Timeline for feeding a bunch of hunters

[TuscaloosaQ]

I have been asked to cook for a group
Of men at my church called..."the band of brothers" Dr Ross Bunch owns a bunch if land and once a year brings all the guys up to his hunting camp for a 2 day hunt... So here it is Dr bunch will make gumbo.. ( he's a Cajun ) i will do the smoking .... A couple questions.. They want chicken.... Should i do half chickens.... Or leg quarters.... If i do the half chickens ... Should i brine them since breast meat is involved... If i brine .. What is your brine that you use??? I am planning for 35 men.... I will also cook baked beans... And the lady's will send potato salad and desserts.... I am also going to supply the beef ribs and cook them.... I am not hung up on bite thru skin and all that so i will not be cooking as hot as some would... Bite thru skin is overrated to me... I can handle the cook no problem.... What would be your timeline say for the thighs... Then what would be your timeline for the half chickens.... Prolly cooking at 300 degrees... Kinda feel goofy asking all this but i am not real prideful just want some of y'all's input.... Because i value it... I am leaning toward the leg quarters....

 

[sylntghost]

I cook my thighs for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs at 300. I check the internal at 1 1/2 to see where they are.my Shirley is a chicken cooking machine.perfect every time at 300.:becky:

 

[Doog]

Paul there are better qualified people on here to answer your questions.
But here is my opinion...myself I like split chicken breasts and thighs. I do believe that brining enhances the flavor and adds moistness to the chicken. I would think @ 300 about 1 1/2 hours but have never cooked on a Shirley.
Brining solutions there are many.
A lot of times I just use this simple brine I got off of this site. And it seems to give great flavor to chicken.

2 quarts apple juice
2 quarts water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup real maple syrup

 

[Big V]

I think leg quarters would be easier to make for that many guys.

 

[COS]

Paul there are better qualified people on here to answer your questions.
But here is my opinion...myself I like split chicken breasts and thighs. I do believe that brining enhances the flavor and adds moistness to the chicken. I would think @ 300 about 1 1/2 hours but have never cooked on a Shirley.
Brining solutions there are many.
A lot of times I just use this simple brine I got off of this site. And it seems to give great flavor to chicken.

2 quarts apple juice
2 quarts water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup real maple syrup

Maple syrup, can you taste the maple very much? I find maple to be pretty strong flavor.

 

[dwfisk]

I like cooking half chickens at +300, usually 1-1/2 hours or so. If you have time to get it the Oakridge Game Changer Brine is hard to beat and I like to get them out of the brine to dry for a couple hours on racks in the fridge before hitting the cooker. Best of luck.

 

[cpw]

35 half chickens is a lot of chicken, but if you're not worried about the space, I'd go that route, but only because I prefer white meat. And definitely brine, there's a million simple recipes out there, but the general rule is 1 cup kosher salt per gallon of water, plus whatever (non salt) ingredients you want to add. I'd also do what Dave suggests and let them dry out before going in the smoker.

If you want to go REAL simple, do a dry brine. It's just 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat, sprinkled on top of the skin a few hours before going in the smoker.

I usually do this and then add whatever rub I feel like you using on top.

 

[Shagdog]

I'd say if you have to do that much, I'd go with the quarters. Sounds like there's going to be plenty of other food there too. 36 half chickens are probably going to be a real handful to where someone will be done perfectly, but by the time you get them all off, a few will be past their prime. The quarters will certainly be more forgiving. I wouldn't mess with a brine, the quarters will be plenty juicy. Your cookers make the best chicken I've ever had. Like others have said, an hour - hour and a half should be enough time.

Have fun brother.

 

[quamdar]

Quarters. They're cheaper and a lot of people probably won't be able to eat a half with all that other food and the people that want to can just get two.

 

[TuscaloosaQ]

Thx guys leg quarters it is.... Like Shagdog said.... I will not brine the leg quarters no need to....

 

[Doog]

Maple syrup, can you taste the maple very much? I find maple to be pretty strong flavor.

You can taste it but I don't think it's to overpowering.
You could even adjust the maple syrup to suit your taste.

 

[Doog]

Thx guys leg quarters it is.... Like Shagdog said.... I will not brine the leg quarters no need to....

Sometime when your cooking for your family try brining some chicken and see what you think.
I'm still thinking about that fried chicken you had for your BD.

 

[krex1010]

i LOVE cooking half birds, but I agree that leg quarters are the way to go for that crew, just an easier cook since dark meat is harder to mess up, plus it will probably cut down on waste. At 300 leg quarters will take about an 1-1.5 hours I'd say, depending on your cooker and how full all that chicken will make it.

 

[Bludawg]

I have been asked to cook for a group
Of men at my church called..."the band of brothers" Dr Ross Bunch owns a bunch if land and once a year brings all the guys up to his hunting camp for a 2 day hunt... So here it is Dr bunch will make gumbo.. ( he's a Cajun ) i will do the smoking .... A couple questions.. They want chicken.... Should i do half chickens.... Or leg quarters.... If i do the half chickens ... Should i brine them since breast meat is involved... If i brine .. What is your brine that you use??? I am planning for 35 men.... I will also cook baked beans... And the lady's will send potato salad and desserts.... I am also going to supply the beef ribs and cook them.... I am not hung up on bite thru skin and all that so i will not be cooking as hot as some would... Bite thru skin is overrated to me... I can handle the cook no problem.... What would be your timeline say for the thighs... Then what would be your timeline for the half chickens.... Prolly cooking at 300 degrees... Kinda feel goofy asking all this but i am not real prideful just want some of y'all's input.... Because i value it... I am leaning toward the leg quarters....

Paul I brine all chicken whether its parts or whole birds LQ's and 1/2's take about 1.5 hrs at that temp

Blu's Bird Brine

1/2 gal water
1/4 cup pickle or table salt
1/4 cup honey
1 tbl cider vinegar
1 tbl lousinaan style hot sauce
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
Brine the poultry for 1 hr per lb rinse air dry in the refer for 4 hrs to over night.

or if you want quick & easy use lemon lime soda & omit the water

 

[Thatgrimguy]

I go cheap and simple on the brine with molasses and pickling salt. I like that combo because you don't need hot water for it to dissolve and it's cheap. If you have some fresh herbs in the garden through some of those in the brine too.

I leave my chicken in my brine for 6 hours. I use 1 gallon of water plus some ice. 1 cup of molasses and a cup of pickling salt.

 

[Okie Sawbones]

Bottom line, leg quarters are the most forgiving, and you don't need to brine. Smoke low, then crank up the heat to crisp the skin. Everything tastes good at hunting camp. :grin:

 

[TuscaloosaQ]

Again thx everyone.... I always over cook.. ie cook to much for the simple fact i went to an eating one time where there was not enough food...i said never again.... Thx for the brine recipes.... I told the guys at work i i snap chatted them.... They informed me it was called screen shooting.. Told yall i was simple minded and goofy....

 

[Grain Belt]

I too think that quarters are a good way to go. I believe 300 will be fine. The thing I look for is that the fat is rendered fully. Sometimes quarters can be edible but still have chunks of fat that haven't rendered yet. That is unappealing for guests in my opinion. The hard part is hitting the sweet spot where the chicken is done and moist and not dried out.

 

[Big Andy]

l like quarters myself, love the dark meat. When I do cook halves or a whole spatchcocked bird, I make some cuts to get the dark meat done at the same time or usually before the breast. It is shown at the 30min. mark in this video from Jacques Pepin. Love to watch him for all the techniques and shortcuts he shows. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-UPyoeUTYM"]JACQUES PEPIN THANKSGIVING FULL - YouTube[/ame]