advice on chicken

Unknown

cooked a whole chicken today. used mesquite chips and NO ONE liked it. i used Chef Paul's Prudommes BBQ seasoning on it.
it seemed to have an odd flavor. am a new egg user and not sure i did the right thing. need major help........

mad max beyond eggdome

lisalisa,
was their complaint that it was too smokey/strong tasting? or not moist enough? over done?. ...[p]chicken is like a smoke sponge... mesquite is awfully strong stuff for chicken in some people's mind. . .[p]if the chicken was done to your liking from a moistness standpoint. . .try doing it again, but with no extra wood, just the lump. .. look at the naked whiz's site (www.nakedwhiz.com) for his spatchcock chicken recipe. ... follow that one to a 't' and you'll impress your guests for sure next time. ..

Car Wash Mike

<p />lisalisa,[p]Mesquite is to harsh of a wood for chicken. Try little amounts of apple or cherry wood.
I do the beer butt method direct at 350 degrees.[p]CWM

RRP

lisalisa, whole chicken..how? cut in pieces? or beer butt method or a splatcocked? Personally mesquite MUST be an acquired taste, because other than Lawn Ranger tool handles I wouldn't walk across a room for that particular wood to use for smokeing.

Unknown

lisalisa,[p]That's not much info to go on. What were the times and temps? How big is your chicken? (Feel free not to answer that, as in many countries this is a sign of wealth and in some third world countries, this can take on a whole new meaning. Remember, hand size is pan size, and that might be enough to go on. If people insist on knowin the particulars about your chicken size, I'd be leary about giving exact dimensions, and if they ask how big of a pan you have, well I'd probably not answer that and change my address. The last thing you want is some strange man coming to your door with extra large pans, asking to see your chicken)[p]Now, a lot of people won't use any smoke at all on their chickens, claiming it soaks it up like a sponge, so maybe that's your problem, you've been smoking your chickens too much.[p]Did you slow smoke it? I personally find a lot of enjoyment in slow smoking chickens, but that's just me, and I eat the gum off the bottom of my shoe when I visit the big city, so take it with a grain of salt. That being said, we really do need more info on what exactly you did to this poor chicken to make people not like it![p]StumpsUncle

Fearless Flatlander

lisalisa, I use a small chunk, of apple, fit into a 1/4 cup measure. One thing I picked up on the forum, after meat reaches 140 degrees smoke is no longer absorbed, it will put a layer of smoke on the outside of the meat that can taste bitter. Also if your guests are not used to a smoke flavoring they might not like it. Same thing as maple syrup, people have not had it before, but they think it must be great, then they don't like it. Finally check out the archives and look into spatchcock chicken. Cooks easily. Don't get discouraged, I have had my egg for two months, my first chicken was terrible. Read the forum and cook, cook, cook. I use the my egg three to four times a week, chicken, pizza, ribs, standing rib, stew, and amazing baked beans. Enjoy and welcome to Eggland. Fearless.

WooDoggies

lisalisa,[p]Like everyone has mentioned, it probably was the mesquite chips.... I think mesquite gives chicken a funky flavor. [p]If you are new to cooking with lump or cooking with a lump you've never tried before, try cooking first without any added wood. It will help you get a feel for how much smoke flavor the lump alone will impart to the chicken.... which is usually enough for my tastes.
If you want added smoke, try a little fruit wood to start.... they tend to be a bit milder.
Good luck![p]John[p]

Adrian B.

lisalisa, I think everyone is right about the mesquite. It is definitely an acquired taste. Try just the lump charcoal for a great flavor next time, then maybe throw some other woods in the next few times to test. I like Jack Daniels whiskey barrel chips with my chicken (also an acquired taste) or hickory. I haven't tried any fruit woods yet, so I'll leave that advice to the masters.

Mark Backer

vr6Cop,[p]I have been tentative with the stronger woods like mesquite and hickory. I have enjoyed the apple, pecan and alder quite a bit though. Especially the pecan.[p]my two cents worth...

eggor

lisalisa,[p]just one last thing you should know is that it's very important to have a well established fire, there are some pretty nasty stuff coming off fresh lump that hasn't had a chance to burn off. it doesn't show so much with beef but poultry takes take on a lot of what it's exposed to. ham, turkey, fish, chicken and breads all need 'blue smoke', if the egg is churning a lot of smoke right after lighting it let it burn off, don't rush into it just because it's up to temp.[p]Scott

Trouble

lisalisa,
I did the same thing with one of my first chickens, except it was a fruit wood. Poor bird ended up tasting like a twig off a cherry tree. Yuk.[p]Now I use just BGE lump on all poultry. The poultry takes up wonderful flavor from whatever you rub on and place in the bird. I usually stuff some celery and onion pieces in there, maybe a lemon or apple. Keep it simple to start with.[p]One thing I would add to the other posts is that even the lump can impart quite a smokey flavor. If you want less of that kind of flavor and more of the rub and stuffing flavor, be sure your fire is well established. Don't let it soar to any high temps or anything, just give it time for enough of the lump to be past that really smokey phase it goes through early on.[p]Keep trying--the BGE is tremendous with poultry and you'll find the right way to do it for your taste. Welcome.[p]Joyce