Not impressed yet

Grillin and Chillin · July 05, 2005, 05:18:16 AM

Just finished my second smoke with my SSBS. 6 whole chickens and two wild turkey breast to take to my wife's family for a 4th of July cook out.

I plugged in my SSBS, turned the heat all the way to the right, wide open. Plugged in my Maverick 73 and watched the pit temp. I set my meat out (about an hour) and did my final prep work while my Bradley pre-heated to 255. Loaded 9 hickory pucks and 3 Bubba Pucks. The draft was open to 1/4 open.

After 7 hours the pit temp did not reach 200 at any time. I ONLY opened the door at the 4 hour mark to change the water. Obviously, the pit temp dropped again. The draft was left at 1/4 open and the temp slider was still all the way to the right during the whole time. I had two different thermometers (1 in one chicken and 1 in the turkey) after 7 hours the meat temps were 158 and 159.

Because of time constraints, I had to finish the birds on the grill. All of the meat tasted great. I can't complain about that, tender, juicy, just the amount of smoke I like.

I had a Brinkman smoker ($69 job) and the two main reasons I bought a SSBS was 1.) I liked the open door with 4 trays 2.) the pit temp could controled ( the Brinkman it is plug in and that's it)

However, I am not really impressed when after 7 hours, the pit temp still is not 200 and the meat temp is not 160. I know that I had quite a bit of meat and that meat mass takes up more space than air mass, but I mean there are four racks so I should be able to use them.

I have a Weber Summit Platinum 6 burner grill with a designated smoke box. I can do some indirect grilling and use hickory in the smokebox and do a better job than I have so far with my Bradley. But the smoke box is not designed to hold alot of hickory so it would not be practical to do 6 birds because I would have to keep filling up the smoke box, but I can control the pit temp a million times better than I have so far with my Bradley.

I know "slow and low" is the only way to go. I was allowing my self 8 hours for these birds and at the rate I was going it wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Obviously, I am doing something wrong, but for the life of me I don't know what it is. As excited as I was about getting my Bradley, I am that disapointed with the performance thus far.

Hope you guys can shed some light for me.

Thanks in advance.

Habanero Smoker · July 05, 2005, 11:20:56 AM

Sorry you are disappointed, but I'm impressed that you attempted to smoke six whole chickens, and two turkey breast at the same time. [:D] If you were measuring the internal temperatures in the deepest part of the thigh, I would have pulled them at 160 F, and the temperature would have continue to rise to at least 165 F, which is considered done.

I have had similar experience when I smoked two chickens and a 12 pound turkey at the same time. When too much moisture is released during the smoking process, the cabinet temperature will drop. This happens more often when you are smoking whole poultry, or any poultry with the skin on. Most of the moisture of an animal is contained within the skin, that is why you do not have the same problem when you smoke red meat, and fish.

With that size load of poultry, and only having the vent 1/4 open, there is generally a problem of liquid running out of the bottom of the door. If you noticed that, open the vent further, you want to avoid any liquid making it's way to the electrical wiring.

Grillin and Chillin · July 05, 2005, 01:34:53 PM

Yeah Hab, I did have problem with moisture, the most being during the time when I changed water at the 4 hour point. Not as bad afterward. I thought that leaving the vent 1/4 open would let the unit get hotter.

Is this not correct?

Also, I thought chicken internal temps were to get to 180.

I'm not going to give up on my Bradley, it just hasn't lived up to my expectations to this point.

Habanero Smoker · July 05, 2005, 06:03:07 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Grillin and Chillin
 Yeah Hab, I did have problem with moisture, the most being during the time when I changed water at the 4 hour point. Not as bad afterward. I thought that leaving the vent 1/4 open would let the unit get hotter.

Is this not correct?

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Yes; as a general rule. But when you have moisture build up inside the cabinet, it is better to sacrifice temperature, then have the moisture leak into electrical components and short you system out. As you noted, after 4 or 5 hours, most of the moisture has escaped from the skin, and you can then close the vent back to 1/4 open.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Grillin and Chillin
 
Also, I thought chicken internal temps were to get to 180.

I'm not going to give up on my Bradley, it just hasn't lived up to my expectations to this point.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
That is the FDA recommendation, but today the consensus is 165 F for whole poultry, and 150-155 F for breast meat.

