Smoking chicken

[meathunter]

What do you do to keep your chicken from drying out when smoking?

[wayne 20]

boil it in water for about 20 minutes then smoke it

[E.TX.BOWHUNTER]

Buy one than has not been filled with broth and has holes all over in it. Use water in a pan below the chicken. Do not puncture the skin. Don't leave it in there too long. I will also use a higher temp for less time. 250-275

[diamond06]

stick a beer in its rear

[Txnative78]

stick a beer can in it.

[Sparkles]

Buy one than has not been filled with broth and has holes all over in it. Use water in a pan below the chicken. Do not puncture the skin. Don't leave it in there too long. I will also use a higher temp for less time. 250-275

Yup dont over cook it and don't puncture the skin
I do about 250 for 3-4 hours
I check by seeing if the drumsticks feel like they'd pull off.
If they do I then check internal temp on the thickest part of the breast

[meathunter]

Thanks. What if it is not the whole chicken, but just the breast? I did some in my electric smoker and they were dry.

[chopsknives]

coat em with olive oil first

[Jaybo31]

I inject my chickens. Use to do the beer can thing but cant tell a difference.
Inject
Stuff some onion and jalapeno inside of it
Generous amount of rub on the outside and lift the skin and get rub under the skin as well
Smoke at 275 for about 3 hours depending on size of bird
165 in the breast 175 in the leg, thigh
Havent had a dry one yet

[TUCO]

Hey MH,

Just prior to putting on the smoker, take your chicken halves/pieces and lightly brown them on all sides in a pot with a little bit of oil on medium high.

This sears the meat, and seals in the juices. Plus the light coating of oil left on the meat helps protect it as well.

This works great for venison that has little fat, and tends to dry out.

Just make sure you sear all sides, (even the edges), to help ensure the meat retains its moisture.

I season the meat long before browning in the pot, but I leave off the garlic and apply it after searing as it will burn in the searing process & give a bad taste.

You can also put a small pan of water in between the heat source and the meat to help as well.

Putting a few tablespoons of oil in with the water will also help.

Good Luck!

[jerp]

When I smoke a whole chicken, the first thing I do is carefully pull up the skin - without tearing it - and rub spices and a small amount of olive oil directly on the meat. It is a little trickier with the thighs but I do the same thing there. Then put all the skin back in place where there is no meat showing, and secure with toothpicks. The little bit of olive oil and the fat under the skin will keep the meat from drying out. Also very important with chicken is temperature. Do everything you can to not let the smoker get too hot - I try to keep it at 220*. Another thing I've found out is a chicken takes all the smoke it needs to during the first 2 hours or so. After that I keep the heat just using charcoal. Smoking a chicken for 3-4 hours (I use a big roasting chicken) makes the skin rubbery and inedible anyway so IMO putting anything on the outside of the skin is a waste.

[SMOOTHboar]

I would not recommend beer cans or water in you cooking area. Steaming a piece if chicken protein is not a preferred method for any professional chef. Therefore back yard cooks should not do it either. Steam cooking a protein molecule like chicken causes the protein to seize and purge water not keep it.

To get a moist piece of chicken you should start with a good flavorful brine.

Another posted that you should pay close attention to the amount or solution that the manufacture uses and that is correct. The less the pump or solution present in a wog the better your flavor profiles and plate yield will be at the end of cooking. You can't start with a commodity bird and expect to end up with a kings dinner. Well I can... But Im a professional.

Get your seasonings and an outside side fat source under the skin. I use a simple spoon and European Butter with the seasonings whipped in under the skin. I also will remove the back bone and partially split the kiln bone so the wog lays flat. Then I start to cook the bird skin side down to aide in a crispier skin and so more moister stays in the bird. I will flip the bird about 2/3 of the way through the cooking phase to finish. Last I let the cooked bird rest off the heat for 10-12 min so it remains juicy until service.

Cooking times will vary based on the temp you run your smoker at and the bird. Older wogs will have a larger and denser bone structure than young wogs it takes more time for the older birds bones to heat up. I like a young wogs. Purdue Chicken manufactures a very good wog. Sanderson farms... Not so much. Tyson is usually a safe bet. Read the label and get one with the lowest amount of pump you can find.

[BURTONboy]

Just mop it every 30 minutes to 1 hour. Will stay as moist as you would like it to.

[TUCO]

When I smoke a whole chicken, the first thing I do is carefully pull up the skin - without tearing it - and rub spices and a small amount of olive oil directly on the meat. It is a little trickier with the thighs but I do the same thing there. Then put all the skin back in place where there is no meat showing, and secure with toothpicks. The little bit of olive oil and the fat under the skin will keep the meat from drying out. Also very important with chicken is temperature. Do everything you can to not let the smoker get too hot - I try to keep it at 220*. Another thing I've found out is a chicken takes all the smoke it needs to during the first 2 hours or so. After that I keep the heat just using charcoal. Smoking a chicken for 3-4 hours (I use a big roasting chicken) makes the skin rubbery and inedible anyway so IMO putting anything on the outside of the skin is a waste.

Jerp's under the skin seasoning, temperature, and smoke time are spot on in my opinion.

I would not recommend beer cans or water in you cooking area. Steaming a piece if chicken protein is not a preferred method for any professional chef. Therefore back yard cooks should not do it either. Steam cooking a protein molecule like chicken causes the protein to seize and purge water not keep it.

To get a moist piece of chicken you should start with a good flavorful brine.

I also will remove the back bone and partially split the kiln bone so the wog lays flat. Then I start to cook the bird skin side down to aide in a crispier skin and so more moister stays in the bird. I will flip the bird about 2/3 of the way through the cooking phase to finish. Last I let the cooked bird rest off the heat for 10-12 min so it remains juicy until service.

Marshall I definitely respect & heed you're advice since you are a professional chief, but I didn’t think that putting a small pan of water in the smoker with the meat steams the meat in any way; it was my understanding that it only acts as a buffer to counteract the dry heat from the firebox.

And I totally agree that brining a bird undoubtedly enhances flavor and moisture; that is a given, but most folks still don’t take the time to do it.

I prepare my birds for the pit in the same manner as you do by cutting out the backbone, & partially splitting the keel bone so the bird lays flat, but is still in one piece. It just looks better that way....

Some good info on this thread!

[Bily Lovec]

dont overcook it is the main thing...

take a whole bird, spatchcock it, season, and cook to 165f internal and its super juicy.

I'll smoke over pecan @ about 210-220f.