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I have cooked hundreds of chickens and many, many turkeys.....

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    I have cooked hundreds of chickens and many, many turkeys.....

    Memorial Day this year was my first whole packer brisket. I had cooked a HOF once before that was marvelously trimmed by Swift or some other meat packing giant down to about 3 lbs. After sawing and chewing my way through one meal, I made chili con carne out of it, after very finely chopping it. Today's event was noteworthy, worth sharing, because it was enjoyable.

    So now you know a couple slices of my life, and that I cook a lot of chicken. Don't we all? I think chicken is a universal food, cooked and eaten all over Planet Earth. Even our pet’s diets are primarily chicken. Thank you, Meathead, for Simon and Garfunkel rub.

    I turned 64 recently and I have been cooking since I was 18, way back in 1970. Most of those years include cooking over charcoal or campfires or both. I have fond memories of keyhole shaped campfires where the little keyway got filled with glowing embers, a small grate was placed over and the cooking was lovingly accomplished.

    As for now and most likely many years in the future, home is in Wisconsin, a stone’s throw from the Southern Kettle State Park area. I take my dog swimming at Ottawa Lake regularly.

    So here’s how I cook (and romance my sweetheart of 40 years)….First I must mention my indoor workhorse, my Maytag electric range, oven, and broiler…….3 types of heat all wrapped up in one package. Also used 365 days a year! Even here on a smoking/grilling website we should pay some homage to this important item in all of our lives.

    Next up, and tied for second place, is my Weber Gold 22.5 inch grill, paired for a couple of years now with a Smokenator. I should mention that over the years I have had to replace the charcoal grill twice. One wore out in 5 years. It was just a cheap square covered grill that was a wedding present. The other was my first Weber 22.5 inch kettle that took 30 years for me to wear out. The bottom rusted out and it lost a leg on account of it. Sad passing….but not quite as bad as losing a dog.

    Also tied for second place is my Weber Q100 rigged for a full size propane tank. It is perched on top of a wooden bench that I designed and built for it with a shelf underneath for two full size propane tanks.

    So how does Jay Leno decide which car to drive? I’m glad I don’t have to face that decision. But I do have to decide what method to use to cook what we eat. Generally, if I can cook on one of the grills, I will. Since home is in Wisconsin, my Maytag gets the mother lode during the winter. Oh yeah, I also have a crock pot and a Dutch oven. As for the rest of the cooking year, most flat or round meats go on the Q100. Examples being burgers, chops, brats, chicken thighs or breasts.

    The Weber Gold, with or without the Smokenator is used for roasts like whole chickens (I also have the rotisserie equipment.) turkeys, pork loins or tenderloins, beef sirloin tips……On my Bucket List is to rotisserate a duck or two.
    I have also spatchcocked and smoked chickens and turkeys. It’s faster and less cleanup afterwards than rotisserie. But I have been around now for a few years and if I had to pick one or the other, rotisserie or spatchcocked and smoked….I’d choose BOTH. Life is not a competition where there is only one winner.

    I’ll go more in depth about today’s brisket on another page, more appropriate to brisketology.

    #2
    Welcome to The Pit Jim Grillman! Nice to have you here with us. Thanks for the great intro.

    Since this is your first post, please check out our homework assignment post for new members, it contains a few how-tos and please-dos. This will help you learn your way around so you can get the best experience from our forum.

    Also, it's very important that you add the domain AmazingRibs.com to your email safe list in case you are ever drawn as our monthly Gold Medal Giveaway winner!

    Hope to hear & see more from you!

    Comment


      #3
      Welcome Jim Grillman

      Comment


      • Jim Grillman
        Jim Grillman commented
        Editing a comment
        Thanks, DWC.

      #4
      Welcome to the Pit, Jim!

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        #5
        Welcome to the Pit! We are happy to have you here.

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          #6
          Jim Grillman I enjoyed your intro! Welcome aboard. See you around The Pit!

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            #7
            Any secrets to getting crispy skin on poultry?

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              #8
              Welcome to The Obsession! And welcome to The Pit!

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              • Jim Grillman
                Jim Grillman commented
                Editing a comment
                Thanks, CeramicChef!

              #9
              Welcome Jim Grillman from a fellow Wisconsinite (Port Washington).

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              • Jim Grillman
                Jim Grillman commented
                Editing a comment
                Thanks, CurlingDog!

              #10
              Originally posted by scottranda View Post
              Any secrets to getting crispy skin on poultry?
              I recently used the Cornell method of cooking chicken that Meathead has an article and recipe posted in his poultry section. One "pitfall" to avoid is placing the chicken over direct heat (at 150 degrees) without patting it dry. The oils and juices can flare up, causing an unpleasant oily smoke/steam flavor. Follow Meatheads recipe and add this trick. You should be quite satisfied.

              Here's a link to Cornell Chicken....http://amazingribs.com/recipes/chick...l_chicken.html

              Another method...if you are roasting a whole fryer or roaster, baste the skin with butter the last half hour or so.

              Thanks for asking, scottranda!

              Comment


              • scottranda
                scottranda commented
                Editing a comment
                Thanks!

              #11
              Welcome to the A train! Enjoy the ride from a fellow Wisconsinite. Lived in Waukesha Cnty for 23 yrs until I moved a little further north a yr & a half ago. Know your area very well, did a little ice fishing in & around, & take my canoe to Upper & Lower Genesee & other spots. Love the lake country!

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              • Jim Grillman
                Jim Grillman commented
                Editing a comment
                Thanks, Fireman!

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