cold smoking chicken

[swaney]

I would like to try to cold smoke some chicken parts,,,I have a broster  (pressure fryer) that I do chicken in that I use a brine overnite then brost the chicken....can I brine then cold smoke then brost the chicken???  what temp,and how long to cold smoke??

[Wildcat]

Welcome to the forum swaney!  I do not see why not.  You can cold smoke steaks then grill.  For chicken, how long to smoke depends.  How much smoke flavor do you want?  It is best to cold smoke then seal and place in fridge overnight to allow the smoke flavor to penetrate.  Do the smoke after the brine.  Also, if you are going to seal overnight, you want the temp on the chicken to stay as cold as possible during the smoke.  Do not want bad bugs.  If you are going to finish cooking right away, then I would say to smoke about one or two hours at a temp just high enough to keep the germs away.  Someone else needs to chime in on the hot smoke temp.

[Gizmo]

I think Wildcat's last line was meant to read cold smoke temp and not hot smoke temp.  If so, cold smoking by definition is below 100 Deg F, Hot Smoking is 150 to 200 Deg F, and Smoke Roasting is 300 Deg F or higher.  I try to keep it as cold as possible and most sources would recommend below 90 Deg F.  Wildcat's comment on how long depending on how smokey you want it is right on the mark.  The longer the smoke time and the stronger the wood, the more flavor or over flavoring you will get.  Trial and taste may be the key to success.

You can also add some cure to the brine to help kill the bugs.

After brining, you will want to air dry the chicke in the fridge to form the pelicle (like salmon smoking).  The dry skin will absorb moisture better and won't turn out smudgey.

Use the offset smoke generator setup and you will be able to keep the temperature down.  Ice in a pan at the bottom of the food compartment can help if you have a warm day.  After cold smoking (try the one or two hours Wildcat suggested) wrap the chicken up in plastic wrap and refridgerate over night.  The following day, use your broasting method (or other cooking technique) to finish off the bird.

Hope this helps.

[Habanero Smoker]

I've cold smoke chicken on a couple of occasions. The purpose was to give the chicken a light smoke flavor, and to have uncooked smoke chicken on hand that I could later cook in the manner I wanted. So I generally vacuum seal it and freeze it, after cold smoking. The smoke flavor improves over time.  I basically do what Wildcat stated. You just need to make sure that the chicken was handled properly prior to cold smoking. Also smoke has anti-microbial properties. Though I would not solely rely on that, it does provide some additional protection, as well as the salt from brining (if you have brined). Since I apply only 2 hours of smoke, I cold smoke using 4 or 5 pucks. Smoke adheres and penetrates better on cold surfaces.

As Gizmo suggest allow the chicken to air dry in the refrigerator overnight. Dry surface also improves smoke adhesion and penetration. Placing a cure in the brine is a good suggestion, but remember it will change the taste of the chicken. It will give it a ham like flavor.

Depending on your source, any thing above 180°, is beyond the range of hot smoking. The range 180°F to around 250°F, it's considered barbecuing temperatures. Again, temperatures depend on the source, and they do vary.

[swaney]

thanks guys for the input,,  the brine that I use is called chicken on the run by flavorcrisp,,some times, if Im in a rush I skip it and the chicken gets breaded then gets broasted,,,after the cold smoke I will have to wet it up a bit to get the breading to stick to the chicken...I do HVAC work so Im going to make me a tin box for the SG,,I need to make up my cord for the temp sence yet then Ill give it a go ,,,, hopefully no bugs....first batch Ill take to my mother-in-law for a test

[Gizmo]

Hopefully she is not a forum member under an alias checking up on you.   :o