The New Guy, Smoking a Chicken Today.

[yotatoy]

Hey guys, just picked up a bradley for $200 from a friend at work, he bought it 3 months ago and only used it twice. Picked it up last night, I am attempting a chicken today.

What I have done so far:

Found a recipe to use as a starting point: http://www.bradleysmoker.com/recipes/smoked-chicken/

Bought a 5lb Chicken,

Placed Chicken in a Brine of water, salt, and brown sugar.

I plan to cook it using Applewood biscuits and I am thinking I will stuff the inside of the bird with a whole onion, some bacon, and maybe some celery/garlic if I have any.

From what I have read it should take 4-5 hours of smoking, internal temps of about 170. Should I use smoke the whole time? Or start with 2 hours of smoke then just use the bradley like an oven?

[KyNola]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new purchase.  A couple of things for you.  Make certain the vent on the top is 100% open as poultry has a ton of moisture and you want it to escape the tower asap.  Preheat your smoker to as high a temp as you can get it prior to putting in the chicken and starting the smoking.  When you open the door to put the chicken in, the heat in the tower is going to drop like a rock and may be slow to recover.  Resist peaking.  A cold 5 pound chicken will act like a heat sink, absorbing all of the heat.  Also, poultry is a smoke sponge.  It readily absorbs smoke.  Smoking it the entire time is unnecessary.  For the first time out try 2 hours of smoke.  If it is not enough for you, you will know to increase the smoke time on your next chicken.  I think 2 hours will be plenty though.  You can always add smoke but you can't take it out.

Hope this helps.  Folks more learned than me will come along and give you better advice.

[yotatoy]

preheat

dont peak

2 hours smoke

Vent Open to release moisture (this one I would have thought closed to keep moisture in the bird, good tip)

Is 4-5 hours at 200-210 a good estimate?

Cheers!

[KyNola]

This is my personal opinion.  I would try to smoke the chicken at 250 if you can get your Bradley that high.  With poultry in a moist/low temp environment there is a slight rick of bad bacteria forming on the chicken.  At least try to get to 225.

[yotatoy]

Good to know, sure dont want to get my whole family sick! Do you know an approx cook time at 225-250? I know your looking for internal temp, I am just trying to judge how to have it ready for dinner :D

[smoker pete]

This is my personal opinion.  I would try to smoke the chicken at 250 if you can get your Bradley that high.  With poultry in a moist/low temp environment there is a slight rick of bad bacteria forming on the chicken.  At least try to get to 225.

I agree with KyNola 100%.  Vent wide open, 2 hours smoke, don't peak, and as high as you can get your Bradley!!

Stuffing the cavity, in my opinion, will increase your cooking time.  My experience shows that a whole Yardbird will probably take all of 4 hours +

[KyNola]

I think you're still in the 4 hour range or so.  Here's a trick you can always do.  Smoke the chicken for 2 hours in the Bradley and then transfer it to your house oven at 325-350 to finish cooking.  After the smoking period, the Bradley is nothing more than a somewhat inefficient oven.

One other thing, smoking chicken at a low temp is going to result in a rubbery, mostly inedible skin.  Roasting at a higher temp such as your house oven may crispen up the skin for you.

And there is my friend Smoker Pete.  That dude knows his stuff!

[yotatoy]

thanks guys!

I just went out and turned her on for the first time, getting the smoke rolling and temp up while I make lunch for my kids (gave the old lady a day off), then will be putting the chicken on at high temp. Stuffing the cavity does make sense to slow down the cook, I think I will still put some stuff in there, but instead of a whole onion maybe onion slices and chopped up bacon.

[yotatoy]

oh man! That smoke smells so good! The mix of the applewood with the seasoning/old smoke on the inside of her smells FANTASTIC! I plan to smoke atleast 2 if not all 3 days this labor day weekend. I am thinking maybe ribs one day and either brisket or pulled pork the other day. I am open to ideas of any ones favorite smoking recipes! My inlaws are coming into town with their 3 younger kids, so I will be cooking SMOKING for a crowd of 9.

;D

[KyNola]

www.susanminor.org

Recipe site full of recipes written for the Bradley Smoker by Bradley owners.  Don't worry about the "sign in" feature.  Disabled long ago.

[yotatoy]

Yep! I was just browsing thru there about ten mins ago :D

This may be a dumb question, but my BBQ knowledge is limited to steaks and burgers. But for my meat thermometer, do I insert it into chicken before I smoke and leave it in till finished cooking, or do I just insert it when I need to read the temp of the chicken. Also I assume it goes in thickest portion so thigh or breast probably?

Cheers!

[Habanero Smoker]

Yep! I was just browsing thru there about ten mins ago :D

This may be a dumb question, but my BBQ knowledge is limited to steaks and burgers. But for my meat thermometer, do I insert it into chicken before I smoke and leave it in till finished cooking, or do I just insert it when I need to read the temp of the chicken. Also I assume it goes in thickest portion so thigh or breast probably?

Cheers!

If you have a probe thermometer; one that is made to stay in the oven and withstand high temperatures, I would place it in prior to cooking. I place my probe in the thickest part of the thigh. It is fully cooked when the internal temperature is 165°F in the thigh, but you may want to take it out at 155°F and finish in a 350 - 375°F oven to crisp the skin.

[yotatoy]

Thanks for all the help guys!!! The chicken turned out awesome!

I am planning on smoking some ribs tomorrow!

Using this guide: http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?581-How-To-Make-Ribs-in-a-Bradley

So tonight I got them out and rubbed them down (in my excitement I forgot to pull the membrane off  >:( so pulled off the membrane then re-rubbed the back half.

Plan to smoke them using the 3-2-1 method, my understanding of the method is as follows:

3 hrs with smoke at 225
2 hrs no smoke, in foil, at 225
1 hr with sauce applied, at 225

If I have made a fatal mistake in my interpretation of how to get some awesome ribs, please correct me! Otherwise I will check back in tomorrow with some updates.

Heres a pic of them rubbed down and ready to go!


OOPS! Almost forgot some vital information! Plan to use Applewood smoke pucks.

What should I use for "spraying/spritzing them?" or is that not necessary?

[Bear1968]

What should I use for "spraying/spritzing them?" or is that not necessary?

I asked this question once and got smacked in the nose, knocked out and taken to a Tattoo Parlor and they tattooed "If you are looking you are not cooking" on my forehead  :o

The way I look at it is that I make ribs year round in my smoker. If it is 10 degrees F out and you open that door it will take a very long time to get back up to temp. I would have to guess that where you are it is not quite that cool but even on a 90 degree day every time you open that door you drop the internal temp of the smoker and it STILL takes a long time to recover. If you are opening to spritzt you can no longer go by the 3-2-1 method for the ribs and you extend the time in the smoker.

Lock'em in and keep to the 3-2-1 and save the spritzen for the BBQ.
;)

*Edit* And I dang near forgot. Welcome!  :)

[yotatoy]

Thanks for the quick reply! I am actually up in Northern Michigan so it gets pretty chilly, but supposed to be nice out tomorrow!

The reason I got confused about spraying was from the OTHER rib thread I was reading: http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?449-Competition-Ribs

:-D

What part of Western PA you from? I want to retire in Western PA, my gramps had a hunting cabin in Curwensville, and I have alot of family in pittsburgh and ligonier area. I am of COURSE a hardcore Steelers fan :D