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Finish temp on whole chicken

Powak
Powak Posts: 1,391
edited May 2016 in Poultry
I cooked my second whole chicken on the Egg tonight. It came out spectacular. Crispy skin, juicy meat and great flavor. My only gripe was some bloody veins on the back side of the chicken. Any remedies or methods of cooking to avoid this?

The process I used tonight was PSWOO2 with platesetter in, drip pan raised on aluminum foil balls. 6# Chicken, breast side up stuffed with an onion cut in 8ths and minced garlic. 400 degrees for about 75-80 minutes until chicken reached an internal breast temp of 165.

Comments

  • mrs_story
    mrs_story Posts: 136
    This information would be helpful to me, too!
  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    edited June 2016
    we add some stuff to the cavity, but over-stuffing (jamming) will cause it to take longer to cook, which always risks drying the breast meat.  even though the egg preserves a lot more moisture in an overcooked bird.

    red/purple joints are a result of the bird being immature.  most chickens reaching full size before their bones are fully ossified.  so even in an overcooked bird you will see what look like 'bloody' joints. 

    other than that, if it is truly blood, and juices aren't running clear, then it isn't done.


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  • NonaScott
    NonaScott Posts: 446
    From looking at the meat on the left hand side of the pic, it doesn't appear that the chicken is done. That meat looks nearly raw as does the skin.
    Narcoossee, FL

    LBGE, Nest, Mates, Plate Setter, Ash Tool. I'm a simple guy.
  • berndcrisp
    berndcrisp Posts: 1,166
    Temp is 165 for breast,  180 for legs and thighs.
    Hood Stars, Wrist Crowns and Obsession Dobs!


  • ColtsFan
    ColtsFan Posts: 6,310
    Another method and my personal favorite would be to spatchcock it. Crispy skin and cooked thru in 45 minutes to an hour 
    ~ John - https://www.instagram.com/hoosier_egger
    XL BGE, LG BGE, KJ Jr, PK Original, Ardore Pizza Oven, King Disc 
    Bloomington, IN - Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!

  • morrobayrich
    morrobayrich Posts: 104
    Never cook by time, only temperature.  Follow the temp given by Berndcrisp and splatchcock as noted by ColtsFan and you will be amazed at the results.  And yes, as noted by NonaScott, this chicken is almost raw.
    Morro Bay, CA
  • fljoemon
    fljoemon Posts: 757
    What was used to measure the temperature?
    LBGE & Mini
    Orlando, FL
  • NonaScott
    NonaScott Posts: 446
    Roasted whole chicken is my wife's favorite. In my seventeen years of marriage I've made at least a couple hundred of them. I've made them on my Weber kettle, on my Weber gasser, in the oven, in my old master built smoker and now on the BGE. I make them all the same way with the only variable being cooking temperature. Sometimes I do them at 250 with smoke, sometimes 350-375 with or without smoke. I've never stuck a thermometer in one to see if it was done.

    This is the way I do it on the egg. The set up is plate setter legs up, shallow drip pan(air needs to be able to circulate under the chicken), cooking grid. Season the chicken inside however you want.  Place a small cut up onion and 3 or 4 smashed garlic cloves in the cavity. Truss legs loosely with twine or don't. When egg is stable at the desired temperature, place the chicken on the grid with the legs facing the back opening of the plate setter and the whole chicken toward the back more than the front. Close the lid. The chicken is done when the leg moves easily in the joint and the breast is firm when pressed. At 5 lbs 250 is usually 3 to 4 hours or at 350-375 1.5 to 2 hours depending on how cold the chicken was to start with. @Darby_Crenshaw also covered this a couple of weeks ago in a low and slow chicken thread. You might want to check that out.
    Narcoossee, FL

    LBGE, Nest, Mates, Plate Setter, Ash Tool. I'm a simple guy.
  • Cooked raised direct at 375 and pulled off when internal temp is 160.  Let it rest for 10 minutes and was perfect!  Not bad for my second spatchcock chicken
    LBGE
    Oakland, ME
  • XLentEGG
    XLentEGG Posts: 436
    I started doing my " Roasted Whole " chicken in the Spatchcock position , regardless of cook temp , or heat type. This is because no matter how much my bird was done , i always had a puddle of pink liquid in the cavity. 
    More meat please !! :-)