2 Whole Chickens

[DivotMaker]

I smoked 2 5 1/2 lb chickens today in the #3.  No time to brine, so these went in straight out of the package.  Rubbed with EVO, and McCormick's Chicken Seasoning, then in the #3 with 3.5 oz of cherry.  No water pan, and the Auber set to 325.  These were stuffed with mirepoix, consisting of chopped carrots, onion, celery, apple and lemon.

I had smoke at 10 minutes, and reached 320 at 50 minutes in.  Funny thing is, that was the max.  I even bumped the Auber up to 335, but it maintained 320.  Could this be the limit of the 1200 w element in the 3?  Hmmm...  Not sure, but I'll find out!

Results?  Should have brined!  While they weren't bad (actually better than what we get at the local BBQ joints), they weren't as good as brined birds.  As you can see in the pics, the skin dried and shrank at 320 like it would on the grill.  I did this more as an experiment, than desire to eat the skin (we're not big skin eaters).  But, my attempts to smoke chicken in the #2, at 300+, have failed.  I wanted to see how fast the 3 heated up, and it definitely shined there!  The chickens took 3 hours to cook, so they spent over 2 hours of that in 320 heat.  No fan, no big holes, no special prep of any kind - just a bypassed #3 with the Auber set to 325.

In the future, I'll go back to my normal brine routine, and 250.  At that temp, the skin doesn't tear and shrink, so it continues to insulate the meat, unlike today's birds!

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[jcboxlot]

You won me and convinced me on brine in the past, but I hear the "not enough" time reason too.  I have passed on other things on/in a grill or smoker since there isn't enough prep time.   


Any reason not to spatch the spine out vs just do whole? 


Or maybe that was your stuffing to keep intact.

[Grampy]

You won me and convinced me on brine in the past, but I hear the "not enough" time reason too.  I have passed on other things on/in a grill or smoker since there isn't enough prep time.   


Any reason not to spatch the spine out vs just do whole? 


Or maybe that was your stuffing to keep intact.

+1 on what JC said. If I don't have time to brine my birds then I don't have time cook them. Huge difference in brined chicken vs. not.

JC, DM has mentioned several time that he prefers to cook whole chickens instead of spatchcocking. He likes to stuff his with mirepoix, consisting of chopped carrots, onion, celery, apple and lemon.

[elkins20]

Hey Tony nice looking birds, but am curious as to why the temp. did not reach 325? I will look forward to what you find on this.. 

[FunkedOut]

Good looking birds. 
I bet the stuffing does better with a longer cook time at 250F.
And I agree on the brining; once you've tried it, there's no going back.

...I had smoke at 10 minutes, and reached 320 at 50 minutes in.  Funny thing is, that was the max.  I even bumped the Auber up to 335, but it maintained 320.  Could this be the limit of the 1200 w element in the 3?  Hmmm...  Not sure, but I'll find out....

Not sure what the limit is on the #3, but it is definitely more than 450F.
Attached is a graph of a test I did with my bypassed #3.
Plugged it straight in to power (not the auber) and unplugged it when it hit 450F.   I used the auber and the wall-mounted probe to measure temps.

Strange it wouldn't reach target temp. 
More "I" should get rid of the offset.
I've seen strange behavior with PID's when there's a large offset between target value and actual value for a loooong time.  The integral value builds and climbs as a result and leads to overshoots, but you've experience the opposite effect.   I'm curious.   
I guess you could try adding some more "D" and see if that helps.
The overshoot I mentioned above may be coming, just outside of the cook time.

My plan is to use the attached graph to determine he amount of time it takes to get the smoker up to desired temp.  Then set the auber to 999F for that length of time as a first step, then return to regularly scheduled programming. 
I wonder if the auber flushes its memory when it moves from step to step.  If it doesn't, my 999F plan may create some issues.
I need to test this plan soon.  I just used all of my frozen leftovers to make some Brunswick stew.   

[DivotMaker]

You won me and convinced me on brine in the past, but I hear the "not enough" time reason too.  I have passed on other things on/in a grill or smoker since there isn't enough prep time.   


Any reason not to spatch the spine out vs just do whole? 


Or maybe that was your stuffing to keep intact.

I never do spatchcock chicken that hasn't been brined...dries out way too much, for me.  I find whole works better, since I can load up all that flavoring inside.  Amazing how much the fruits & veggies inside flavor the meat!

I've smoked unbrined whole birds before, at no higher than 250, with better results.  I really think the 320 temp was just too high - shrunk the skin, and dried the meat too much.

[DivotMaker]

Funk - I'll be interested to see what you discover on the Auber programming.  I know it's capable of higher temps, I just was surprised it maxed out at 320.  In reality, I don't see myself using that high of a temp any more.  If I need a high-temp reverse-sear, I'll just use the oven or grill.  I'll be sticking with my tried-and-true "low and slow."

I suspect the Auber does flush its memory between steps.  I know it doesn't try to maintain a higher temp when you step back to 140 for a hold, so I think it starts each step fresh.

[pargolfr2003]

Guys what is the advantage of doing spatch? So far I've only tried beer can whole chickens and they've always been perfect. I'm torn between trying a new technique and sticking with what works. I definitely agree on brining...I've never regretted brining a bird. Always makes a big difference.

[DivotMaker]

Tim, spatch birds cook much faster.  The only way I do them is brine, then grill on the old Weber gasser.  I save the smoker for whole birds, or things like bacon-wrapped parts. 

[Grampy]

Tim, I always brine and smoke spatched birds because that is just the way I prefer them. They do cook quicker and you can cook more at one time because they lay flat and take up less room in the smoker.

[pargolfr2003]

Thanks guys. Makes sense. Time saving is rarely a factor  so faster cooking doesn't really hold much appeal for me. If I'm crunched for time then I'm not smoking. Cranking up the SI and making a day of it is usually how I roll.  Appreciate the info as always.

[drains]

How was the taste? They look very "tasty". For me that trumps everything else. I say good job Tony! I bet those yard birds get eaten!

[DivotMaker]

How was the taste? They look very "tasty". For me that trumps everything else. I say good job Tony! I bet those yard birds get eaten!

Thanks for reminding me, Dale!!    Yes, the taste was great - just a little drier than I'm used to!  Adding the mire poix really flavors the meat, from the inside out.  It does cook down more at a lower temp (250), and I like that.  Good smoke flavor, and tasty meat!