PBC, WSM or other drummers - how do you hang chikkins???

[realdocBBQ]

I've got a 'new' drum smoker - a Super 55 from SmokerBuilder, and I love the thing. Unfortunately, I've got so many cookers these days, I don't get to use each of them nearly as much as I'd like. Been a few weeks (maybe 6 weeks???) since I've used the drum, as I'm playing with a new thing I can't talk about yet. lol

But anyways, I digress...

I want to HANG my chikkins. I think, if I can properly tie them, I can hang at least 4, possibly 5, or maaaaybe even 6 at one time.

But I cannot for the life of my figure out how to tie a chikkin. I swear, I've watched 50 different videos and thought I had it all down, but then when I get in the kitchen and try to actually TIE them, I absolutely CAN NOT manage to get them to work.

I know some of you split them in half and hang them, right? I worry they won't be as juicy doing this, what do you think? Is it a problem at all? I also would LIKE to brine them, but I think I'm pretty well giving up on the skin in advance if I do that. But from reading Huskee's pulled chikkin thread, it looks like a fair number of people already do theirs without skin anyways. I'm considering this, as I just cannot EVER really get satisfactory skin - the closest I've come was a true LONG dry brine AND rubbing with baking soda on the skin, and cooking at high heat, but even then, it just seemed to kind of be 'dry' skin and kind of 'hard', but not CRISPY-like. You know? Does this make sense? Like it dried out and was like a 'shell' or something, but not really that appetizing to actually eat. I don't know... I've about given up on skin.

But I'm thinking maybe a few more tries with whole hanging chikkins in the drums, try to get it to 325-350 or so and I bet they take an hour and a half max. But it just doesn't seem worth it to me to go to all that trouble (setting up the drum, hanging/tying/etc) for a single bird, or even two. Chikkin is the only meat that's cheap these days, and I'd like to do a big batch of 4 or 5 birds, pull them apart and send off to college with the kids when they go back - at least a little, then freeze some, chikkin is awesome to pull out for weeknight meals. Tacos, fajitas, fried rice, stir fry, casseroles, sammiches, whatever.

Should I just remove the skin, dry brine or wet brine and split 'em for hanging? Like I said, my biggest concern is drying out in that scenario.

Also... I like the picturesque 'whole hanging bird' cook, too. I dunno, I'll be honest, half of it is vanity, I want to feel like I'm cooking a whole bird - whole. Like a whole turkey at Thanksgiving - yeah, I can split it and cook it faster and all that, but GDit, I want to do the whole bird because... well, I WANT to do the whole bird! lol. I know, it doesn't make a damned bit of sense. Not a DAMNED BIT OF SENSE! But I have a.... a... I don't know, some kind of a COMPULSION to want to do whole birds! Why the hell is that? I think because I get some satisfaction or some kind of gratification of breaking down a whole bird when it's done. I really can't explain why. It probably IS some kind of vanity thing, just like having the perfectly appearing skin - I want to share my successes (Lord knows, I don't have many of those these days, lol) with my friends here and elsewhere, and a picturesque whole bird that looks like a Normal Rockwell thing is... I guess something of a source of pride.

Ok, there's my confession - I'm neurotic. I want to cook a whole bird, but my really biggest problem is tying them for hanging. I just can't get them right, I've tried numerous times. It really pisses me off, too. Videos, tutorials, step-by-step walkthroughs... I just can't seem to get it right.

[RonB]

You should Hang Them High. Of course, For a Few Dollars More you can do whatever ya want.

I don't have a drum cooker, so I can't comment on that, but I can comment on the rest.

I don't tie the bird. I know lots do, but tying holds the legs and wings close to the body and makes the cook take longer because heat has to penetrate through the legs to reach the breast. Not tying also allows the thighs, legs, and wings to come up to temp faster too, and they can take the heat if the breasts are lagging behind.

I separate most of the skin from the carcass. I just leave enough attached to hold it in place, and you can put herbs that are in larger pieces under the skin to help hold the skin off the carcass. Moving the skin away from the carcass helps with crisping.

I cook indirect in my kettle as hot as it will go which normally gives me a temp of ~ 450° at grate level, but I am normally cooking just 1 or 2 pieces unless it's wings. I pull at 158° and with carryover, they will normally go to ~ 165°. This usually gives me very crisp skin - sometimes crispy like potato chips, but moisture will soften the skin quickly. I do sometimes remove the cooked skin to keep it crisp.

You could also remove the skin and cook it separately, but it does shrink if ya do that.

My last chicken cook:

[Huskee]

Wow what a delicious picture!

[jecucolo]

A few years ago I watched a SNS video of wings. He used a mixture of 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour,2 Tbsp Baking Powder, 1 Tbsp Salt to get a crisp skin. I started using it on my chicken with good success. I do this instead of salt during the dry brine.
I always cut my chicken in half and most of the time I dry brine it over night. Then I use BBB rub. I lift the skin up leaving it attached to one side and season the meat first and then put the skin back on. I then season the skin with BBBR. I think the key to crispy skin and moist meat is high temperature cook. I cook it around 350 - 375. I always hang the halves!
The PBC sells poultry /turkey hangers. I bought them and used them a couple of times but I get better results cutting chicken in half.

