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I have a Smokette Original Model smoker and it seems that the cooking times listed are way, way too long for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If I smoked for 1.5 hours on 250, the chicken is really dry. Is my smoker running hot?

I've started cooking them for 45 minutes, removing them, and putting them in a bowl and covering them to increase the residual heat and cooking time. Should I just go off meat temp rather than cooking time? How can I tell if my smoker is too hot? Would my electric thermometer be able to accurately determine air temperature inside the smoker?

Sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance for your excellent advice!
Neal
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Throw the time schedules out the window Smiler

Temp and feel is your best bet to judge doneness. Use an instant read thermometer. They're done at 160 degrees or when juices run clear when poked with a fork.

Don't be afraid to cook at the highest setting. The faster the better when it comes to small pieces of poultry.

A way to maintain mositure would be brining. Check out Smokinokies "101" (including brining) HERE

You may want to try a "spatchcock" breast...bone-in, skin-on & butterflied. The bone/skin will help increase moisture and flavor and are both easily removed for serving.

Questions? Holler back.
Always cook to temp not time, especially when it comes to chicken breasts. Others like ribs, brisket, pork butt, etc need further testing, but that's another subject.

Don't use the recommended times from the instruction manual but come to this forum and find your information. Times should be used for ballpark planning not final results. Temp/testing should be used to determine when product is ready.

If you have a remote therm, test probe in boiling water (212*) and ice water (32*), then place it in your smoker to compare accuracy of the smoker therm.

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