie]

One trick is to ice the breast for 30 minutes before cooking to get it to finish the same time as the thighs.

That's a nice trick I'll try! But do the little nipples get hard when you do that? :confused: Sorry I've been waiting to say that.:icon_blush: I know, off to the penalty box. :rolleyes:

[Ron_L]

That's a nice trick I'll try! But do the little nipples get hard when you do that? :confused: Sorry I've been waiting to say that.:icon_blush: I know, off to the penalty box. :rolleyes:

Heh heh heh... He said nipple :heh:

[Groundhog66]

Difference between spatchcock and butterfly is that a butterfly is cut on breast side, spatch is done by cutting out the spine on either side.


Really, I have never heard of anyone cutting up the breast side. Not sure why you would ever want to split the breast, and keep the spine in tact.

[Uncle Buds BBQ]

If you have room, spatchcock (butterfly) them.

Brine - I use a simple brine (1 cup salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 gallon water, plus rub)

Rub - Plowboys Yardbird

sauce during last 30 minutes, apply two coats.

I cook chicken hotter to get better skin. 275 minimum, more likely 325. Cook to 160 in the thigh and 150 in the breast then rest. One trick is to ice the breast for 30 minutes before cooking to get it to finish the same time as the thighs.

Apple and cherry are nice on chicken.

What he said!

[zydecopaws]

When in doubt, don't do one, do two...

http://noexcusesbbq.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/IMG_1501.jpg

I don't brine but still get decent results. Spatchcock is the way to go (at least in my opinion), and I usually use apple or other light fruit wood to smoke chickens. Having said that, if you can get your hands on some oak from old wine barrels, that makes for some tasty eating.

[boatnut]

Smiter Q,
man that is one beautiful bird!!!

[Jeb VonCameltoe]

Okay, I had them soak in a brine overnight that consisted of orange wedges, lemon wedges, bay leaves, onion wedges, garlic, kosher salt, ground thyme, and white pepper. (Man does it smell great). I'm going to save the hard ingredients and put them in my drip pan with some orange juice and water during the cook. <~ Is that a bad idea?

Just took them out and cut out the backbone. They are now resting in the fridge until tomorrow. I understand that letting them sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours allows maximum crispiness to the skin. Any truth to this?

I just threw together what I feel is going to be a fantastic rub for these bad boys. It smells and tastes great just sitting in the bowl! If it's good I'll share the reciepe.

So one final question before I throw these bad Larrys on the grill.

Should I turn them over at all or just leave them skin side up for the entire cook?