why do some want there smoker to go to 325 350 or so, for chicken, use for a outside oven that they could add a little smoke too
me again
gene
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'Cause chicken smoked at 225-250 has a rubbery skin. You need 325-350 to get the skin crispy.
... and, if you want the smaller smoker that only go up to 250˚, just smoke it and finish it on the grill, broiler or toaster oven in a jiffy! 
I just void the warntery by fixeing the thermostat to go to 325. just did a chicken with one peace of wood, deelocouis, and the sides of the cooker just got warm, need some more high heat ideas,
gene
gene
That is the only one.
You won't be smoking,so why not use the house oven?
You won't be smoking,so why not use the house oven?
Tom's right you know. In order to lay on smoke you need low and slow. In order to crisp up the skin you need high and fast. So why not smoke in the CS at around 200* then take those yard birds out and put 'em into the kitchen oven at about 400*. That'll crisp up the skin in no time. Alternately put 'em on the gill but personally I've been happier with the results in the oven.
Here is what I did on my last turkey and turned out quite nice, with a crispy (not grilled crispy though), should do chickens fine, but have not been there, no tee shirt.
Most everyone here says seperate the skin from the meat but leave on. Butter/oil the outside skin and after you seperate the skin, but leave on and you have a nice place to put pieces/slices of thick cut maple cured bacon, which will hold up the skin and allow air under the skin, not to mention the flavor you have if you place apple quarters as space allows in the cavity complimented by your favorite spices.
Worked fine for me on a pre-injected 12# butterball (with 3 slices under skin/over the breast area & cut pieces over the thigh/legs).
Rob
Most everyone here says seperate the skin from the meat but leave on. Butter/oil the outside skin and after you seperate the skin, but leave on and you have a nice place to put pieces/slices of thick cut maple cured bacon, which will hold up the skin and allow air under the skin, not to mention the flavor you have if you place apple quarters as space allows in the cavity complimented by your favorite spices.
Worked fine for me on a pre-injected 12# butterball (with 3 slices under skin/over the breast area & cut pieces over the thigh/legs).
Rob
even at that higher heat and only a few hours I got a nice smoke taste in the chicken,
gene
gene
Just a couple of thoughts.
Cookshack builds equipment to meet our needs on 95% of what we do .
Most Q is done from about 150º-250º.
We can trick it into being a dehydrator.
Now we can cheat a little and make a cold smoker,and we can finish a couple things in the oven/grill,if we find someone that eats poultry skin.
There are a few tricks to improve skin for appearance.
This being said,there are a lot of fine comp cooks that don't cook chicken above 250º.
Cookshack is able to maintain high quality,at a reasonable price point.
Now to make one unit do everything,is pretty expensive and can have more things go wrong.
If we find that a high % of our smoking is actually done outside these ranges,then maybe a completely different cooker is required.
I had a Smokette for about six years,and now my sons have it up north.
We easily do 95% of our smoking,without missing anything.
I also have an FEC which will cook at 450º and a CS 160 which will run up to about 325º.
I really can't remember a time this year that I ran them over 250º.
Yes, I have tinkered with a couple things at higher temps in the past,and then I got over it.
Just my $0.02.
Cookshack builds equipment to meet our needs on 95% of what we do .
Most Q is done from about 150º-250º.
We can trick it into being a dehydrator.
Now we can cheat a little and make a cold smoker,and we can finish a couple things in the oven/grill,if we find someone that eats poultry skin.
There are a few tricks to improve skin for appearance.
This being said,there are a lot of fine comp cooks that don't cook chicken above 250º.
Cookshack is able to maintain high quality,at a reasonable price point.
Now to make one unit do everything,is pretty expensive and can have more things go wrong.
If we find that a high % of our smoking is actually done outside these ranges,then maybe a completely different cooker is required.
I had a Smokette for about six years,and now my sons have it up north.
We easily do 95% of our smoking,without missing anything.
I also have an FEC which will cook at 450º and a CS 160 which will run up to about 325º.
I really can't remember a time this year that I ran them over 250º.
Yes, I have tinkered with a couple things at higher temps in the past,and then I got over it.
Just my $0.02.
I find the aversity to chicken skin in BBQ circles ironic. Mention chicken skin and suddenly everyone turns health conscious.
I prefer my chicken on the kettle where the skin is crispy throughout. I'll try a turkey in it this summer.
I prefer my chicken on the kettle where the skin is crispy throughout. I'll try a turkey in it this summer.