To me the skin is important because it keeps the chicken moist. I usually pull the chicken when the breast reaches 160/165.

It is always moist and delicious!

[Sid P]

Meathead recommends cutting them in half and doesn’t tie, which has worked fine for me. This pic is from his book.

[jfmorris]

I like doing split chickens more than I do spatchcocking them. Makes them easier to manage on the cooker, and I can fit more chickens into the grill that way...

[N227GB]

This is what I always did in my PBCj.


Posted from my phone.

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Also hook them from the inside, and have the point under the wing for support.

[WI Bubba]

I have one of these, and it works well in the 22" WSM.

[jecucolo]

Me too, but it’s from pbc.

[Jerod Broussard]

I hook under the clavicles and then remove them before carving. I leave whole. I like to run 375-400.

[jecucolo]

Do you use 2 hooks on a whole bird?

[Jerod Broussard]

jecucolo yeah, and on turkey

[realdocBBQ]

I guess I just need to get over my desire to cook them whole. <sigh> I love spatchcocking birds, it definitely helps them cook easier AND easier than heck to carve them up once they're done - but it just takes a lot more space, so I can't really do them in the drum that way.

I guess I could do them in the offset, I'll have plenty of room to spatch them and be able to cook them hot as well, on the upper rack. And can do a couple racks of ribs on the lower rack. I just... want to find a good way to use my drum for them, too.

Maybe I'll try the hanging half birds this time and see how it goes. It's chikkin, I guess. It ain't runnin' a nuclear reactor or curing cancer in a lab. lol

[Spinaker]

I cut them in half and hang them. That always works really well for me. I like to put a good, thick BBQ rub on there or Meathead's Simon and Garfunkel Rub and then let it rip.

I wet brine mine and just leave the skin on. I apply the rub under the skin and then a good dusting on top as well. You can see the rub under the skin below.

I typically run my PBCs at 350-400 for chicken.

I understand the desire to cook them whole, but spatchcocking offers much more even cooking in my experience.

[jfmorris]

This picture almost makes me think I *NEED* a PBC... . Unless I find one of those $150 PBX's though, I'll have to keep on with my current set of grills and smokers...

[N227GB]

jfmorris Yes, you need a PBC.

Posted from my phone.

[sarredon]

That’s a fine looking bird! I also like that global knife.

[Smoker_Boy]

I have a 18" WSM.
I leave mine whole and just lay it on the top grate @ 325 or so.

The skin is nice and crispy.

I never understood the "cut them in half" thing.

[realdocBBQ]

Well, part of why I want to hang them is to do multiple chikkins at once. If I were going to spatch, I could do multiples on my offset.

[Smoker_Boy]

realdocBBQ - Ah, good point. Kinda missed that part.

Like how I didn't address one single thing of your post in my reply??

[jfmorris]

On my 22" kettle or kamado, I can grill 2 to 3 spatchcocked chickens, but 4-5 if I split them, as I can Tetris more chicken halves onto the cooking grate. I've done it when cooking for a crowd. Prior to serving I'll split a few of the halves into quarters for those that can't eat half a chicken... the leg quarter separates easily once cooked.

[sarredon]

I’ve done it legs down with a hook going through the neck hole into the breast, also capturing some rib. Its worked well for me. Here’s a picture and a link to the thermoworks website which kind of demonstrates it.

https://blog.thermoworks.com/hanging-whole-smoked-chicken/

[realdocBBQ]

Pretty sure this is how I did it last time. I got 4 on there, but it was a little tight (I buy big chikkins).

[shify]

I'm not sure why a halved chicken would be less juicy than a whole one. If anything, I feel like its more juicy and evenly cooked when you have even heat on all sides vs. the cavity to deal with.

I've cooked them whole, spatchcocked and halved on the PBC but more often than not I halve them and I do that primarily because its just easier to manage the process, dry brining, hanging and carving when not dealing with a whole bird. And the hanging process is especially easier when cooking more than one bird. I hang legs down with a hook(s) through the breast regardless of if they are whole or halved

[au4stree]

Split ‘em and hang them. I’m not sure the bone that runs through the bird, but the breast is pointed up with the leg and thigh pointed down. Mine always come out juicy, little less than when I skip dry brine. But the PBC cranks it out perfectly. If I let it go with lid in place, it’s about 275-290°. If I crack the lid, about 325-340°.

High/quick cook = juicy flavorful bird.

[Huskee]

I too have always hung splits, flat grated spatchcocked.

[JimLinebarger]

+1

[DumpsterFireBBQ]

I'm on Team Split'em and Hang'em.

[HawkerXP]

Cook whole or split in half for us on the PBC also.

Spatchcock is what happened to the chicken when he tried to cross the road.