? Pulled Chicken for Eastern Carolina BBQ (Newbie Cook #6)

bjeans · August 2017

I'd like to cook a chicken, shred it and serve with an eastern Carolina BBQ sauce I'd make or use one I bought.

Question: I wouldn't first put a rub on the chicken while cooking it, correct? The flavor would be from the lump and the vinegar sauce added when served? I have rubs that are great with chicken, just didn't want them to fight with the sauce if looking for that Carolina flavor. But what do I know.

And maybe a whole chicken indirect at 375ish with a drip pan on the plate setter?

Thanks! My first cook was with an empty egg, but if I count that one, this would be cook #7. Truth in Egging.

Beth

Mattman3969 · August 2017

If I'm goin to pull/shred I like to go low n slow. I think the texture you get from this style of cooking chicken is more suited for pulling. As for your rub if you want your sauce to be the main flavor I would just do SPOG.

Here LnS chicken I did that I think would work great for you. I didn't pull/shred it but it would have been easy to do.

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1202413/low-n-slow-chicken/p1

bjeans · August 2017

@Mattman3969 that looks beyond perfect, and I've been wanting to do a L&S anyway, though the problem is now I want some of that squash you made! Love Pineapple Head.

I haven't spatched a chicken but I think the butcher would do it for me. I have a PS Woo, so would put a drip pan on the plate setter. Thanks tons.

ETA Oops, no plate setter, raised direct.

Carolina Q · August 2017

If you're going to use eastern NC sauce, you might as well use a compatible rub. I use this on pork butt, but hey, why not. Warning... I've never done this with chicken. But here's a rub.
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/elder.htm#rubs

As for pulling it, cook to normal done temp for chicken and then throw it in the stand mixer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEX5coddlUs

Mattman3969 · August 2017

Here is a really good recipe for LnS chicken that got me started on this style of chicken. I generally skip the brine.

http://www.nibblemethis.com/2009/05/smoked-chicken.html?m=1

bjeans · August 2017

Mattman3969 said:

Here is a really good recipe for LnS chicken that got me started on this style of chicken. I generally skip the brine.

http://www.nibblemethis.com/2009/05/smoked-chicken.html?m=1

They're using indirect and your chicken/squash/cauli dinner used raised direct. Which do you prefer now?

Mattman3969 · August 2017

If I mop the chicken I like it raised about 3-4" above the gasket level(pswoo extender). I think the chicken fat and mop drippings hittin the coals and steaming bring a whole new level to the taste of the chicken. If your not goin to mop I'd probably just go indirect.

I also like oak or peach on my chickens. May use a little cherry for color only.

bjeans · August 2017

@Carolina Q oh, thanks for the Naked Whiz link to the NC BBQ page. I'd been skimming that site but hadn't seen that page. No stand mixer, but I wonder if those shred hand things are worth it. Otherwise forks R us.

Mattman3969 · August 2017

I use the shred hand thingies for beef,pork and chicken. Takes no time at all. Easy clean up. Forks work too just takes a lil longer. If you cook your chicken to 170 or so in the breast which should end up about 190ish in the thighs you can pretty much use your fingers to pull it. It will be a course pull but great for holding sauce.

SmokeyPitt · August 2017

bjeans said:

@Carolina Q oh, thanks for the Naked Whiz link to the NC BBQ page. I'd been skimming that site but hadn't seen that page. No stand mixer, but I wonder if those shred hand things are worth it. Otherwise forks R us.

Just my $.02 but I don't care for the claw things. A pair of gloves like these and I can have a butt pulled in about 45 seconds. I think for chicken these would be far better for getting the meat of the carcass.

JethroVA · August 2017

What Smokey said. You don't need claws to shred a chicken. You want finger control to get all the meat off the bones. I use really thick vinyl gloves to shred hot pork butt. Regarding spatchcocking a bird, just take a pair of sturdy sharp scissors and cut up each side of the backbone from tail to neck. Pretend you're a surgeon doing a spine transplant.

Carolina Q · August 2017

With the stand mixer, the meat can be pulled after cooking to a lower temp. Standard "done" temp is fine.

Mattman3969 · August 2017

One more pulled chicken for sammies. This was higher cook temp and indirect

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1155671/pulled-bbq-chicken-sammiches-with-peach-salsa-and-fresh-slaw#latest

bjeans · August 2017

Too many choices!

I get easily distracted - squirrel! - by lots of options. I guess I'll just have to try all them down the road. No hardship.

Re the gloves @SmokeyPitt they look terrific - I've been looking for some that can take heat and aren't big and clumsy. But are they huge? Generally gloves for men are too big unless they have different sizes.

As for making like a surgeon, @JethroVA, surrre, no problem, just another day at the office. I like the idea of vinyl gloves for pulling. I have 5 mil Nitriles, but not the thick black ones so many like. I didn't want those because I wouldn't know if my hands were covered with lump dust and I'd get it all over everything.

bjeans · August 2017

@Mattman3969 those peaches on the grill looked so good I'm afraid I'd eat them before they made it into the salsa. Time to hit the local farmers market.

SmokeyPitt · August 2017

bjeans said:

Too many choices! I get easily distracted - squirrel! - by lots of options. I guess I'll just have to try all them down the road. No hardship.

Re the gloves @SmokeyPitt they look terrific - I've been looking for some that can take heat and aren't big and clumsy. But are they huge? Generally gloves for men are too big unless they have different sizes.

As for making like a surgeon, @JethroVA, surrre, no problem, just another day at the office. I like the idea of vinyl gloves for pulling. I have 5 mil Nitriles, but not the thick black ones so many like. I didn't want those because I wouldn't know if my hands were covered with lump dust and I'd get it all over everything.

Another trick is to buy cheap cotton work gloves and then put nitrile gloves over them.
http://howtobbqright.com/2017/05/24/bbq-gloves-best-heat-resistant-bbq-gloves/

bjeans · August 2017

I'd stumbled across that video last week. So the cotton gloves inside the nitrile are just to add another layer when handling hot food once it's off the grill? And the high heat gloves are to grab food (but not the grid itself) when it's still on the grid?

At this point all I have is big BBQ mitts that I haven't worn, and 5 mil blue Nitrile. I was looking at BBQ gloves at an egg dealer but the fingers were way too long and would have made it difficult to work with.

So I've used tongs to move anything off of the egg.

? Pulled Chicken for Eastern Carolina BBQ (Newbie Cook #6)

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