Grillin and Chillin · July 05, 2005, 07:09:43 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">That is the FDA recommendation, but today the consensus is 165 F for whole poultry, and 150-155 F for breast meat.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I was not aware of this, I'll have to check it out the next time I cook chicken. But, it seems in the past, when I have checked whole chicken especially, that under 180 the meat is still read around the bone areas.

Thanks for the input so far.

Fur & Feather Outfitters
Archery Assault Team

Grillin and Chillin · July 05, 2005, 07:12:55 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">But, it seems in the past, when I have checked whole chicken especially, that under 180 the meat is still read around the bone areas. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Sorry, meant to say still "red" around the bone.

Fur & Feather Outfitters
Archery Assault Team

Habanero Smoker · July 05, 2005, 11:22:59 PM

I use to think that 180 F was necessary, but last September I learned that the Culinary Institute of America train their chef's on the temperatures I posted, and in addition train them to pull the poultry out of the oven at 155-160 F, since the internal temperature will continue to rise after it has been pulled out of the oven. Of course they recheck the internal temperature to make sure that it has risen to at least 165 F.

Red around the bone can be a sign that the chicken is under cooked, but not always. It is not unusual to see red around the bone of fully cooked chicken or turkey when it is cooked low and slow, also if the poultry was very young when it was butchered, will show signs of red around the bone when fully cooked, even when these younger birds are roasted at higher temperatures.

Grillin and Chillin · July 06, 2005, 12:04:03 AM

Wow Habs, that's great info.[:D] I try to learn something everyday and you sure taught me something today.

Thanks for all the great info!!!!!![:)]

Fur & Feather Outfitters
Archery Assault Team

Habanero Smoker · July 06, 2005, 10:01:48 AM

If you are interested in the "science" of food you should pick up a copy of "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen"; by Harold McGee. It's a great reference book. If you can't find it at a local bookshop, you can get if from Amazon.com.

Bad Flynch · July 06, 2005, 11:49:06 AM

Habs is right, you know. Modern chicken slaughtering methds do not always allow the chicken to bleed out entirely to the outside. It was discovered that when killed by modern methods, some of the blood migrates towards the bones. It is one of the reasons why chickens slaughtered by modern methods and those slaughtered by, say, decaptitation (where there is a good external bleed) do not taste the same.

B.F.

Lasse · July 06, 2005, 12:05:36 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">It is one of the reasons why chickens slaughtered by modern methods and those slaughtered by, say, decaptitation (where there is a good external bleed) do not taste the same.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I had no idea that the taste would differ!
Which method gives the best taste?
(If I could place a bet it would be........ decap!)

/Lasse

BigSmoker · July 06, 2005, 04:56:19 PM

Somewhere I read an article about the "red" problem. Best I can remember this was caused by what Hab said the age of the chicken. The chickens are harvested as soon as possible and at a fairly young age. Their bones are not as developed as an older chicken so you get the "red" because the marrow comes through the bone much esaier in the young bones. It has nothing to do with the chicken being undercooked as I recall. If this is bad info and I just dreamed I read this article please disregard[:)].

Jeff

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

Oldman · July 06, 2005, 05:01:53 PM

In the summer of my 17th birthday I work in a chicken slaughtered house. In those day (if you go a weak stomach stop and don't read further) live chicken were hanged upside down. We would then decaptitate them--manually.

Today the manually as I understand it has been removed.... kind of like our off sourcing of jobs to china. CHEAP-O! This leave much blood in the bird. I'm told that that the auto does not work as well as we would like.

This is way I will not purchase supermarket chickens. I'm not a PETA person... but damn it all at least do some honor to the bird.

Then in our local newspaper there was that story about those dick-heads who where kicking to death live chickens in a slaughter house.

My dog, your dog, my cat, your cat, a chicken for a meal should not be beat to dead.

They is more blood in the meat of chickens today because of A-holes then ever before.

IMO no animal should die painfully so we can have BBQ or a Smoked item.

Perhaps someone does not agree with me... If not I await your reply.

Olds

Phone Guy · July 06, 2005, 05:25:17 PM

I am a hunter and consumer of meat and I will say anyone that kick's an animal to death has mental problems. Most of the animals I kill are dead before they even know I'm around. If for some reason the one shot kill doesn't happen then they are dispatched ASAP. I do not condone cruelty. I also do not like PETA. They have killed animals just to prove a point and disposed of the carcass in a dumpster.

Habanero Smoker · July 06, 2005, 06:02:31 PM

I feel the same way. I use to raise chickens when I was younger, for both meat and eggs. When you kill an animal for food, you must do it as humanly as possible.