Big Weekend

Gordon · March 27, 2006, 06:52:47 PM

I started on Friday night by brining 6 chickens in my Coleman cooler. I used a maple variation. Next morning around 6 (ish) I started the smoker, let the birds come up to room temp and put them in the smoker. My neighbor agreed to make sure my house did not burn down, so I decided to "go to town." First I brined 3 pork buts, and another chicken. So, we went to get Poot a matress and box springs - he has been sleeping on a bunkie mat for the last 5 years, while there, I think I sold my matress salesman on the Bradley. Told him I had six in the smoker right at that moment. Then we went to get some string trimmer parts, then we went to Bass Pro to get some more pucks (and a digital remote therm - thank you very much!) and ate lunch and came home. Chickens were at 161. Waited till 165, then FTC. The brined ones always take less time.

I broke out the CYM (cheap yella mustard) and put a coat on the "butts." Then I put on the McCormick Chicken and Rib Rub, and decided that I would actually rub the spices in this time. It got kind of dry, and less pasty, so I added another healthy glop of CYM and let me tell you, that was a good looking paste! The wife was impressed. So, 7 pm, I put in the Bradley.( only one was a bigun) After doing that, I went back to the furniture store (in my truck, we were in the minivan earlier) to get the box spring/matress. Came home, again left the smoker running, under neighbor supervision, and had T-ball practice ( I am the coach this year, Poot is thrilled). Came home, put chickens in frige to cool down before vacuum sealing. Slept (really hard too).

Sunday, get up around 6:30, look at remote therm (absolutely my favorite new thing) temp 171. Temp had rose to 180 + ish by 7:30 (and I really needed to get ready for church) so I took pork out and FTC'ed it. Put 2 non brined chickens, and 1 brined one, and some venison roast, back in, and went to church.

I get home from church, neighbor must have been watching for me, he says, "Man, what in the world is going on over here? I can't walk outside without by stomach growling!" Then he proceeded to tell me about the special Kroger is running on pork butts (99 cents a pound - what does he think?!? I am cooking three at a time cuz I am rich!?!?!) I ask if he bought any, he says yeah, but I am just gonna put it in the oven. I look at him like he is nuts, and say show me the one you bought. He wanders back to his garage, and gets out his frozen pork butt. By the time he gets back, I am holding and FTC'ed one. I have to include the towel, because it is too hot to hold just the foil (after 3 hours FTC). I say, "Trade ya?" I though he was gonna hug me.

So anyway, I made about 16 meal sized vacuum sealed pulled pork, and I have 6 vacuum sealed chickens. I gave one of them to the neighbor too....I think he is putting me in his will. I will probably do a lot of chicken brining and smoking in the weeks to come, so this was a good workout....

EDIT: Let me just say, the thick coating of CYM/Rub turned out awesome! The wife was eating it for breakfast before church! (if you ever have to sit in a quiet sanctuary for an hour...a happy belly full of pork is not the way to go!!)

Gordo
Unskyled layber

BigSmoker · March 27, 2006, 09:50:08 PM

You are the Man is all I can say[8D]. I've never smoked that much food in 1 weekend. Sounds like you had fun.

Jeff

Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

gary_CO · March 27, 2006, 10:20:27 PM

Agreed!

I'm hoping to do a marathon like this soon. Just waiting for butts to go on sale in these parts. And I want to try smoking some bologna. I love the stuff when its bbq'd correctly. I guess I'm going to use Smoke & Spice's recipe.

Hey, a couple of questions for ya, Gordon... I've never done whole chickens in the BS. Are you butterfly-ing them or as is? And how does the skin turn out? I've only smoked chickens in a water smoker and those make it easy to jack up the heat for a while to crisp the skin. Thanks.

IKnowWood · March 28, 2006, 12:49:22 AM

OK guys. I am hungry, For pulled pork AND some good chicken. then looking at BigSmoker's Chicken Relleno mix. Man.

I can not wait for a good weekend to smoke. Been to busy with work around the house. Got an arbor to start this weekend.

iceman · March 28, 2006, 02:09:05 PM

Hiya gary_CO. I do chickens in the smoker both whole and split in half. They turn out great either way. For a crisper skin I finish them off in the oven at 400F. for about 20-30 minutes. If I'm just going to pull them I skip the oven and FTC them. Hope this gives you some ideas. Good luck.<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by gary_CO
 Agreed!

