PBC chicken: halved on hooks or whole on hanger

[Belfagor]

PBC gets here today, I'm excited moslty about cooking whole chickens. Looking for opinions about halving chickens and hanging on them hooks or doing them whole on the poultry hanger-- advantges to one way over the other, time difference, etc. Thoughts?

[Panhead John]

Belfagor I don’t have the PBC but I do have the Bronco, both very similar cookers. I’ve done a 1/2 chicken and a whole chicken, both hung in my Bronco. I preferred the whole chicken myself. Here’s a link to a writeup I did on the whole chicken cook. Hope this helps. And congratulations on the new cooker! It’s always exciting when that truck pulls up with it.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...e-out%E2%80%A6

[Belfagor]

Thank you, PJ. I'm sitting by the front window waiting for the FedEx truck. Only sorry that I didn't have it for the pbc / bronco throwdown -- that would have been the proper way to break in a new cooker

[Steve R.]

I prefer to spatchcock them even if I'm going to hang them (back when I had a PBC, but I still do the same on my Bronco). I suppose at that point, you might as well cut them in half.

[shify]

Same - I cook them either spatchcock or halved. To your point, if you are going to spatchcock it, might as well just split in half just to make it that much easier to hang

[FireMan]

Hmmm. I am absolutely no help, cuz I’ve cooked my turkeys whole & halved my yard birds. So, I know not the differnce.

[MBMorgan]

I’ve done’em both ways and finally settled on half-chickens:



and whole ducks:



There’s no difference in the way they taste … so I’ll chalk it up to differences in presentation.

[Greygoose]

I always hang half chickens in the PBC,,,,,just the way I like doin it
then I cut them into portions for serving,,,

[MsTwiggy]

I also do half chickens because it's easier to hang them IMHO. I push the hook through the breast just under the bone and tuck the wing over the hook on front. I have a turkey hanger which I could use I suppose but when I cook chicken I always do at least 2 and I only have one turkey hanger.

[Murdy]

For you guys hanging your chickens whole, what do you hand them with?

[Steve R.]

3 pack for $20 seems pretty reasonable. Hooks are fine for most things, but those skewers would be better in some cases.

[Panhead John]

I’ve done shish kabobs on them twice, they’re great. Don’t have to turn em or rotate, EZ PZ.

[MsTwiggy]

Murdy if you have a home depot or lowes they both seem to carry the skewers in stock at least in Seattle.

[Belfagor]

And awaaaaaaay we go...

[jfmorris]

So shiny! I'm blinded!

Have fun!

[Panhead John]

I’ve never seen a more thorough, descriptive and useful tutorial on a cooker than fzxdoc ‘s.

[Belfagor]

And it was thorough without being wordy or drowned in unnecessary details

[cashelton]

I do both whole and halved. I find halved is easier to dry brine, apply rub under the skin and to work with post cook. Whichever one you choose, save the bones and make delicious chicken stock!

[Belfagor]

I think I have three ziploc bags of frozen stock ice cubes made from wingtips sitting in the freezer

[shify]

Finster - I keep the chicken backbones in my freezer solely to make stock for thanksgiving dinner + the turkey backbone as I spatchcock my turkey too. Rest of the year rarely have a need for bones or stock but worth the freezer space for the 3-4 qts of stock I need for turkey day stuffing, gravy, etc.

[jitsntricks]

shify I do the same but my family uses stock quite a bit in the fall and winter time. Chicken and dumplings is a family favorite of ours and it's just amazing with homemade stock. Same with zuppa! I'm actually going to make some stock tonight or tomorrow and reduce it a lot and put it in some bbq sauce I saw on Chud's bbq.

[MarkN]

I have one poultry hanger and if I have one chicken, I hang it whole. If I have more than one chicken, I halve them and use four or six hooks (you can do the math ). My taste buds can't tell the difference.

[Alabama Smoke]

OK, I have been cooking chicken on a PBC for about 5 years or so now. I have tried hanging them as half chickens. I have tried cooking half chickens on the grate. I have spatch cocked them and hung them on hooks and I have cooked whole chickens on the turkey hanger (it will hold 2 whole chickens, one on top of the other). it is slightly more difficult to brine or rub a whole chicken than one already cut in half, but not really a problem either. After cooking dozens of chickens, I finally cooked whole chickens on my turkey hanger.

Both my wife and I agreed, the future PBC chicken cooks have been and will continue to be whole and stacked on the turkey hanger. Best smoked chicken I have ever done.

[HawkerXP]

I like to hang them whole.

...,...,...!

[DTro]

I like to truss the bird and hang it whole on a skewer. They come out juicy and cook evenly, though it takes a bit longer. The bird keeps it shape too, and makes for a nice presentation.

[MsTwiggy]

I like to truss the bird and hang it whole on a skewer. They come out juicy and cook evenly, though it takes a bit longer. The bird keeps it shape too, and makes for a nice presentation.

That IS nice. Do you hang your chicken butt down? I have some skewers i'mma have to try this!! 🔥🔥🔥❤️🐿

[DTro]

Thanks MsTwiggy -Butt down. When cooking over just charcoal, no wood, you can put some aromatics in the cavity.