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Moist and Tender Chicken With a Crispy Skinned Exterior

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    #31
    I haven't made a science experiment out of it yet (I should) but I think a rotisserie is a very simple way to get moist chicken (or turkey) with nice skin. I use a Weber Genesis gasser with three burners. The burners run lengthwise. I turn off the middle burner and cook at a temp of 400-ish°F according to the built-in gauge (a sin, I know, but I've "calibrated" the results to the gauge temp). Whole birds get threaded on the spit rod, thighs and drum sticks go in a rotisserie basket (pork tenderloin is excellent in the basket, too). I do Huli-Huli chicken (thighs always) this way as well. My rubs vary. I sometimes baste with BBQ sauce at the end. Cook 'til the temp is right--whole chickens maybe 1 hour 30 minutes, thighs maybe 20-30 minutes, turkey about 10-12 minutes per pound (very rough times). A 16-ish pound turkey is as large as the grill will allow. Take 'er off and chow down. Have napkins ready.

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      #32
      Originally posted by HawkerXP View Post
      Looks nice, but 4 hours..........seems long.
      I know. The thermometer said it wasn't done until then, though.

      Comment


      • Huskee
        Huskee commented
        Editing a comment
        I suspect you close to a bone, at 325 it shouldn't take much over 90 minutes, 2 hrs max.

      • w12x40
        w12x40 commented
        Editing a comment
        In several subsequent attempts, I end up at right around two hours. I also got a better thermometer.

      #33


      What kind of grill/smoker do you use? Weber Performer w/gas start
      What do you do for humidity? Water Pan? None for hot & fast cook
      Do you dry brine, wet brine, or marinade? Dry brine and rub
      What temps do you cook at? ~ 350 for whole chicken
      What heat do you use (Conductive, Radiative, or Convective)? Convective
      What's your total cook time typically? 1 - 2 hrs, depending on size of the bird and the outside temps
      Do you use two zones, cook low and slow, cook hot and fast, start at one temp and finish at another? Yes, hot & fast for chicken
      Do you use any accessories? (e.g. Candy's onion holder) SnS
      Do you have a secret weapon? (e.g. Dr. Blonder's Baking Powder What kind of skin do you prefer? no skin, bite through but soft, crispy, don’t care... Nope and we prefer dry skin.

      Here's the prepped chicken.

      Dry-brined it last night and just rubbed some Memphis Dust, (doctored up with extra chipotle powder), under and over the skin. I'll put it in the SnS and will be breaking in the new Smoke thermometer. Will update this with the finished product later. Outside temps are in the 30's, (near Baltimore), it's bright, sunny and no wind. It's a small bird, ~ 5lbs, so I anticipate a fast cook.

      I roasted a couple heads of garlic last night, and will be making Meathead's garlic mashed potatoes and string beans. Gonna wash it down with some hoppy beer.

      Click image for larger version

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      Last edited by Skinsfan1311; January 15, 2017, 04:38 PM.

      Comment


      • David Parrish
        David Parrish commented
        Editing a comment
        I think you accidentally deleted all the photos. ;(

      • fzxdoc
        fzxdoc commented
        Editing a comment
        Looks great! How were the taste, tenderness and juicyness of the meat? I bet it was a delicious meal.

      #34
      Thanks fzxdoc! It tasted great, it was very tender & juicy.

      I was having so much fun goofing around with the new Smoke thermometer, that I didn't pay too much attention to the length of the cook. I'm guessing that it was ~ 1 1/2 hrs to hit 160 in the thickest part of the breast.

      Comment


        #35
        What kind of grill/smoker do you use?
        PBC
        What do you do for humidity? Water Pan?
        No water pan

        Do you dry brine, wet brine, or marinade?
        Dry brine with MMD - old recipe with salt. Usually only a few hours.

        What temps do you cook at?
        Never checked - full basket of KBB, about 12 minutes after lighting

        What's your total cook time typically?
        about 1 - 1 1/2 hours

        Do you use two zones, cook low and slow, cook hot and fast, start at one temp and finish at another?
        Never check temps on the PBC (use the "hand on the lid" method to make sure things are hot)
        I only have temp issues if it's extremely cold or raining.


        Do you use any accessories? (e.g. Candy's onion holder)
        Nope

        Do you have a secret weapon? (e.g. Dr. Blonder's Baking Powder)
        MMD

        What kind of skin do you prefer? no skin, bite through but soft, crispy, don’t care...
        I prefer crispy, flavorful skin - but this isn't real crispy. The chicken on the PBC is best I've ever had. The wife says the same. The only time she will eat white meat is if it was done on the PBC. I am going to try Kathryn's method of a single re-bar, and dry brining longer to see if I can crisp it up. May also cut the birds in half next time.



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        And last but not least any pics you have to post are much appreciated!
        Here is a pic of the last two birds I did.

        Comment


          #36
          I also have a PBC and it does excellent chicken.

          To get a crispy skin I will salt and rub 1-2 days before smoking and then put it in the refrigerator uncovered for 1-2 days elevated on a rack so the moisture can drip into a pan or plate. This drys out the skin considerably. Some people also add baking powder to the rub approx 1 tsp to 1 tbs of rub, which helps to dry out the skin as well.

          It makes little difference if you leave it whole or not except for a slight difference in cooking time.

          Most important is to make sure the PBC is running at 325 or above and you will want a digital temp probe to monitor the cooker temp hung at least 3" away from the product and about 8" down from the rebar.

          Not sure that this is going to the right post, but hope it is.

