First time smoker

[Shelby Q]

Finally, after building a pit(two years) I smoked my first chicken.
The chicken was juicy, a liitle smokey with a small smoke tinge to it. The skin was too tough to eat. Any suggestions?????
Next is a set of ribs.

[HFD26]

The smoke coming out of the stack should be real light not thick white. I coat the chicken with a binder of Italian dressing, then rub it down with a dry rub. I use Texas BBQ Rub Original or Wild. Place a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. Place the bird on your pit away from the fire box. About every 30 minuets or so, spritz it with apple juice. When it reaches an internal temp. of 170, it's ready. Take it out and let it rest for about 30 minuets. If your pit does not have a fire box and you are using charcoal, don't place the chicken directly over the fire. Good luck.

[Paymaster]

Welcome to the addiction.:)

[TexLaw]

If you're talking about a suggestion for the skin, cook the chicken at a high temperature to crisp it up.

I also recommend brining for birds, but that won't help you with the skin. Welcome!


TL

[Shelby Q]

Yes,
I have a 96"X30" cook chamber with a 24"x24" offset fire box.
I did have light white smoke. I was just using apple wood. Being up North, it is harder to get mesquite. Thanks for the tips.
Next try is ribs!!!!
any suggestions??
This forum is the best.
Shelby Q

[yakman]

When cooking chicken I crank the temperature of the pit up to 275 to 300 for the last 30 minutes and the skin gets nice and crispy. As far as the smoke, there should only be the slightest wiff coming from the stack. I'm a stick burner and most of the time I can't even see smoke coming from the stack. Preheating the wood before adding it to the firebox is the trick. If the wood is warm/hot when added to the fire it should start to burn almost immediately. If the wood is not properly seasoned it will create a lot of smoke, so make sure the wood is dry. There are tons recommendations here on cooking ribs, so do a search and you should have all the information you need to cook some tasty ribs. Good luck!

[peps]

shelby
this forum is a wealth of great info, if you have some time to sit and read, may i suggest you use the search function. here is a thread that helped me awhile back when i first started ribs. and dont forget to use my favorite two things here TxBBQ rub, and Texas pepper jelly, an unbeatable combo.

http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/showthread.php?t=29529&highlight=spare+ribs+101

[Shelby Q]

Peps,
Thanks for the thread info. Where can I get that pepper jelly and rub?
Do you use the pepper jelly instead of BBQ sauce, and put it on the last hour naked?

[redneck cooker]

Chicken cooks hot and fast 375-425 degrees.

[peps]

Peps,
Thanks for the thread info. Where can I get that pepper jelly and rub?
Do you use the pepper jelly instead of BBQ sauce, and put it on the last hour naked?



the best rub in the world is found here

http://www.texasbbqrub.com/shopping.html

and the best toppings in the world are found here

http://www.texaspepperjelly.com/

and BTW, both Bill and Craig, are great people to deal with.

I put the jelly on the last 1/2 hour of the cook, no more need for BBQ sauce if you use this combo.
and how did you find out that i cook naked?

[Shelby Q]

Redneck Cooker and Peps,
Thanks
Peps, Is there a certain flavor that you would recommend for the ribs.
As far as cooking naked.........I better not elaborate.
Up North is gets a little chilly

[peps]

Redneck Cooker and Peps,
Thanks
Peps, Is there a certain flavor that you would recommend for the ribs.
As far as cooking naked.........I better not elaborate.
Up North is gets a little chilly



oh, I understand shrinkage, i was raised in WA state. hehehe
my fav is Pineapple habanero on ribs. I think most of the guys here love that one. its not as hot as it sounds, but the longer you cook it, the more it loses its bite.
the

[redneck cooker]

hickory and pecan on everything !!!!!

[sj022698]

I may have missed it but what kind of chicken? Thighs, whole, split, etc...A whole one makes what I do a bit harder to do but still feasible.

With numerous peoples help I have found what I love in chicken. Great flavor, juicy, crispy skin.

I will not use any marinades. I use only a light coat of EVOO and DRY rub. I normally do not have the option to cook at 300+ as I normally have a couple other meats on. I simply do them as I do other meats and just finish them over a real grill. Literally, like 2 minutes. (watch out for flame ups)

I will never use a spritz or marinade on chicken again

Good luck and post pics!

[peps]

I like to do the chicken halfs

[yakman]

I may have missed it but what kind of chicken? Thighs, whole, split, etc...A whole one makes what I do a bit harder to do but still feasible.

I like splitting the chickens in half and marinating them in Italian dressing overnight. Yummy!! Below is a link to a thread that I posted a while back which includes a recipe for a mop sauce that I use at the end of the cook and photos.

Thighs are also tasty. Boneless thighs stuffed with cheese, pepper, and other ingredients then wrapped in bacon is mighty good. And don't forget to use Texas BBQ rub!

http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/showthread.php?t=31183

[TexLaw]

I like to cut my chicken in quarters, brine, and cook them hot. Brining keeps them so moist, I can even cook them skinless, and they turn out good. Quarters make them easier to handle, easier to serve, and it gives me the option of pulling the white meat off if it finishes before the dark meat.

Sj, get yourself a WSM or kettle, or just about anything that won't cost you too much, and use that as your chicken cooker. I use my Weber kettle. I pile some lit coals on one end, and I put the chicken all around the rest of the grill space. Nothing is directly over the coals, except maybe the bone end of a couple drumsticks on the dark meat quarters. That cooks chicken just fine, and I use it for my grill other times.


TL

[Shelby Q]

I butterflied them. This was my first attempt at smoking anything in my pit. I wanted to see if the pit was seasoned well first, so I didn't even season the birds. Thanks for all of the helpful tips and recipes. You all are awesome.

[redneck cooker]

How would a hot shot lawyer know how to cook chicken?? drinking and making beer is your arena so stay in it!!lol

[TexLaw]

Shoot, Redneck, don't you know I'm just making all this stuff up as I go along? I don't even know what in tarnation a chicken is!


TL