Just my opinion here, for what it's worth. Seeing that chicken takes on somke so easily and the fact that I like the skin somewhat crispy (health conscious - mio, LOL), I am satisfied with doing it on the grill. Prep time is the same, cook time is much shorter, I can get satisfactory smoke flavor with a few soaked wood chips and the skin turns out the way I like it.
Ordered and tried for the first time Cookshack's Spicy Chicken Rub and found it to be fantastic! The Mrs thought it to be a bit on the hot side so we'll have to deal with that next time.
That's my opinion(s) and I'm sticking to it (for now anyway)
Ordered and tried for the first time Cookshack's Spicy Chicken Rub and found it to be fantastic! The Mrs thought it to be a bit on the hot side so we'll have to deal with that next time.
That's my opinion(s) and I'm sticking to it (for now anyway
)
I love me some crispy chicken skin!
I do poultry as high as my little Smokette will go. I found out the other day that is about 235*. I finish them in the oven on superblast. (400-500*)
I do poultry as high as my little Smokette will go. I found out the other day that is about 235*. I finish them in the oven on superblast. (400-500*)
Yep, a Weber kettle is as fine a chicken cooker as there is.
There is a lot of discussion in KCBS ,about requiring that chickens be cooked whole,or in halves, as they do in TX.
There ,all the judges may get the same half bird and a tiny set of knives,so skin texture means nothing.
Your seasoning is applied under the skin.
Right now ,it is basically a thigh competition.
225º-250º works fine,if you can bite through[tender] the skin.
The feeling is that anyone can cook a thigh,or leg,but it requires a cook to do dark and white together.
There is a lot of discussion in KCBS ,about requiring that chickens be cooked whole,or in halves, as they do in TX.
There ,all the judges may get the same half bird and a tiny set of knives,so skin texture means nothing.
Your seasoning is applied under the skin.
Right now ,it is basically a thigh competition.
225º-250º works fine,if you can bite through[tender] the skin.
The feeling is that anyone can cook a thigh,or leg,but it requires a cook to do dark and white together.
Tom,
How on earth do they get white and dark in the same box? FBA is hard enough to get the 8 pieces of chicken into the box. Is there a way to get 8 chicken halves into a competition box?
The higher heat is good for getting the skin crisp, and keeping the meat juicy. I usually cook chicken on the FEC100 for that reason. I turn the chicken pieces at about the 45% done mark. Then I sauce them and allow the sauce to glaze. By the time I sauce them the juice will squirt out nicely clear. I cut the temperature down at that point. Jack breathes a sigh of relief!
Peggy
How on earth do they get white and dark in the same box? FBA is hard enough to get the 8 pieces of chicken into the box. Is there a way to get 8 chicken halves into a competition box?
The higher heat is good for getting the skin crisp, and keeping the meat juicy. I usually cook chicken on the FEC100 for that reason. I turn the chicken pieces at about the 45% done mark. Then I sauce them and allow the sauce to glaze. By the time I sauce them the juice will squirt out nicely clear. I cut the temperature down at that point. Jack breathes a sigh of relief!
Peggy
OOPS,
After I turn the chickens, I let them cook the other 55%. Skin should look like a nice golden tan or mahogany. Juice should run clear, then sauce.
The less juice coming out when you turn them, the better!
Peggy
After I turn the chickens, I let them cook the other 55%. Skin should look like a nice golden tan or mahogany. Juice should run clear, then sauce.
The less juice coming out when you turn them, the better!
Peggy
Peg,
It's mo simple. You only turn in 1/2 a chicken in your box. At a comp with say over 45 or 50, you put two halves in your box. Judges just take small bites.
It's mo simple. You only turn in 1/2 a chicken in your box. At a comp with say over 45 or 50, you put two halves in your box. Judges just take small bites.
my chicken skin aint never crispy. but thats because after smoking(whole, not cut up), i cut them in half, rub with honey and pineapple, place in a pan with sprite, and bake in house oven for 30min to an hour. at 325.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmm!
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmm!
dennis-ut,
i am with you on this one. this whole idea on skin is from the competition circle and if every one is honest comp food ain't neccesarily the best eating q but that is not what comps are about.
coffebluff,
thanks for the recipe just may do a modified hijacking on that one. the pineapple we use as garnish a bunch and it sure sounds like it would go great with peg's guava sauce she does for chicken.
smokinokie,
my heart goes out to you on the turn in and getting the right stuff in the right box
. all i worry about any more is does the customer send his friends to us. think our next comp will be starke florida over the pearl harbor weekend.