I'm hoping to do a marathon like this soon. Just waiting for butts to go on sale in these parts. And I want to try smoking some bologna. I love the stuff when its bbq'd correctly. I guess I'm going to use Smoke & Spice's recipe.

Hey, a couple of questions for ya, Gordon... I've never done whole chickens in the BS. Are you butterfly-ing them or as is? And how does the skin turn out? I've only smoked chickens in a water smoker and those make it easy to jack up the heat for a while to crisp the skin. Thanks.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

gary_CO · March 28, 2006, 06:14:29 PM

Cool, thanks for the info. If the local Kroeger stores (dba King Soopers)don't put butts on sale soon, I'm going to just do some chickens, bologna, and a couple of cross rib roasts I have frozen. I'll finish the birds either on the grill or in the oven, as you suggest. I love a crispy skin, although I know that's not the healthiest part. But I love a very low cholesterol level so what the heck...

Phone Guy · March 28, 2006, 06:39:48 PM

Gordon, I'll bet when the neighbor's have to list their house for sale, They can get a few extra thousand for the scent coming from your place! I can also imagine when he tells his friends about your generosity... 'you should see my neighbor's butts'. Well enough already. Any houses available in the 'hood? [;)]

Gordon · March 29, 2006, 11:10:08 AM

Hey yall, yeah I am pretty busy.

And the neighbor is pretty thankful too. He is my father's age and he has no kids (my neighbor has no kids, not my father) I live over 1000 miles from my father, so we have a better relationship than most neighbors. He gets my kids birthday and Christmas presents, and we make sure he eats well.

Anyway, as for the chickens, I had the first one last night. Top of the world, Ma! I brine them with a box of kosher salt, most of a box of Sugar in the Raw, and most of a bottle of maple flavoring, mixed in 5 gallons of water. I have to use one of my coolers, and put some plates on top, to make sure the chickens stay under water, but it all works out. I have not tried doing a second round of brining in the same brine, but if I keep the temp right, I should have no problems.

That "slathering" (the act of mixing the CYM and spices in a really thick coating) really worked out on the pork.

The second round of chickens, the ones smoked Sunday, were not brined. I was intending to use them for chicken salad for an office Baby Shower. Why brine them? Like wiping before you poop, it just don't make sense.

I have never smoked half of a chicken. I have done half of a turkey, and half of a turkey breast, but my advice is to brine them first. No chicken will ever compare to a well brined, apple smoked chicken. You need no ketchup, no BBQ sauce, no nothing. I had breasted them out and my wife and I each had one for dinner last night, and we used forks to cut through them. Some of the best chicken you will ever have.

Normally I use the garage to keep the wind and weather off of the smoker, but I move the minivan out so that it does not smell of smoke. Not everyone appreciates it like I (we) do.

Gordo
Unskyled layber

iceman · March 29, 2006, 02:10:59 PM

Glad to hear it's all turning out Gordo. If your neighbor is like mine, (well fed) he's a lucky person. I was told if I ever move I better make sure there's an extra house next door because they were going to follow me. Have a great day and keep the grub coming![:p]

MallardWacker · March 30, 2006, 03:08:28 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Gordon
 ....I look at him like he is nuts, and say show me the one you bought. He wanders back to his garage, and gets out his frozen pork butt. By the time he gets back, I am holding and FTC'ed one. I have to include the towel, because it is too hot to hold just the foil (after 3 hours FTC). I say, "Trade ya?" I though he was gonna hug me....<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Gordon, you'd be da man....There is never any better way to enjoy your Bradley as that...I know some may get tired of it but: It won't be how much you smoke but the friends you make and smoking makes it easy to that end.

RAVE ON...Gordon.

Just a side note here, it would never be easier than with a Bradly, could you imagine trying to smoke all of that with a condom smoker or even a cookshack?...It wouldn't happened.

SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...

Oldman · March 30, 2006, 05:32:12 PM

Gordon,

I'm impressed to say the least. Why not put together a step by step recipe of what you are doing and enter it into the recipe contest on the main forum?

Olds

Gordo · April 04, 2006, 08:41:03 AM

me again

cool new buttons

^{I changed my name because I had put an old expired email}

And I was unable to get the password reset email
Not a bad suggestion Olds...I many try it. Thanks!