Kettle Smoked Chicken...First Time!...PrON

[Roguejim]

I decided, perhaps wrongly, to go with a 2-2 fuse, coal w/apple chunks on top. Added 12 lit coals to the fuse. I also decided to place a 16.5" diameter/2.5" deep pizza pan on a red brick on the lower grate as a heat diverter and grease catcher. It worked well. It all worked out in the end, but it took a long time to bring temps close to where I wanted them. I was shooting for 325F, but never got past 313F. After the IT hit 169F, my grate temp started to tank. There were no gaps in the coals, vents were wide open. I'm stumped. I would have let the chicken IT go a bit higher, but called it good at 169F. On to the photos...

I slapped on some butter and soy sauce right before putting the bird on.

Smokin' on the Rogue River.

Done.

Dinner.

 

[Lordkifar]

Looks like the bird turned out great!! Interesting that it wasn't going up to 325...not enough air coming in? Perhaps due to the enclosure you have around it?

 

[Smoke®]

I decided, perhaps wrongly, to go with a 2-2 fuse, coal w/apple chunks on top. Added 12 lit coals to the fuse. I also decided to place a 16.5" diameter/2.5" deep pizza pan on a red brick on the lower grate as a heat diverter and grease catcher. It worked well. It all worked out in the end, but it took a long time to bring temps close to where I wanted them. I was shooting for 325F, but never got past 313F. After the IT hit 169F, my grate temp started to tank. There were no gaps in the coals, vents were wide open. I'm stumped. I would have let the chicken IT go a bit higher, but called it good at 169F. On to the photos...

The birds look good!
Did you sweep the vents to make sure they weren't ash covered?
Were the chickens moist at 169°?

 

[cowgirl]

Nice cook! Love your view too.

 

[TRRH]

Nice cook...for low and slow I do 260-270 until temp goes to 160 in bird.
Nice setting to watch a bird cook
Cheers

 

[Roguejim]

The birds look good!
Did you sweep the vents to make sure they weren't ash covered?
Were the chickens moist at 169°?

Vents were wide open the while time, so I didn't think there was any chance they would clog in that short a time. Plywood windbreak was only up for about the first hour when temps were still climbing. Chicken was plenty juicy at 169F. Some guys here prefer it closer to 180F which is closer to where I wanted it.

If I dumped 20-25 lit coals next time at the start of the fuse, would that bring the temp up faster than the 10-12 lit coals I did this time?

 

[Smoke®]

Vents were wide open the while time, so I didn't think there was any chance they would clog in that short a time.

If I dumped 20-25 lit coals next time at the start of the fuse, would that bring the temp up faster than the 10-12 lit coals I did this time?

Just a thought as charcoal does make lots of ash and yes your temps will rise faster!

 

[BigLakeSmoker]

Looks tasty!

 

[Stingerhook]

I would be happy to share a plate with you. Hows the fishing in the back yard? Nice view.

 

[Roguejim]

Just a thought as charcoal does make lots of ash and yes your temps will rise faster!

Yeah, I understand. I've had longer cooks with the lower vents cracked about a 1/4", with little to no clogging. If the vents did clog up with ash, it would be visible from underneath, right?

Fishing on this stretch of the river isn't good. It's all about rafting here.

 

[Smoke®]

It is a beautiful place!!! Do the salmon runs make to your part of the river?

 

[ShadowDriver]

Great looking bird... Hope you can get the temps where you want them next time.

I sure would love to have views like that where I've been cooking!

 

[Roguejim]

It is a beautiful place!!! Do the salmon runs make to your part of the river?

Salmon and steelhead, both. I've caught plenty of both, just not on this stretch of the Rogue.

 

[Smoke on Badger Mountain]

Bird looks good. Love the yard. To be by the river again.....

 

[guero_gordo]

Fwiw, my own experience with a 2x2 snake is consistent with yours, hard to get much above 300F.

 

[dave32063]

Forget the food (which looks great to me). I want to live where you do!

 

[Sevengoals]

Nice looking chickens.

 

[fantomlord]

looks good, but one question...if you're aiming for 325°, why not just bank some unlit briqs on 1 side, and dump on a full mini-chimney's wort of lit briqs on top? That'll get you at least to 325° with a lot less set up time and effort.

 

[dadsr4]

looks good, but one question...if you're aiming for 325°, why not just bank some unlit briqs on 1 side, and dump on a full mini-chimney's wort of lit briqs on top? That'll get you at least to 325° with a lot less set up time and effort.

This is also my method. I orient the chicken with the dark meat towards the coals, so it protects the breast some, allowing 185 deg in the legs while still achieving 165 deg in the white meat.

 

[FS3]

The birds looked very nice. good golden brown color. skin looks crispish Nice setting on the river.