Whole chicken

mike · October 2001

Just purchased a BGE last week and love it. Cooked a 7 3/4lb whole chicken for approx. 3 hrs at 300 degrees and it was great but had a couple concerns whether the whole bird was completely done. I guess I'm use to dry over-cooked chckens/turkeys.
My concern was in that the meat around the bone was pinkish vice dark. The meat fell off the bone nicely but it just didn't look like what I was use to. The white meat tasted great. I used a meat thermometer and it was approx. 168 deep in the meat. Any words of wisdom or reassurance would be appreciated.
New BGE owner

Shelby · October 2001

Mike,
Congratulations on your wise investment and welcome here.
The pinkish color is a result of the smoking process.
I'm sure others will comment more fully but that's the short answer. Internal temp was right on target.
Enjoy!

char buddy · October 2001

Mike,[p]I used to have the same worries. Was the pink from smoke, or did it mean the chicken was underdone? If I got a read of 168 like you did, I would have to know whether the thermometer was in the leg/thigh part of the chicken or in the brest. It it were in the leg/thigh, the chicken was probably done - or at least the dark meat was done - target temp there equals 170. If it were in the brest, then there is a chance that the chicken was a little underdone at least in the brest. Some folks on the web like to take the brest off at 170 because it increases the chances that the brest will be moist, but when I did that my chix were usually underdone in the leg/thigh. [p]Lately, I've been doing jerk chickens over a low heat (225-250) and I like to let a three to four pound bird cook for five hours or more until the brest temp gets to 175 - 180. At low temps the chicken seems to cook a bit like a pulled pork. It quickly gets up to 140 in a hour or two, then it moves very slowly to 175 for a couple of more hours. The brest comes out moist and the leg and thigh come off the bone nicely. I get a really nice smokey flavor off a pecan chunk or two. [p]Good luck.

Gretl · October 2001

Mike,
If the meat was falling off the bone, sounds like it was done. I've had the pink color as result of smoke. Recently, I've been using someone's suggestion of tossing an onion on the coals while roasting chicken or turkey. Man, does that smell good and it does add a bit of smoke. We would rather err on the side of overdone rather than undercooked poultry and have found that it's actually difficult to dry out a beer butt bird. Even left in the Egg too long results in moist meat and great flavor.
Cheers,
G.

Big Murth · October 2001

Mike,
Just prepped a five-pounder for tonight's cook on a Chicken Sitter. Simple procedure consisted of rubbing inside the cavity, under the skin, and over the skin with some Mojo Rub, courtesy of Knight's BBQ (of Montana!), and spritzed the outside with PAM olive oil spray, and in the frig til cookin' time. I will cook this indirect with a plate setter, at about 325, and Willie's Chicken Sitter will be filled with about 8oz. of Dos Equis Beer, some chopped roasted green chile and about a half an onion, chopped too.
Mesquite chips have been soaking since last night. No Polder, just two hours and perfection!! Hopefully, not famous last words......but I can tell you that in my less than a year of Egging, a chicken on a vertical roaster or on a Sitter (for Beer Butt Birds) is usually foolproof, and absolutely delicious no matter how you prepare, spice and flavor, etc. Bon Eggetit!!!!!!!!! Big Murth

Unknown · October 2001

Shelby,
I would have to disagree. The pink color is from the smoke if it's on the outer layer of the meat. When it's on the bone, the poultry is probably not quite done.[p]Kermit

Citizen Q · October 2001

Mike,
My wife gets real scared when I Egg a whole bird, she thinks that the pink meat is some sort of omen of her impending death. So I leave the polder in to show her that I've hit the proper temp and make her push a little to make sure it's not touching bone, then have her watch while I slice into it and set the CLEAR juices to running. If you're hitting 168 and the meat is falling off the bone, you have achieved what I like to refer to as success. The pinkish color is from the smoking process and the moisture retention propeties of the Egg.[p]Peace and Good Q

Spin · October 2001

Mike,[p]I often see the pink (even dark red) in the meat along the bones in the thigh, even with whole birds I've cooked to 200° internal meat temperature. The smoke tends to color bird meat strangely, not producing a "ring" of coloring from the outside in.[p]If the juices run clear, the bird is done. Cooking to a slightly higher internal meat temperature (165°F in the breast or 180°F in the thigh) will do little to dry the meal and provide a doneness comfort buffer for you. Making sure that the entire bird is of equal temperature prior to starting the cook is important for proper cooking. No offense intended; I was very short on time and once started with frozen cornish hens. Thawed them in hot water and pumped them into the Egg as soon as they were cool. The thighs were much colder than the rest of the bird resulting in the thighs not being cooked to doneness while the rest was done nicely.[p]Welcome to the family and forum and congrats on your cook. It seems you have accidentally posted using another forum members name. Search the visitor profiles to view existing "handles" and I encourage you to create your own unique one so we all can know you for who you are.[p]Spin[p]

char buddy · October 2001

Spin,[p]Thanks for those temps. I've been posting the wrong temps - 170 in the leg/thigh, 180 in the brest. I just looked through Raichlen and he says it should be 180 in the leg/thigh. [p]So now I have a question. If I wait for the leg/thigh to get to 180, won't the brest go past 165? If so, should I go with the brest at 165, or the leg/thigh at 180?[p]

Spin · October 2001

char buddy,[p]I have had the same question, but never two polders to experiment with :-(. When I do use a polder, I always monitor the thigh meat temperature (just to err on the safe side).[p]Mostly I cook without an internal temperature gauge, trusting the bird is done when it "shakes hands" loosely. I also like to use lower cooking temperatures (250-300°F) and longer cooking times on whole birds as I feel the result is juicier.[p]Spin[p]

char buddy · October 2001

Spin,[p]Lots like we're travelling on the same journey. I am now addicted to cooking whole birds, long and low. I was shooting for 180 in the brest and the birds still turned out alright. I can't wait to do one with the probe in the leg/thigh and going for 180 there. [p]Lately, I've been trying out different kinds of jerk recipes. I have a Jamaican buddy who's been coaching me on "real island" jerks.
Thanks for all the good advice.[p]

Big Murth · October 2001

Spin,
I threw in yesterday with my approach to doing a Beer Butt Bird, and following my own prescription, screwed up royally:
I let the bird go for two hours at an average of 325, and it came out dry!! First time ever, and I just wanted to share my experience. Should have checked the temp with either an instant read or used my Polder, or....cooked it at a lower temp. Big eggspert I am. Live and learn!! Everything was right, except for overcooking. Chicken Jerky, yuck! Big Murth

Spin · October 2001

char buddy,[p]I'd love for you to share your jerk recipe! I'm willing to wait if it is not quite ready;-).[p]Spin

Spin · October 2001

Big Murth,[p]We all have our share of cooks that we wouldn't desire to post ;-}. My very worst cooks were when learning homemade pizza. I started out with slightly burnt and uneven cooks. Very encouraging. I then created dozens of steel manhole covers with each of them better hardened than the one before. I threw them onto the back yard where the animals (we have many visitors) would eat them. They didn't. I think I saw an ant trail run around one. I picked them back up as I was afraid they would harm the mower blade.[p]I've made a few mistakes :-). Thanks for sharing and best to you and yours.[p]Spin

The Naked Whiz · October 2001

Mike,
You could consider spatchcocking your chicken to get it to cook faster and with less worry about getting the insides done. Visit my website for details if you like. Note that my times are for 4-5 pound birds. I'm not sure what time you would use for an 8 pounder. I'm sure someone here has experience. [p]TNW
[ul][li]The Naked Whiz's webpage[/ul]

Whole chicken

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