In my previous post I showed you how to spatchcock chickens. But you knew I would have to do something with those birds, didn’t you? Remember, there were four chickens sitting in my sink. I am going to prepare them on my smoker. I have an Old Smokey which replaced my old Brinkman smoker.
This unit is completely sealed. It cooks very fast compared to the Brinkman. It took me several uses before I got the hang of it. For July 4th, I made the best pork loin ever. I told my wife that this was not the best pork loin I have ever made, it was the best pork loin anyone has ever made. Tender, juicy, smokey. Just fabulous and it was done in about an hour and twenty minutes. I had no idea how long these chickens would take but I was guessing an hour and a half.
To remove the uncertainty, I purchased an electronic meat thermometer to use with Old Smokey. I drilled a small hole in the side to thread the probe through. I just seal this little hole up with a small piece of paper towel during the cooking process. The thermometer has magnets on the back so I just stick it to the side of the smoker. When the meat reaches the desire temp, a beeper goes off and dinner is ready.
There are several things to see in the pic above. First, the thermometer is set to 160 while the meat is showing 42. I had just completed setup and turned the smoker on when I shot this. When the “42″ temp reaches 160, the beeper goes off and dinner is ready. But notice also just to the left of the thermometer you can see where I drilled a hole in the side of the smoker to feed the probe wire through. This setup works great. Finally, you can get an idea of how tightly the lid fits on this smoker. As I said, the unit is completely sealed while it is functioning. Moisture, heat, smoke are all completely contained. Your neighbors won’t even be able to tell you’re smoking.
On to the food. For this particular project I am using Meathead’s Memphis Dust which I made earlier in the day.
This is a Memphis style dry rub. I have used it to make the pork loin mentioned above and also used it on baby back ribs. Wonderful stuff. Begin by patting the chickens very dry with paper towels.
Make sure you get both sides. Notice the spatchcocking.
My wife had an old Parmesan cheese shaker that I used to sprinkle the rub on the birds. You could also use a spoon but the shaker is tough to beat.
Applying the rub.
Here is what one side looks like with the rub.
Rub it in a bit. Make sure to do both sides even though I don’t have a picture showing the underside with the rub. I let these sit in the frig for several hours before I put them on the smoker.
Set up the smoker. This unit is electric which I prefer for even heat. Here is a shot looking straight down from the open top. The heating element is visible.
I know, a purist would use charcoal but I had one of those smokers before and it was just too hard to maintain an even temp and nearly impossible to adjust the temp. This one is not only electric but it also has an adjustable temp setting. We will start these chickens on medium low.
You can use whatever wood you prefer for smoking. Here, we are using maple. There is a story behind this. I went to the store to get some chips a year ago. I was in a great hurry. I must have seen the “aple” and thought I was grabbing apple chips which is what I had come for. Not until I got home did I realize I made a mistake. But this is all I had left at this time so maple it is. Bad idea. I should have tossed the maple and taken the time to go get some apple. Oh, well. Live and learn.
Maple was a mistake. Don't use maple.
At the suggestion of a friend, I am wrapping the chips in foil which he says produces more smoke flavor. Here is a shot of the foil pouch with a slit in the top. for the smoke to escape.
Meathead says not to soak your chips in water. I believe him, especially for this smoker. The chips are placed on a tray which sits directly on the heating element.
Once the chips are in place, insert the drip pan. I add just a cup of water or so to keep the meat moist.
As you can see the first rack sits directly over the drip pan. Place the chicken skin side up. Add the second rack and repeat.
Click to enlarge; you can barely see the chicken on the bottom rack if you look closely.
Insert the meat thermometer into one of the breasts. We will be shooting for 160 degrees.
Seal the lid tightly and plug in the smoker. Then go grab something cold to drink. I recommend this if you can find it.
Here is a look at the finished product:
Total smoking time was 2 hr 15 min. I took them out at 161. They should have stayed in a little longer, maybe even to 170. They were extremely juicy but I had to zap them in the microwave to eat them. I do keep a smoking journal so I can always refer back to what I have done. Keep in mind that there is a difference between BBQ and grilling. If you don’t know the difference, watch this video clip.
You may have caught that in Alabama they have a white BBQ sauce. Here is a shot of Meathead’s Alabama White BBQ Sauce:
It’s actually pretty good but will take some getting used to. Good luck with your smoking.
