first time out

[Labsrit]

HI,

Well I tried my new OBS this weekend.  Chicken and some pork.  All  turned out well.  The wife thought the chicken was almost too smokey taste.  I did forget to keep the water bowl half full and I kept the damper barley open.  I'm thinking that may have been part of troubles.


I bought some Hi mtn mix,  I pick the meat up tomorrow.  Here are my questions.

What is the best smoke to use? May try the apple.  (may alternate it with some hickory)

2.  I am thinking two hours at 200?

Thanks all

[punchlock]

Welcome Labsrit happy to have you along. From my experience and that is not much chicken tends to take on allot of smoke. I have also learned in my limited experience that the vent should be at least 1/2 to 3/4 open in almost all circumstances. I just leave mine full open now. You may want to replace the water bowl with a cheap tinfoil tray so refilling is not as frequent.

As for the Jerky someone should be along to help you with that, I know diddly squat about jerky....

[DTAggie]

Welcome Labsrit.  I keep my vent fully open on everything.  Just did two whole chickens last myself with 1:40 of Oak.  Was mighty fine.

[beefmann]

on poultry like chicken and turkey i have always used the milder sweeter smoke like oak, maple, apple cherry. generally a mix of them and if im only doing a chicken or a turkey maybe two hours of smoke then cook  till done

[Quarlow]

Welcome Labsrit happy to have you along. From my experience and that is not much chicken tends to take on allot of smoke. I have also learned in my limited experience that the vent should be at least 1/2 to 3/4 open in almost all circumstances. I just leave mine full open now. You may want to replace the water bowl with a cheap tinfoil tray so refilling is not as frequent.

As for the Jerky someone should be along to help you with that, I know diddly squat about jerky....

Did I miss something? I don't see where he said anything about jerky. Punch you are better at reading between the lines than I am.
Anyway for poultry always keep the vent wide open. And 1/2 to 3/4 open for everything else. Poultry is a smoke and flavour sponge so you have to watch how much you put to it. 1hr 40 mins. is lots for chicken but it really comes down to your taste. Since you are just starting out, go with less smoke to start and adjust from there. It is better to eat something with not enough smoke than to try to eat something you don't enjoy. Keep a notebook of what you have done so you can look back and make changes. Here is a smoke chart to help you figure out what you might like.

Bradley Bisquette Chart

Hickory   
Pungent, smoky, bacon-like flavor.   
Good with Pork, chicken, beef, wild game, cheeses.

Pecan   
Rich and more subtle than hickory, but similar in taste. Burns cool, so ideal for very low heat smoking.   
Pork, chicken, lamb, fish, cheeses.

Mesquite   
Sweeter, more delicate flavor than hickory. Tends to burn hot, so use carefully.   
Most meats, especially beef. Most vegetables.

Alder   
Delicate flavor that enhances lighter meats.   
Salmon, swordfish, sturgeon, other fish. Also good with chicken and pork.

Oak   
Forthright but pleasant flavor. Blends well with a variety of textures and flavors.   
Beef (particularly brisket), poultry, pork.

Maple   
Mildly smoky, somewhat sweet flavor. Try mixing maple with corncobs for ham or bacon.   
Poultry, vegetables, ham.

Cherry   
Slightly sweet, fruity smoke flavor.   
Poultry, game birds, pork.

As for 2 hrs at 200f well cookit till it is done. I know duh, but things cook different in the smoker hey take longer obviously so the best way is to use a probe thermometer. And the method of cutting into the thigh and checking it with a white paper towel for any redness is a good way to tell if it is done. Also chicken skin tends to come out a bit rubbery sometimes so finishing it on the grill or in the oven helps to crisp it some.
Welcome to the forum and any more questions just ask......jerky.... I must have missed something.  ;D

[Labsrit]

sorry for the confusion.  here are my questions for the jerky

I bought some Hi mtn mix,  I pick the meat up tomorrow.  Here are my questions.

What is the best smoke to use? May try the apple.  (may alternate it with some hickory)

2.  I am thinking two hours at 200?

Thanks all

[RAF128]

Which Hi Mountain mix did you get?    They have a bunch.   I've used their mixes and they work well.   I usually use the original or the pepper blend.   I like hickory with those.

[Quarlow]

All I can say is that the jerky depends on how thick you slice the meat. You want the jerky to be dry but it should bend nicely and not break. If you go to long you will not be happy. The key is to flip and rotate those racks often. As for the time, it could take up to 6 hrs. Oh and once you have done with the smoke take the bowl out and drain it and then put it back without water in it.
I guess I should have know you were making jerky from the fact you said you got those "Hi Mtn mixes" but I didn't know they were just for jerky.I have never used them so I thought maybe they made them forother things. My bad. ::)

[Chili Head]

On jerky I really like hickory with 2 pucks of mesquite run through first, smoke for 1.40 hrs on 8 racks of 3/16" sliced meat at 160°. Don't go by time but how the meat bends when you test it. You want it to bend but not break. I rotate the racks from top to bottom and front to back every 1.5 hours for the first 4 hours then start bending some to see how dry it is. After the 4th hour I try to rotate every hour and do a check.

I am thinking two hours at 200?

Your jerky will not all be done at the same time and I have had jerky go 7-9 hours before. Just make sure you don't over dry it or it gets brittle, but if you do it's still tasty ;D

[RAF128]

With jerky you're drying it.   It takes a while in a smoker.   I have used a dehydrator and I know that takes 4 hrs.   The smoker is longer.   The thickness of the slices makes a difference.    I use a cutting board sold by Hi Mountain.   Comes with the board and a knife.   The two sides are 2 different thicknesses.  Makes for a nice uniform thickness.   I've tried a meat slicer but the meat has to be partially frozen and I've found that the board is actually quicker.

[R.Woodward]

My experience with Jerky:

I like hickory for jerky.

The cooler the smoke, the better. Traditional jerky is dried raw meat. Cooking is an option, but it's a different product if the meat cooks.

It can take longer to dry the jerky than you might want to keep smoke on it. Too much smoke can make it bitter and unpleasant, but that's a personal taste thing. Depending on the type of smoker you may want to run it without wood for part of the drying time. And as Chili Head points out, even if your pieces are quite uniform, some will still dry quicker than outhers, so be sure to kep an eye on it toward the end of the drying and pull the pieces as they finish.

My best results have been from smoking with hickory for 2-3 hours, then moving the meat to a forced air dehydrator to finish drying.