1st chicken

[Pete]

I am cooking my 1st chickens. Two three pound maple basted chickens I am two hours in.  I just re basted and they look great. I could not find any quick cure that the recipe suggested.  I am not sure if it was needed or its purpose.
After reading the postings I am concerned that I am cooking them too high - 220 F.  I also ran out of water.  The good news is I have lots of beer and am highly committed to spending as much time as I need drinking the beer and continueing to smoke until I get it right.

[Habanero Smoker]

First of all, welcome to the fourm, and secondly you definitely have the right attitude[]

Chicken does not have to be done low and slow. You don't have to worry about any connective tissue. Some of us like to keep the cabinet temperature between 200-210; others will take the temperature to 225-250. For chicken most important is the internal meat temperature. I cook mine to 165 measured at the deepest part of the thigh.

I'm assuming you are using a Bradley. If you are hot smoking you do not have to cure chicken. The recipe you are following, may have added quick cure for a specific taste, or the recipe was for cold smoking method.

Also if you are using the Bradley, opening the door and basting the chickens in not necessary and will definitely increase your cooking time and beer intake (which is not necessarily bad). Running out of water at around 4 hour (probably earlier for you because of the temps you are using) is not unusual. Just be careful and refill the bowl 3/4 full with hot water.

[JJC]

Welcome, Pete!  Hab's advice is spot-on . . . the internal temp is the key with chicken, and you don't want to open the door very often!  You might want to check the accuracy of the BS door thermometer for future smokes--calibrate it against another thermometer you know is accurate.    Many of us use a Maverick ET-73 dual probe thermometer (one probe for the meat, one for the cabinet temp), which is less than $40.  Others really like the Guru-Raptor combo that costs several hundred dollars, but literally lets you "set it and forget it".  

Good luck, enjoy your beer and let us know how things go!

John
Newton MA

[Gerry]

My best suggestion for chickens is to butterfly them, marinate them overnight in zesty italian dressing and put them in the smoker at 220 F for 3 - 4 hours with aoubt 1.5 hours of smoke.

[Gordo]

Brine it                   Brine it                  Brine  it                     Brine it                 It is simply a different chicken.

This is fun......this is fun......this is fun.......

[Smokin Joe]

I agree with Gordo...nothing like a brine to take a chicken to a whole new level of moistness and flavor.

Give it a try and you won't be disappointed.

[iceman]

I can't tell folks enough, "BRINE IT"!!! If it flies, give it a swim in brine before cooking.