          Comment


          • Bob's BBQ
            Bob's BBQ commented
            Editing a comment
            Do you find you need to run with a single rebar to get that cook temp?

          • dt25dt
            dt25dt commented
            Editing a comment
            Hi
            Do you just triple hook it to get it hanging lower?

          #37
          Bob's BBQ yes and may also need to crack the lid as each PBC has their own sweet spot. The surest way to ensure you have the temp 325 or above is to use a digital probe for the barrel temp.

          Recommend that you run the single rebar diagonally and if you have a PBC turkey hanger the rebar fits nicely through the top hole of the turkey hanger.

          Comment


          • Bob's BBQ
            Bob's BBQ commented
            Editing a comment
            Thanks @Ischweig! I'll give it a shot.

          • Wando52
            Wando52 commented
            Editing a comment
            I did not realize the hanger fit on the rebar, what a great design. Thx for the info!

          #38
          SS Click image for larger version

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ID:	315135 As a kid started cooking chicken on 1/2 barrels over charcoal, 20 to a grid. Had this made because the new barrels burn out too fast. Chicken is 18" above the fire so grease flares are not much of a problem. Chicken is salted at the start and a few more times in the first hour. When the birds quit dripping it's basted with butter and pepper until done. Usually takes about 1 1/2 hours total. This is my favorite chicken recipe. Not a practical method for 1 or 2 chickens. Just ordered a Pit Barrel Cooker to see if the flavor is comparable. I am not a fan of wood smoke on poultry so this will prove interesting if it works.

          Comment


          #39
          I used to cook chicken for 200 people in the late '70s the same way, with steel boxes on the ground. (the charcoal was just poured in and lit on the ground) We could turn 20 chicken in one shot. We used to put bbq sauce on them by dipping them in a big pot of bbq sauce.

          Comment


          • Bruce Z
            Bruce Z commented
            Editing a comment
            Started the same way, corrugated metal roofing on its side held up by t-posts. Basted the chicken with a pump up sprayer. The last time I helped my Dad over 12,000 chicken 1/2's were served in one day. Manchester Michigan Chicken Broil started in 1954 still holds the barbecue every summer.

          #40
          I cooked my first whole chicken with the Slow N' Sear Low Profile not long ago. It was a never frozen chicken that I spatch-cocked, and then dry brined in the fridge for about 4 hours before the cook. I used only Montreal Chicken seasoning on the bird. The WSCGC was set up to run at 350 and I tossed in a couple of pieces of apple just prior to adding the bird. The bird cooked very even and all the skin was perfectly browned and crispy. The breast was nice and most and the dark meat was nice and tender as well. It was a bit of a guess on putting the legs/thighs towards the fire, so skill or luck this may have been the best grilled chicken I have ever eaten, just as good as any rotisserie chicken I've made. Click image for larger version

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          • EdF
            EdF commented
            Editing a comment
            Looks great!

          #41
          That looks like a beauty of a bird, Jim Doyle . I agree, the WSCGC does chicken well. If I didn't have a PBC, it would be my chicken go-to smoker. Sometimes I smoke chicken on the WSCGC/SnS/DnG setup anyway, and don't breathe a word to my PBC. It's all good!

          Kathryn

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            #42
            You rocked that chicken. Nice cook!

            Comment


              #43
              What kind of grill/smoker do you use?
              Camp Chef 24-inch Smoke Vault

              What do you do for humidity? Water Pan?
              No water pan

              Do you dry brine, wet brine, or marinade?
              Dry brine for ~2 hours

              What temps do you cook at?
              325-350 F

              What heat do you use (Conductive, Radiative, or Convective)?
              Convective

              What's your total cook time typically?
              ~2 hours

              Do you use two zones, cook low and slow, cook hot and fast, start at one temp and finish at another?
              Single temp, single zone

              Do you use any accessories? (e.g. Candy's onion holder)
              Nothing other than the Maverick ET-732 thermometer

              Do you have a secret weapon? (e.g. Dr. Blonder's Baking Powder)
              Not really. Usually just Simon and Garfunkel rub. We also like to throw a few fingerling
              potatoes in the drip pan and roast them up in the juices.

              What kind of skin do you prefer? no skin, bite through but soft, crispy, don’t care...
              We prefer crispy skin.

              And last but not least any pics you have to post are much appreciated!
              Here's a before and after picture from a couple of months ago. I usually spatchcock the bird, and smoke roast for no more than 2 hours at 325-350.
              1-2 chunks of oak or mesquite. This has been pretty much a sure thing recipe for very moist meat and crispy skin, with a great
              kiss of smoke. The potatoes are awesome.

              Click image for larger version

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                #44
                Huskee Could you make this thread a Sticky ?

                Comment


                • Huskee
                  Huskee commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Sure thing.

                • Mudkat
                  Mudkat commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Thanks!

                #45
                The resurgence of this post inspired my dinner tonight. It also reminded me that I never spent the time mastering chicken-which I said I would. Retaining moisture is never a problem on the Primo. In the past I’ve generally cooked the birds indirect. I haven’t been thrilled w the skin yet. Today I went direct. The temp was high 300s. Mostly around 385. This was a small 3lb bird. Spatchcocked and rubbed w garlic and fennel pollen. I didn’t use a thermometer. Just cooked it on the inside for 20 mins then flipped it to the skin side for 20-25 mins. Thermapened the breast - 168 and the thigh- 185 and pulled it. It was delicious. Meat was juicy. The skin was crispy. I could have left it even longer on the skin side. All in all it was happy with it.

                Click image for larger version

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