Small Chicken stuck at 154f for an hr?

[TMcAree]

Testing out smoking a whole chicken, it is a smaller one, about 3 lbs. Its been sitting at 154f for almost an hr now, is this normal?  The smoker is sitting at a steady 250. Any help is appreciated :)

Tyler

[Habanero Smoker]

As you have observed, when cooking low & slow, I find that chicken, roasts and other meats that have some mass, seem to have a short stall at around 140°F or so; depending on where you place the probe. It is brief stall compared to when a pork butt reaches its plateau (stall).

[Divey]

Is an Auberins going the rectify this problem?

I'm still in the process of whether to buy an Auberins or not. :-\

[tskeeter]

Is an Auberins going the rectify this problem?

I'm still in the process of whether to buy an Auberins or not. :-\

The stall can't be avoided by using a PID, such as one of the Auberins PID's.  The stall isn't a result of a flaw in the smoker.  It's just part of the process. 

I think of it this way.  Cooking is essentially a process of removing moisture and rendering fat from food.  When you have meat that has some significant mass, the meat warms up until it gets to the point where you start to reduce the moisture content of the food.  Cooking off the moisture takes a tremendous amount of energy.  As the food is accumulating enough energy to cook off the moisture, the food goes through a period where the temperature doesn't change.  Finally, when the food has accumulated enough energy to pass the threshold it needs to cook off the moisture, moisture levels in the food will start to drop and temps will begin to rise.

You can force meat through the stall period more quickly by increasing the cooking temperature.  But what this usually does is cause the fibers in the meat to tighten and force moisture out of the food quickly.  This often results in tough, dry, overcooked meat.  Dealing with the stall is one of those situations where patience is a virtue.

[JohnM70]

What tskeeter said. Low and slow is best. Always keep adult beverages on hand. ;D

[Turok]

I found low and slow with chicken seems to result in rubbery chicken.

[DaveT261]

I found low and slow with chicken seems to result in rubbery chicken.

You can finish them off on a grill or oven to stiffen up the skin on high heat for if smoking a whole bird.  If I am smoking chicken cut up or doing wings I drop them in deep fryer for about a minute or so if your haven't put sauce on them