Heard low temp smoked chicken is tricky but WANT some anyway. How does this technique/approach sound?

[big_mack]

I have done some searching here and read random threads and got some ideas on how to do this. I would like to try a low temp smoke from a pellet smoker impart a good amount of smoke flavor but still have it like it was cooked at 350F faster. I did one last week on the smoker at 350F in cast iron skillet and it was great. But looking for a bit more smoke flavor, some bark etc.

How does this look for a cooking method? Is it sound or does it need to be changed?

1. Cut whole chicken in to pieces.
2. Wet brine in pickle juice for 16 hours and then dry and leave in fridge for a day.
3. Simple salt and pepper rub
4. Smoke at 225F to 150F and remove
5. Make sure its dry and add a mix of baking powder and light dusting of flavored seasoning.
6. Finish on gasser in cast iron skillet with some duck fat (not sure about the fat at high heat since the smoke point is low).

[willxfmr]

The only way you'll know for sure is to give it a try.

How I did chicken on my old Camp Chef pellet pooper was to run a smoke tube filled with wood chips, and temp of 350°. The chicken itself was stood up vertically on a beer can type stand without the can. It would come out very juicy with a good, to me, smoke profile. If I remembered to dry brine the night before, and let the skin get good and dry in the fridge it was better, but I seldom think things out that far in advance.

[Rob whatever]

I’ve been looking at the same sort of cook. I say, go for it and let us know how it goes.

rob

[rickgregory]

That's too much work. All you really need to do is dry out the skin and render the fat at the end. You can smoke low and then simply remove the chicken crank the Chimp up to 375 and finish at that temp.

[texastweeter]

The baking powder does help though

[Jfrosty27]

Smoke to a temp you’re comfortable with snd sear the skin on the gasser directly on the grates. That works well for me.

[jfmorris]

I used to ALWAYS smoke chicken at 225 like I smoked everything else. Skin was usually throw-away, rubbery. I think even if you try to crisp it up at the end by moving to the gasser, the long cook at 225F just does something to the skin and it will be tougher even if you try and crisp it at the end with higher heat.

Now, one thought would be to finish it by literally deep frying it in hot oil at the end of the cook. I used to get wings at a place called Moe's that were really good, and they smoked the wings then fried them to make them crispy.

[big_mack]

I probably read one of your posts about smoked wings with a deep fryer at the end when doing searches today. I am not really setup for a deep fry right now.

[shify]

I vaguely recall hearing/reading/seeing about a bbq place that smokes and then fries their chicken, but not dredged, but can’t find it. I can attest it works for wings so I would assume it would work for chicken pieces too.

[Alan Brice]

Smoke originally, then finish in the CI.
Bap/Zing! Lard or tallow or goose grease

[Jfrosty27]

Of course there’s a kettle with vortex. But you don’t have that setup right?

[big_mack]

I do have a vortex on a kettle but I'm focusing on a my new pellet pooper right now. The kettle is in the back 40 right now.

[MBMorgan]

I have done some searching here and read random threads and got some ideas on how to do this. I would like to try a low temp smoke from a pellet smoker impart a good amount of smoke flavor but still have it like it was cooked at 350F faster. I did one last week on the smoker at 350F in cast iron skillet and it was great. But looking for a bit more smoke flavor, some bark etc.

How does this look for a cooking method? Is it sound or does it need to be changed?

1. Cut whole chicken in to pieces.
2. Wet brine in pickle juice for 16 hours and then dry and leave in fridge for a day.
3. Simple salt and pepper rub
4. Smoke at 225F to 150F and remove
5. Make sure its dry and add a mix of baking powder and light dusting of flavored seasoning.
6. Finish on gasser in cast iron skillet with some duck fat (not sure about the fat at high heat since the smoke point is low).

In reading your original post, it seems that your primary motivation is that you basically want to cook a chicken on your pellet smoker but you want a lot more smoke flavor than it would likely have if cooked at a "normal" skin-crisping poultry temperature of 350-400F. If that's the case, then I'd suggest a far simpler approach (pretty much as already suggested by rickgregory ).

Smoke it at whatever temp suits your fancy ... to a fairly low IT, then crank up your cooker to the very highest temperature that will finish the skin properly and quickly (so you don't dry out the meat) without scorching it. Personally, I'd suggest going at least as high as 400-425F for the last few minutes.

Edit: Pickle juice? Not sure about that ... but if you give it a try, let us know how it turns out.

[HawkerXP]

agree.

[DavidNorcross]

I always cook my chicken above 325. Tried at the lower temps but the skin just is not there. I dry the skin out with a paper towel, apply oil and salt and pepper and let it cook.

[big_mack]

thats what I did last week with my first Chimp cook. The skin was ok. Not all that great. there are a few tips in the archives to get good results with a low temp smoke and high temp finish. wet brine. baking powder. I'm going to try it just to see. maybe there is hope for the holy grail chicken.

[CanMooseSmoke]

I'm sitting here out back drenched the breasts in an olive oil, just to get that deep fried " like " skin on my chicken quarters and got her smoking at 225 for about 3-3 1/2 hour, with a nice dry spice rub to get that skin dried out and absorbing all those flavors. Paprika since it's so dry is a nice rub. First run at it, but the technique seems and sound about right to me in what I've read all over.

[rickgregory]

Ok, revisiting this... a recipe...

Add some salt and pepper to buttermilk. Stir to dissolve, add to a ziploc and then add the chicken. Marinate overnight. Next day, remove from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Smoke until 150F internal. Remove from the smoker and set aside. Then either crank the smoker to 425 and add them back in or finish in that temp range in a preheated oven.

NOTE: You don't want to just crank the pellet grill with the chicken inside as it will overcook on the way up and not have enough time at 425. What you want to do is to have it go from an internal temp of 150 to 165 (breast, dark meat a bit higher) all in the 425 heat to crisp the skin.

[rlozinak]

I dry brined the bird for 5 hours then on for 1 hour at 225. Then crank to 350 to finish.

[bmillin]

I might be a heretic, but here goes. For a mixed grill, I would often cook chicken and ribs low and slow and serve them them both sliced, individual ribs and sliced chicken w/o skin. Dry ribs, sauce on the side, some grilled veggies and no complaints.

If you need the skin to be crispy ignore this, if you are going to slice and serve consider it.