I am new to smoking and I bought a smoker that has the main grill with a firebox on the side. So I seasoned it some for 3 hours 3 days ago and today I decided to try it out. So what I smoked was a boneless skinless half of chicken breast for my wife and myself. I have a old weber that I burn the wood in for the coals and then transfer them to the smoker. I used some very dry cotton wood for the coals and once the smoker was hot enough I then added some apple and hickory chunks for the main smoke. It took me 3 1/2 hours to get the chicken breast to 165 with a meat thermometer. The outside of the chicken formed this thin layer on it that was a little chewey but had some very good smoke flavor to it. The chicken was very moist inside and I was very pleased with the results. I started out cooking at 250 degrees but for the last hour I cranked it up to 350 to get the chicken done. My question is does this sound normal to you guys. I was surprised at the thin layer that it formed on the outside of the chicken and was wondering if this was normal also. I forgot to add that I used a rub on both sides of the chicken and nothing else.
Chicken does that when you cook low and slow. A lot of people jack up the temperature at the end to crisp is up.
I got a similarly described unit last summer, but all I've tried smoking on it was Boston Butt .... I should try some other cuts and other meats. Glad you've pulled the trigger on the smoker! I think you probably did well.
Thanks Eric. I just do not know what is normal and what is not because of the lack in experience I have to admit the flavor was great and I did impress my wife for a first try. So that is good.
There's a great meat smoking forum out there...."Meat Smoking Forum?" I think that's it. Not nearly as user friendly as FHC. Tons of info tho.
Have a blast with your new adventure Mag Craft , how fun Not sure if I know the facts but thought I would pass it on, WWW used to use a wood smoker, he used to soak some of the lodgepole pine before he started and throw that in along with coals to keep to keep the heat down instead of just coals (we never did master coals with soft wood anywho) and let it go for many many hours. He also put a frozen concentrated can of juice & other stuff in a bowl inside the smoker with the meat too.
Hi WildWest. I really was able to control the heat pretty good with nothing but wood coals. Kind of like controlling the wood stove with your vents. I am pre burning the cotton wood because I am not really interested in the smoke from it and just want the heat and I have a ton of very dry cottonwood. I then add a little apple wood and hickory. It had a real nice flavor to it. You are correct this will be an adventure and a tasty one at that.
So Eric I was just over there at the Smoking forum that you mentioned and it seems that when smoking skinless chicken breast that it is normal for it to get that hard skin on it. That is what I was looking for. It seems that some of the guys prefer to smoke it with skin on to prevent that and then remove the skin when you eat it.
Not much fat on boneless skinless chicken breast, if you can smoke that with good results your golden.
Amazingribs is another great site for smoking tips and techniques. Mag Craft, a little experimentation on your part will make smoking fun. Even a mistake is a learning experience. Good luck and have fun.
Good call on only using cottonwood cut the heat, and eliminating the smoke from the cottonwood. I don't ever use any wood for cooking/ smoking that I don't like the smell of it's smoke. Where you're at, it's not like you have maple or cherry, or Hickory, or any fruit wood. Not without some effort at least.
Believe it or not here in Wyoming there is not a lot of good wood for smoking. Now that I know what woods could be good for smoking I will zero in on that and start putting out the word and see if I can come up with some. Other wise I have to buy it.
I think next time I will get some chicken breast with the skin still on and try it. Also maybe inject it with some butter or something else. I have some good meat here but I would rather try things out on some cheaper things like chicken.
Yeah, I believe it. I know what you guys burn, lots of pine.. That's no good for smoking. Some guys like using oak, but I don't like that personally, as wood smoke flavor. Pecan, almond, many nut trees are good, just like fruit tree wood. Mesquite might be possibly closer to get as well..
A spray bottle with some cheap apple juice in it and give the bird a quick spritz every so often is not to bad either.
I think I read that somewhere and it did help with the chicken. I may give that a go too. Thanks Butcher.
I don't understand why Cottonwood is good for a grill? Maybe you can help clarify Im just missing something perhaps.
I am curious have you used cottonwood for smoking any kind of meat before. From what I have read it is very mild and never use it unless very dry.
What I gather it burns just rapidly when super dry and clean as well. Its likely best as a fire starter for the grill, build your fire "cabin" plus pine having pitch in it will just likely do more harm than good but cottonwood doesn't have any of that. Ive just burned enough of this to have an aversion of it unless its burned in large quantities. Its often wood I find at the ocean for burning... Just takes a lot of time to season for what the wood is. But since it burns clean, I could see that its alright for the grill. Think Alder. Its not going to burn super hot but but you're likely to have something decent to start something for smoking. Actually when i think about this a bit more it makes sense because if using alder is a low temp wood, it can be used instead of charcoal and still has capabilities like smoking chicken or fish (This is why the Haida G'waii and other Pacific Natives used this for smoking foods Low Temp but easy to season in wet areas ;abundant too) same with cottonwood but it takes awhile for the cure.
