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Smoked vs Roasted Chicken Help

Chemical Eggineer
Chemical Eggineer Posts: 26
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I really love the smoked chicken available from a local restaurant, so I wanted to cook some on my large egg. After searching recipes, I found spatchcock, beer butt, roasted and smoked recipes that all differed vastly. People also disagree over whether smoke is necessary. I personally LOVE the smoke flavor in chicken, but I don't know if smoking wood is necessary to achieve it. I want to do several whole birds for dinner for five and have some leftovers to pull for pizza toppings the next day. I'm going for a healthy smoke flavor without drying out the meat. Suggestions/recipes?

Comments

  • Richard Fl
    Richard Fl Posts: 8,297
    Not sure what size BGE you have, but if that we for me to do on my large I would do indirect, 375-400 about an hour and do spatchcock 2 birds on each layer. Rotate top to bottom birds after 1/2 hour. Spritz every 20 minutes or so. with 1/3 each apple cider vinegar, apple juice and water. Regarding smoke, I like apple with poultry or guava. Careful the birds will pick up lots of smoke and your guests may not be as enthusiastic as you regarding smoke. If going to put sauce on them I would do the last 15 minutes or so. Cook to temp 160F breasts 175 things/legs. about 1 hour or little more. You might consider cutting the birds in half length wise after removing the backbone as they will fit better on the grill.
  • It's a large egg. Do you bother brining the chicken ahead of time? I'd hate to open the egg 4-5 times during a 1 hour cook, and I wonder if brining might help maintain enough moisture to avoid having to spritz.
    Thanks for the help.
  • Richard Fl
    Richard Fl Posts: 8,297
    Some brine I do not. Open about 45 minutes into the cook and spritz and check temp.
  • Gator Bait
    Gator Bait Posts: 5,244
     
    Hi C.E., Richard is spot on, he really know his egging. I wouldn't worry much about opening the egg, reading his recipe it's all part of the plan. The egg retains heat very well and recovers quickly. I agree with him on going easy on the smoke wood. Chicken sucks up smoke like a sponge and it is very easy to over do it, and I like smoke too. I find sausages can also suck up the smoke also.

    Welcome to the forum and happy egging.

     
  • tach18k
    tach18k Posts: 1,607
    I do chicken all the time, I do like a little smoke with mine. I did two hole chickens at 250 for about 3 hours or so, came out real nice and juicy. doing them slow has it trade off with the skin.
  • Thanks for the advice. Seems like the best idea is to try everything and see what I prefer. I'm going to spatchcock and split two chickens to make 4 halves. I will brine 2, then cook both a brined and unbrined breast both directly as well as one of each indirectly. Will keep temps and smoke level the same, see which I prefer, and then adjust from there on the next cook.
  • tnels
    tnels Posts: 75
    You can never go wrong using a simple brine. It's like an insurance policy, you may not need it, but it's nice to know you've got the moisture covered.
  • your biggest problem with BGE chicken is that you will maybe think it is TOO moist.

    spritzing isn't necessary for anything but maybe added flavor.

    forget about drying out food. those days are over. it's nt going to happen unless you overcook the meat. that's the only way meat will dry out anyway. you've never had dry but still underdone chicken, right? :laugh:

    get a thermometer, and take the breast to 160-165. i like the darker meat at 190 (wings 200-205). the darker meat i think firms up better at higher temps.

    just don't take the breast meat past 170-175