First time using my DBS

[ahron]

I received my new DBS a day early set it up and seasoned it.  I decided to smoke some boneless skinless breasts i had marinating to go on the grill that night.  I preheated to 230 loaded in 6 hickory pucks closed the vent  and put the chicken in.  From the Bradley Recipe Collection it looked like chicken usually takes 90min.  I went to check on it after an hour and they were slightly over cooked, and had a very strong hickory smell.  I am guessing i should have patted the chicken dry before putting it in?  Any ideas why it cooked so fast and with so much smoke?

Also how clean does everyone make their smoker after use?  What about the drip tray and racks?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[icerat4]

Hi ahron, frist when doing any food in the smoker leave the vent open 1/2 to fully open.Check out the bubba pucks at chezbubba.com.To help out with smoke times and not wasting pucks.I dont really clean my bs the more smokes the better the inside of the box will turn black .This is ok.Drip pan and rack should be cleaned after each use.Best thing to get to make sure your food is done properly is get your self a internal temp probe.The et-73 maverick is one of the best ones out there .Most folks here use that.Hope this helps a little .Some others will chime in here to help to.Best of luck with your new toy. ;D

[Habanero Smoker]

If you only had a small load (a few breasts) then the Bradley will come up to temp. sooner and the meat will reach it's internal temp. sooner. When I do skinless chicken breast that have been marinated, I do not blot dry, I put it in as is. Chicken with skin on I handle differently, and try to get the skin as dry as possible before smoking. If you used only 6 puck that means you only applied smoke for an hour (3 pucks worth). I usually apply most then that, so if the smoke taste was too strong reduce it by one puck, or try using Maple or Apple.

As Icerat said, if you don't have one, get a temperature probe, the remote ones like the Maverick E-73 are more useful. When I cook or smoke chicken or turkey breast I only bring the internal meat temperature to 150°F-155°F.