First impressions

[MyOwnIdaho]

So I've done three smokes in my #3D so far. Ribs, snack sticks and whole chicken. The ribs rocked. I used the basic 225 to an IT of 195. Stellar. The snack sticks were lower temperature, had five different temps, four time parameters with the final step based on IT. Took three minutes to program and double check and they came out perfect. The whole chicken wasn't as successful. I only had so much time, so I went for a higher temperature cook. One hour at 275 and then finish at 300 to an IT of 160. It took 2 1/2 hours. Perfect chicken, bitter smoke flavor.

Takeaways:

I'm in love. My wife asked if I've named it yet.

The foil trick for the wood works great but for lower temperatures, like the sticks, it isn't necessary. The chunks were intact with only the bottoms turned black.

As for the higher temp on the chicken, that needs some work. Based on the flavor, I expected to find ash when I opened the smoker box, but the wood was black chunks. I'm thinking it's doable, but next time I'll go with a heavier layer of foil. Or just plan farther ahead.  :

 

[SconnieQ]

Your chicken shouldn't have had a bitter taste if your chunks were black. Doesn't sound like the higher temp caused combustion, so I don't think a heavier layer of foil is your answer. How much wood did you use? What kind of wood did you use? Chicken takes less wood than ribs. Start with around 2-3 ounces and see how you like it. You might try less wood next time. Also, if you used something like hickory or mesquite, you might try a milder wood, like maple, cherry or pecan.

 

[MyOwnIdaho]

It is possible that I used too much wood. I used the last two chunks of the sample hickory that came with the smoker, which would have put me at around four ounces. That is a lot for a 2 1/2 hour smoke with a milder meat. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[old sarge]

Jim -I don't smoke poultry but would suggest maybe trying less wood or a milder wood. Glad the smoker is working well for you. They are awesome.

 

[Airchair]

Hello Jim....
Looks like your well on your way.  In my humble opinion the chicken is one of my favorites. The key is to follow the lazy Q recipe. The bird comes out perfect. Not to mention chicken can be used in many dishes i.e. chicken enchilladas. Happy smoking

Court

 

[es1025]

I usually err on the side of less wood than more. For poultry i usually use less than 2 oz. of wood.

 

[Grampy]

Jim, the others have covered it. 4 oz. of wood is too much for a chicken in my opinion. I just smoked 3 whole chickens that I spatchcocked  and I only used 2.75 oz of sugar maple and they turned out great. Everyone has their own opinion but based on my experience whenever someone says their food has a bitter taste after smoking, it is due to too much smoke and not to the combustion of your wood. For example, after your chicken smoke you had black chunks of wood left in your fire box. This means your wood did not "combust" but the amount of wood produced too much smoke for your chicken leading to the bitter taste. I would suggest using anywhere between 2-3 oz of wood with poultry and then adjust to your tastes from there.

 

[DivotMaker]

Jim, I won't chime in about wood quantity on your poultry...pretty well-covered!  I will just throw in my 2¢ on wood choice.  Keep in mind, how we taste wood is very subjective, and just like another spice...my tastes may not be yours!  I love hickory.  If I only had one wood I could smoke with, it would be hickory.  But, with poultry, you have to use very little because it's stronger.  Since I don't just have one, I have choices!  Personally, I love cherry on poultry.  Maple is also really good, but my favorite is cherry.  It's mild, and makes a nice dark exterior on the bird. 

Bottom line? It takes LOTS of experimentation to find what you like!  Tasty, tasty experimentation! 

 

[MyOwnIdaho]

Bottom line on the chicken guys is that I used too much wood. Pretty apparent at this point. I just need some more experience to learn how to drive this Corvetter properly. ;D