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First chicken breasts...how to cook?

njl
njl Posts: 1,123
edited August 2012 in EggHead Forum
Branching out some more, I figured I'd try boneless/skinless chicken breasts on the egg today.  I've had them marinating in a sesame garlic marinade since late this morning.  From some searching, I'm figuring 300F dome, somewhere around 15min per side until 165F IT.  Should I go indirect?

Comments

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    edited August 2012
    I do them raised direct at around 350*F on the dome til around 160*f-flip once-they usually take around 25-35 mins and are very moist.  Enjoy-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • I was going to do some breasts this week too but I was going to flaten them out with a tenderizing malot, marinate them a few hours, and then quick sear 'em over hot flame. In my mind it's gonna be awesome.
    LBGE, Weber OTG w/ Rotisserie, Weber Genesis S-330, Chargriller Duo, AR-15, AK-47
  • SMITTYtheSMOKER
    SMITTYtheSMOKER Posts: 2,668
    edited August 2012

    I go direct at 325 until 160 internal, rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

     

    -SMITTY     

    from SANTA CLARA, CA

  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    I don't have the hardware to go raised direct.  The fire is lit...and the plate setter just went in.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Lose the platesetter. You want to grill them, not bake them
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Baysidebob
    Baysidebob Posts: 489
    Lose the platesetter. You want to grill them, not bake them
    What he said.  And it goes quick.  No sit back and suck them down.
    My actuary says I'm dead.
  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    Ok...plate setter removed.  Just trying to stabilize the dome temp now before starting them.
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    Lose the platesetter. You want to grill them, not bake them
    Exactly! Today ours will be souvlaki style, marinate for less than an hour, covered on the counter, put it on a stick and then direct cook. On my medium I find about 400-425 dome works just fine. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    Finally done.  I don't know if my dome thermo needs calibrating, or if these were just big, but even with being left out of the fridge an hour before I cooked them, it took nearly 40 minutes at mostly around 350F to get these up in the low 160s.  They're foiled on the counter now while some vegies warm up.
  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    Result: not bad.  I was a little disappointed after reading some people saying chicken breast from their egg is the juiciest they've ever had.  I've cooked juicier.  It wasn't even terribly tender.  It wasn't bad.  I mean I could serve it to guests and not feel bad about it...but I had such high expectations.
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    It's all about the journey-and learn as you go.  You may want to check your thermo-gotta have some sort of good temp reference to know what's happening on the inside.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023
    If you get a way to do raised direct in the future, don't be afraid to run your dome temp up to 400* and pull at 157-160 to rest.
  • Were you constantly opening the dome to look? If so that is bad.
    LBGE, Weber OTG w/ Rotisserie, Weber Genesis S-330, Chargriller Duo, AR-15, AK-47
  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    Not constantly.  I gave them 10 minutes, flipped them, gave them 10 more minutes, removed and thermopen'd, put back in for 4 minutes at a time, checking temp, and flipping if not done.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    edited August 2012
    Sounds like you baked them. Not sure why
    No need AT ALL for a raised gride with chicken. Helps, but not at all req'd

    If you kept the platesetter in, you used the air to cook them. All that time in the draft is basically hitting them with a hairdryer. Constant 400 degree draft. Thin meat. Tendency to dry

    Grilled direct, taken off at 155-160, will take only ten minutes or so and will be juicy

    Would you have cooked these in your oven? Not likely. But that's what the egg essentially was if you used a platesetter.

    Thin meat? Grill it. Steaks, fillets of fish, thin breasts. Big hunk of meat? Slow roast it

    Grilling a roast is bad. Roasting a steak (a breast is nothing more than a chicken steak) is just as bad
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Well, I have had great results doing them indirect (baked) with the plate setter. Sometimes I like a nice bit of rub on them that forms a little crust. Always juicy when I do this...400 dome, have a glass of wine and check the internal temp
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    Sounds like you baked them. Not sure why No need AT ALL for a raised gride with chicken. Helps, but not at all req'd If you kept the platesetter in, you used the air to cook them. All that time in the draft is basically hitting them with a hairdryer. Constant 400 degree draft. Thin meat. Tendency to dry Grilled direct, taken off at 155-160, will take only ten minutes or so and will be juicy Would you have cooked these in your oven? Not likely. But that's what the egg essentially was if you used a platesetter. Thin meat? Grill it. Steaks, fillets of fish, thin breasts. Big hunk of meat? Slow roast it Grilling a roast is bad. Roasting a steak (a breast is nothing more than a chicken steak) is just as bad
    Words to cook by. Our Chicken on a stick, souvlaki, one breast per 10" skewer, direct, at dome 450F,  cooked in <8 min. 


    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    Well, I have had great results doing them indirect (baked) with the plate setter. Sometimes I like a nice bit of rub on them that forms a little crust. Always juicy when I do this...400 dome, have a glass of wine and check the internal temp
    Have done this as well, then realized; rub, Shake and Bake, panko, it is all the same thing. Rub is great on the whole bird, or split bird or on grilled breast. 
    As noted above, temp at least 400F, maybe even up to 450F to get that crust. At 350, the breasts will be drier and chewier. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    I like to ound out my chicken breasts to a uniform thickness before I cook them. Uniform thickness = uniform cook. Direct at 400, takes about 16 minutes, pull at 160.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings