Smoking chicken

[Big Dawgg]

I smoked a chicken yesterday and it turned out great. My wife says it was the best chicken she has ever had. When the chicken got to 139 internal it hit a plateau, stayed there for a bit then dropped to 136. It stayed there for about 1 hour. The temp I was cooking at was 212 checked with an external digital thermometer. I turned the DBS up to 230 (with digital thermometer) and it started climbing again and I pulled the chicken at 165 internal temp. I checked the temp in 2 other spots in the chicken breast when it plateaued and it was about the same temp in each spot. The plateau seemed to start when the smoke turned off. Total cook time was right at 5 hours. Does the smoke generator add that much heat and wouldn't the smoker adjust the tower heat to make up for when the generator shuts off?

Thanks and great forum,

Dawgg

[Gizmo]

The puck burner is a heating element with about a 500 deg surface temperature.  It does add to the overall heat of the oven and can get an empty box up over 100 deg.  The oven heating element will adjust to the puck burner shutting off and will keep the temperature of the box at the set point. 

[mack-attack]

Hi Big DAWG!!!!!

   Yep, this is the same Mack-Attack that geocaches.   Funny how few of us in Nebraska compared to the entire country and we both join this forum and bump smokers together.  Glad to hear about your success on the chickens.   

   I just picked my Bradley Smoker (digital 4 rack) up about an hour ago.  Cabellas has a $50 rebate, plus I had $100 worth of points so I'll get it for $299 & tax.   I also got mesquite and apple bricks,  a cover for the unit, and the remote temp unit.   I'm going to find an old table to put it on in the back for now but I like the shelters some of these gourmet smokers have on here.

  I think I'm going to go get some pork hineys to smoke and see how they turn out.  I just logged on here to find out were to order the bubba briquettes or whatever they are called.  I know of a metal shop and was thinking about just going down there and seeing if they could cut me 3 but I'm not betting on it.

Glad to see your posting and looking forward to exchanging info on the smoker and the geocaching.

Cheers,
Mack-Attack (Mack)

[Big Dawgg]

I smoked a chicken yesterday and it turned out great. My wife says it was the best chicken she has ever had. When the chicken got to 139 internal it hit a plateau, stayed there for a bit then dropped to 136. It stayed there for about 1 hour. The temp I was cooking at was 212 checked with an external digital thermometer. I turned the DBS up to 230 (with digital thermometer) and it started climbing again and I pulled the chicken at 165 internal temp. I checked the temp in 2 other spots in the chicken breast when it plateaued and it was about the same temp in each spot. The plateau seemed to start when the smoke turned off. Total cook time was right at 5 hours. Does the smoke generator add that much heat and wouldn't the smoker adjust the tower heat to make up for when the generator shuts off?

Thanks and great forum,

Dawgg

Ok I figured out what was going on. I thought that I had set the cook time to the max but must not have and the DBS shut off at 4 hours. A newbie mistake that I hope not to make again.


Dawgg