Chicken For First Time Out

[noahpop]

All - here goes on my first Saturday with my new #1 - I want to try chicken as a simple test. I have a spatchcocked chick in the brine overnight, along with a few boneless c breasts, which I will cover with bacon per others suggestions. I plan to put my Maverick probe in the Spatch Ch., and watch for 165 degrees. Question: the big bird will probably take longer than the boneless breasts, right? So how do I know when b breasts are ready?

I guess I could put probe in b breasts first, pull them at 165, replace probe in spatch, and go from there - does that sound like a plan?

Looking forward to some coaching - gracias!

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[DivotMaker]

Congrats on the new #1!  It's a great little guy!  I think your plan is solid - probe a breast first, pull when done, and replace the probe in the spatched bird.  Always a little tricky smoking things that don't cook the same!

[noahpop]

Great - thanks! Thinking about skewering some pineapple for a side dish - any suggestions on time?

[DivotMaker]

The pineapple could probably go about the same time as the breasts, I would think.  Try to minimize opening the door during the smoke - you'll thank yourself! 

[Pork Belly]

I hope your brine is not overly salty. Overnight (8 to 12hours) is a long soak for chicken. That is about the time frame for a turkey. Good luck with it.

[swthorpe]

I agree on the temp probe in the chicken breasts first.  When I do chicken halves from about 4# birds, they take about 1.5 hours, while breasts are normally done within 1 hour (depending on size).   As for brining, I normally do 3-4 hours for chicken.

[DivotMaker]

Good catch on the brine time, guys!  Totally missed that in first post!  Overnight, imo, way too long for poultry!

[es1025]

A good rule of thumb for brining chicken is one hour per pound. If brining overnight need to cut the salt and sugar by a quarter.

[DivotMaker]

If I do a 5 lb bird, with my poultry brine, I only go 3-4 hours max.  I find poultry really absorbs it fast, and just doesn't need more than that.  A turkey, of course, will be longer (depending on size).

[tbcop-is-smokin]

Congrats on the #1 Lee...You have come to the right place...These guys know their business..
Welcome
Tony