now since we ain't talking competition here just thought i would throw out a trick that works and retains a good smoky flavor. smoke 1 hour at 145-160,kick your heat up to what ever your cs can hold (in my case that's 275 on my sm150 as 300 will cause an overheat shutdown) when done if you don't like the skin just hit it with a 9 buck propane tourch from home depot (works just like the fancy dan 75 buck units from williams an senoma) works like a charm and no change in flavor but don't forget if you glaze the chick the skin goes back to soft. sure wish i could talk 2 greyhounds into this as standard procedure but she loves the fec for chicken and she is the chicken cook (funny part is we got the sm cause she "used" to be afraid of the fec)
jack
ps. now everyone knows why i leave the chicken to peggy
pps. almost forgot. if you are doing a lot of chicken then just do the 145-165 thing put your chicken in a shallow pan and chill while you are doing another batch. as the chicken chills wrap the pan with film and then foil. next day put in the cs to finish. works well for rotational cooking for big crowds. just stagger the start time on your pans. if required you can also freeze it and then defrost. man covered comps,catering and onsite sales all in one post. think passing our state inspection still has me flying lol
jack
i am with you on this one. this whole idea on skin is from the competition circle and if every one is honest comp food ain't neccesarily the best eating q but that is not what comps are about.
coffebluff,
thanks for the recipe just may do a modified hijacking on that one. the pineapple we use as garnish a bunch and it sure sounds like it would go great with peg's guava sauce she does for chicken.
smokinokie,
my heart goes out to you on the turn in and getting the right stuff in the right box
. all i worry about any more is does the customer send his friends to us. think our next comp will be starke florida over the pearl harbor weekend.now since we ain't talking competition here just thought i would throw out a trick that works and retains a good smoky flavor. smoke 1 hour at 145-160,kick your heat up to what ever your cs can hold (in my case that's 275 on my sm150 as 300 will cause an overheat shutdown) when done if you don't like the skin just hit it with a 9 buck propane tourch from home depot (works just like the fancy dan 75 buck units from williams an senoma) works like a charm and no change in flavor but don't forget if you glaze the chick the skin goes back to soft. sure wish i could talk 2 greyhounds into this as standard procedure but she loves the fec for chicken and she is the chicken cook (funny part is we got the sm cause she "used" to be afraid of the fec)
jack
ps. now everyone knows why i leave the chicken to peggy
pps. almost forgot. if you are doing a lot of chicken then just do the 145-165 thing put your chicken in a shallow pan and chill while you are doing another batch. as the chicken chills wrap the pan with film and then foil. next day put in the cs to finish. works well for rotational cooking for big crowds. just stagger the start time on your pans. if required you can also freeze it and then defrost. man covered comps,catering and onsite sales all in one post. think passing our state inspection still has me flying lol
jack
i smoke chicken for less than the time required to fully cook, then finish in a "chinese oven"; a homemade job made from a 55 gallon drum, stove pipe, and a smaller 8 gallon drum. Like the old Trader Vic oven (or pizza oven). This deal gets up to 600 or 700 degrees (or higher), all INDIRECT!! Fire burns in 8 gallon drum, vents to big drum, with big clay flower pot in bottom to diffuse; all with wood. The skin gets crisp in minutes, leaving the smoked interior moist and incredible. We do this at our duck club and its awesome. The combination of smoke and intense indirect heat is the best you can imagine.
The higher temps are nice to cook chicken and turkeys - cook those around 300 degrees or so and you will have a more moist bird...it is just physics..there is hardly any fatty tissue (calogen) in these two birds. You do NOT need low and slow cooking to break down that calogen (like you do in a butt or brisket). By cooking them at higher temps, you will usually come out with a better product at the end (I cook my chicken in halves at 300 or so, and they are done in about 90 minutes).
The best of two worlds. We slow smoke 200-225 with the AmeriQue for beef and pork. For fowl, we use the Grill Dome Ceramic grill using natural charcoal. Using the dampers we keep the box temperature between 250 and 275 degrees with the fowl directly above the coals and this works best for us. I do like to eat a crisp skin with my chicken or turkey.When it comes to beef and pork the AmeriQue is supreme. Just last night we removed two pork shoulders that smoked/cooked for 20 hours at 225. When I pulled the pork, as our guest looked on, the main bone fell out totally clean. The ohs and ahs were distinct and we had to make a tasters plate to calm them down.
smokemullet
quote:Originally posted by gene avallon:
I just void the warntery by fixeing the thermostat to go to 325. just did a chicken with one peace of wood, deelocouis, and the sides of the cooker just got warm, need some more high heat ideas,
gene
how did you change thermostat?
If you're asking how do you change it and it will void the warranty, please don't post that information, as it could lead to serious problems (it wasn't designed for that).