Brisket Flat - Pulled Chicken Cook... (Lots of Pron)

I've been wanted to try some pulled chicken, from boneless/skinless thighs, as I have never done them before. I've done whole chickens, but pulling can be a pain. So, I picked up 8+ pounds of boneless/skinless thighs from Costco.

I also wanted to do some brisket, but with Walmart packers (Select/Choice) up to $3.46/lb, and no time to hit RD, I picked up a 5.8lb Choice Flat while at Costco. Prices are a little high now, but I figured with limited trimming on the Flat (only trimmed about 5oz), less loss during cook and Costco's high quality beef, it was worth a try. I wanted to weigh the Flat when it was done, but got distracted and forgot to do so...

For the Brisket, I hit it with Salt and Garlic the day before, then added a little Onion Powder and some course Black Pepper. Smoked with Oak and a little Mesquite on the Assassin 24. Took about 3 hours to get the color I wanted (about 165*), then forever (about 7 more hours) for it to give up. Thought this little guy would cook quicker. I've made a few Briskets, but this was my best to date. Very surprising being it came from a 5.8lb Flat...





This is the size logs I put in the Assassin. That's all that is needed for the smoke...





1st run with my new Smoke. Love it!!!



Brisket ready to be wrapped in butcher paper..
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Brisket done, ready for a 1.5 hour nap in the cooler. I am still amazed how much better the bark gets, even wrapped in the butcher paper.




This thing folded like a dream, but held up under it's own weight. Sorry for the poor focus...




For the Chicken, I wanted to experiment with two types. One, my basic rub, smoked for 30 min. then wrapped till 195 - 200. The 2nd, I did a Cornell marinade, grilled for color, then wrapped till 195 - 200. Both turned out very good, but the Cornell method was not a moist as the basic rub/smoked chicken.

Basic Smoked Chicken: rubbed - smoked - wrapped - pulled...





Cornell Style Chicken: marinated - grilled - wrapped - pulled...






And my plate, with a little shells and cheese...



I think Pulled Chicken is going to be made more often from here on out. Much easier than Pulled Pork (not that PP is difficult) and very tasty. As for the Brisket, while I love the Point on the packers, I need to see the cost difference and see if the Flat makes sense. I know this, tasting the Costco Choice Flat, I am even more jealous of those who get the Costco Prime Packers for $3/lb...

Thanks for looking...

Evil-g said:

It all looks fantastic, and I would eat it all. GFS has whole choice packers for $2.39 a pound.

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Thanks for the heads up! I've been meaning to check out GFS just haven't had a chance. It's a little easier for me to get to than RD.

How's the quality?

BigKing said:

That chicken looks fantastic: especially the basic rub.

I'm looking to do some of this on Sunday. Couple of questions:

1. Does your basic rub include some sort of marinade? Appears that the chicken is in some sort of liquid that is not the natural juices, although maybe the rub changes the color?

2. How long does it take to get to 195-200 and do you know what the IT was after the initial 30 minutes? I'm assuming that "wrapping" means putting them in a small tin after 30 minutes and covering with foil?

The girlfriend wants me to smoke something "healthy" this weekend and requested chicken. She won't be around when I prep it so I won't tell her about the butter haha.

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Thanks!!!

1 - No the basic rub is just a dry rub. I hit the chicken with some kosher salt, then my rub (paprika, turbinado sugar and spices), and let it sit overnight. The juices developed as it sat.

2 - I had a lot going on that day (to include a few drinks) but an estimate after the 30 minutes would be about 130 - 145 degrees. There is not much to the boneless/skinless thighs I used. I then put them in the pan, topped with unsalted butter, and covered tightly with foil. It did not take long to get them up to 195 - 200, but again, I did not document the cook that well. My guess is under an hour once wrapped. It's not a long cook, and the results were very good.

Hope this helps. I need to do a better job tracking these things...

BigKing said:

Definitely helps! I figured it wouldn't take that long to get them to the right IT but just wanted to make sure I didn't have to check every 20 minutes.

I set out to chronicle cooks and then the Eagle Rare gets in the way so I know all about that!

Doing a pork butt and some other assorted things on Sunday. Definitely going to give this a whirl. I'll check back in with results.

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I put a probe in one of the larger pieces, and checked the rest when that on hit about 190. Smaller ones were a little higher, but all good.

With my terrible time estimates, I'd say cook it early to be sure it is done. Mine were done well before the brisket. I held them in a 170 degree oven, un-pulled and wrapped tight in the pan for a good while. Just before it was time to eat I took out chicken and pulled, skimmed the fat from the juices, and combined back together.