Just tried mine for the first time with a whole chicken. 18 degrees outside and the wind was blowing at 20-25 miles per hour. Keep the lid on the whole time in those conditions. Took and extra half hour to cook. But chicken was great and the skin was crispy. Now I'm ready for two turkeys on Thurs.
You brought up a good point there about the lid Mitch. If its not to cold or windy dont leave the lid on but if its like Mitch described youll need the lid for sure.
Did some wings in it last night(sorry no pics) 30mins lid off and 30mins lid on. It was ~34F out and a north wind It is definitely gets hotter at the top as those wings were cooked perfect, the ones on the bottom of the basket were cooked but bones still kind of maroon colored and the skin didn't get as crispy. The last couple tasted even better with the last of my beer around 1130 with the awesome comeback by the Pats and little Manningface
I have done two turkeys and several chickens in mine and didnt brine any of them. I actually didnt know anything about brining the birds until after I had done a couple. The only one that turned out bad was an old rooster that we got from the neighbors and I kind of expected it to be bad anyway. But with that in mind I am considering brining one in a couple of weeks just to see what the difference is. If you do please let us know how it turns out.
Its been on 2 hours already and the temp hasn't even started to register on the thermometer. I would have thought it would start registering by now with the thermometer in the breast. Does it cook quicker at the top or bottom?I have the breasts up.
Apple cider brine with lemon, garlic, apples, rosemary, and thyme. 2.5 hours and right at 150f for a 15 lb bird but its cold out, just put the lid on to finish up
Well it turned out great! It was juicy tender and had incredible crispy skin! The cooker was easy to use and everyone agreed it tasted like a fried one. Overall I really like the cooker and can't wait to try other stuff in it.
Glad it worked out for you - and 19lb bird at that...who needs instructions anyways? The chicken legs are easy as well
Yeah is as never much of one for following instructions...... It worked fine and came out fine so it's all good right I have to get one of those racks that looks pretty cool!
Ive got to say the best turkey Ive ever had has come out of the big easy! Tonight was a blast and everyone loved the turkey hardly any leftovers. Charbroil is having a 30% off sale on all equipment and accessories go to their website and use code: E13MBF in the checkout. www.charbroil.com
Heres my turkey it turned out nicely. I used the cajun creole butter injection and also a cajun rub on the skin it had lots of flavor with just a hint of spiciness.
Blujacket, I got one for Thanksgiving and have used it four times now. Every thing has been slightly undercooked so far due to the weather and following the time, temp and pound guidelines. My advise is don't let the browning of the exterior fool you. Keep it going for at least a half hour longer than you think in this cold weather. It doesn't hurt the juiciness to over cook it. Just did a rack of ribs and it was the best so far. Enjoy.
I did a duck in it last week - jury still out on that, may be the duck itself but the red potatoes that I basted in the duck fat and cooked in the top basket - amazing. Tried a pork tenderloin suspended from the center and it came out OK - if the GF wasn't so offended by red juice from a cut of meat it would have been perfect. Ribs are a bit tricky especially the standard rack that is thicker on one end, next time they will go in for 20-30mins before I load the other rack, but it does cook them pretty easy with the rib hooks My Christmas present was a remote thermometer -highly recommended for anyone that is judging cooking done "ness" off of skin color/time - especially with the top basket you can't see a thermometer stuck in a bird
Try another duck basod. Was your duck wild caught or one of the fat juicy ones from the store? I got a store bought duck and it was delicious
