Unorthadox smoked chicken

[Northern_Smoke]

Well, i have always been a big fan of rotisserie chicken. Actually i don't mind putting a pork roast on either but that's not what this post is about. I have been thinking about incorporating a rotisserie into my Bradley for a while now but just haven't gotten around to it. But i have been smoking my rotisserie chickens for a while now and thought i would share it in case some others might like the idea. I brined this fresh farm chicken i got for 24 hours. I am sure everyone has their own brine they like to use so i won't bore you with my recipe. I do though add all the herbs you would put into stuffing for a turkey and it goes right into the meat. Tastes like chicken and stuffing in every bite. Now what i have tried and found works is to take a soup can and cut the lid about 3/4 of the way that you normally would. Pry it open, make the soup of your choice and wash out the can. Then i drop in 4 smoke pucks and push the lid closed again. You should have just a small opening 3/4s of the way around the can. That is where the smoke comes out. Put the can close to the burner but not directly over it and each puck will smoke for about 10-15 minutes. So not quite as long as in the Bradley. But its one way of getting a nice smoked bird with crisp skin.



You can't see the smoke very well in this pic cause i had the lid open long enough for it all to billow out. But i promise that you will have smoked rotisserie chicken if you try this :)

[FLBentRider]

Nice thinking.

Can you tell a difference in the rotisserie bird versus just putting it on a rack in the Bradley ?

[squirtthecat]

Nice!   If you have one of those can openers that cuts the 'side' of the can (rather than down through the top), it will make a nice tight fitting lid that is easy to remove.  Just drill some holes to let the smoke out.

(this trick also works with pellets from a Traeger, etc. - but use a tuna fish can instead)


Good looking chicken!

[Northern_Smoke]

I can notice a few things. The first is that it doesn't take smoke as fast this way as on the Bradley so i smoke for the whole time. A 6-8 pound bird takes about 3 hours at 275-300. The second is that the skin is not rubbery. It crisps up nicely and the whole bird gets a good tan while basting itself. I find that on the Bradley the skin is rubbery and the whole bird doesn't get browned evenly. I think it stays juicier but that might just be all in my head. I think i like the rotisserie bird better for the way the skin finishes and how it stays more moist. But i like the Bradley for the way it puts more smoke flavor in. I actually started out using pellets from my smoke pistol which worked AWSOME for smoking on the rotisserie. But in the end, i like the way the bird is finished on the rotisserie more so than the way the Bradley puts smoke into it. So for me, i accept that there is less smoke to get the rest of the bird the way i like it.

[Northern_Smoke]

And this is what supper looked like tonight.

[seemore]

that looks good
seemore

[Northern_Smoke]

Not much for presentation. The wife was behind schedule and had to go out. I did pull it off the stick and cut it up. It was gonna pull it at 165 but i didn't get to it until about 175. That's the nice thing about brining though, it was still moist once it rested. Hopefully next time i will have a little nicer looking picture to show off haha. But what counts is how it tasted and i can tell you with only one drumstick left to put in the fridge, it tasted wonderful.

I would have actually taken better pictures but every time I do that my wife thinks I am the strangest person in the world for photographing food. So most of my shots are either when she is away or when I am in stealth mode.

[Paddlinpaul]

Looks good to me. I like the idea of the stuffing spices in the brine.Sounds really good. Overall, I'd say I will probably give it a shot.

[Northern_Smoke]

I have had the best luck using the fresh poultry herb pack you can get at the grocery store. I have used dry spices and herbs but no where near as good.

[Paddlinpaul]

I've never seen them but will have a look. Are they in the meat section. spice section or with the fresh herbs in the produce section?

[Northern_Smoke]

I find them in the produce isle. The one that i buy is in plastic rectangular container that hangs on a hook in the chilled isle. I think it says poultry seasoning or poultry spice or something like that. It has stalks of rosemary and sage and whatever else you put in poultry haha. But its all fresh and works awsome.

[deb415611]

I would have actually taken better pictures but every time I do that my wife thinks I am the strangest person in the world for photographing food. So most of my shots are either when she is away or when I am in stealth mode.

She'll get used to it and will come to expect it.  No one even questions the fact that the camera lives in the kitchen anymore.  I had a first this weekend when my husband actually gave me constructive comments when I was plating my iron chef entry (This has taken a good 3 or 4 years though). 

Nice chicken!

[Bangkok Smoke]

Quote :
I actually started out using pellets from my smoke pistol which worked AWSOME for smoking on the rotisserie. But in the end, i like the way the bird is finished on the rotisserie more so than the way the Bradley puts smoke into it. So for me, i accept that there is less smoke to get the rest of the bird the way i like it.end Quote:

Hi! how ya like the smoke pistol? I have one, but just ordered a smoke daddy Shipping is a $$ problem here. I had trouble keeping the bullets lit. Otherwise ok, but NOT spectacular ..

gb

[Northern_Smoke]

Hi! how ya like the smoke pistol? I have one, but just ordered a smoke daddy Shipping is a $$ problem here. I had trouble keeping the bullets lit. Otherwise ok, but NOT spectacular ..

gb

I really only used the smoke pistol while i was using the bbq. I drilled a 5/8th in hole in the back and hooked up the pistol. It worked awsome for rotisserie. I did use it a bit for cold smoking but i wouldn't say it was amazing. It cold smoked really well and kept my bbq full of smoke. I had the same problem keeping the bullets going too. That was the frusterating part. But like i said, it worked awsome for rotisserie which is something my other smokers couldn't do or duplicate. I do like the smoke pistol sugar maple alot better than the bradley maple pucks. But the other flavors the bradley has i find are better than the pistol.

[minnowfisher]

Hi ThereN/S,
I liked the sound of the stuffing taste you were on about, could you possibly post it or send it on to me, thanks in advance.
JFG