Boneless Chicken Breast on Pellet Grill: 275 or 450 degrees?

[Bob C Cue]

Most of the time when cooking boneless chicken breast on the MAK I grill them at 450 degrees with the smoke plates removed, with the goal to achieve nice grill marks. I have even added the GrillGrates to my arsenal to help with the char.

I have not been blown away with the flavor and at such high heat it's hard to keep from surpassing the 155-160 internal temp I'm shooting for. And the last time with the GrillGrates by the time I got nice marks on one side the other side had a strange gray translucent color that made me think the that it was still raw. I never did fully get rid of that color and by the time it looked edible the chicken was well past 165.

So today after finding a recipe online I cooked the breast at 275 degrees in an effort to add some smoke flavor and to make it easier to monitor the internal temp. By the time it reached around 160 or so I took them off the grill. Did not have impressive grill marks, they were faint, but they were juicy and had a much better flavor than my previous efforts.

My prep was simply using some Plowboy Yardbird on both sides and let them sit for about 20 minutes.

Anyone else have more luck with lower temps when cooking BCB on a pellet grill? Thanks!

 

[pjtexas1]

Just my .02 as I don't care about grill marks...

Put then on frozen or partially frozen.

Or

Put them on as you start the fire. The thick smoke is gone pretty quickly anyway.

I'm sure an expert has a better answer.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[TravelingJ]

I'm not much help on that one. I really only cook thighs, but I've done a lot of them. Usually just setting it at 245 in or over a pan, flipping in an hour then wrapping after another hour. Then I cook it till I can shred it.

I've not had much success with grill marks on my MAK at all. I don't feel it gets hot enough, and there is a very small area that seems to get the most heat.

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

Have you ever considered building a UDS?

 

[Bob C Cue]

Have you ever considered building a UDS?

That's a very interesting idea! I will certainly look into it and get back with you right away.

 

[Moose]

Just curious, Bob, why are grill marks important to you? I'd be going for overall flavor, meaning a nice crust if you're using some kind of dry rub. rwalters posted a pic a while back in WP of boneless chicken thighs he cooked that looked absolutely stupendous, just covered with delicious dark malliard-y charred goodness. No doubt, he cooked the chicken on one his MAKs.

Perhaps he will see this and repost the pic so all can see. That way, others can MAKe it so.

 

[BDAABAT]

Hi Bob. Sorry, no experience with pellet grills. When cooking boneless skinless chicken breasts, I grill at high heat. Prior to grilling, I pound them so that they're the same thickness across the breast.

Making sure the meat is the same thickness ensures that the protein is cooked through without some areas being overdone and other areas being underdone.

If I have time and want smokey chicken, I use a charcoal cooker (Flip Flop grill). Only "downside" for me and my setup is that there aren't the same nice grill marks and time...takes longer to get the cooker going and cleaning up/ putting away the Flip Flop grill vs my Weber gasser. When I'm in a hurry and want something done easily, I use the gasser.

Bruce

 

[Bob C Cue]

Just my .02 as I don't care about grill marks...

Put then on frozen or partially frozen.

Or

Put them on as you start the fire. The thick smoke is gone pretty quickly anyway.

I'm sure an expert has a better answer.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

I may give this a try. Thanks!

I'm not much help on that one. I really only cook thighs, but I've done a lot of them. Usually just setting it at 245 in or over a pan, flipping in an hour then wrapping after another hour. Then I cook it till I can shred it.

I've not had much success with grill marks on my MAK at all. I don't feel it gets hot enough, and there is a very small area that seems to get the most heat.

Thanks. I can get grill marks on the first side, the second side is a different story.

Just curious, Bob, why are grill marks important to you? I'd be going for overall flavor, meaning a nice crust if you're using some kind of dry rub. rwalters posted a pic a while back in WP of boneless chicken thighs he cooked that looked absolutely stupendous, just covered with delicious dark malliard-y charred goodness. No doubt, he cooked the chicken on one his MAKs.

Perhaps he will see this and repost the pic so all can see. That way, others can MAKe it so.

Thanks. It's not so much grill marks, but the Maillard Fillmore :roll: effect that provides that tasty crust. Sometime with the Grill Grates I go flat side up but depending on the rub it can result in a somewhat burned flavor.

Hi Bob. Sorry, no experience with pellet grills. When cooking boneless skinless chicken breasts, I grill at high heat. Prior to grilling, I pound them so that they're the same thickness across the breast.

Making sure the meat is the same thickness ensures that the protein is cooked through without some areas being overdone and other areas being underdone.

If I have time and want smokey chicken, I use a charcoal cooker (Flip Flop grill). Only "downside" for me and my setup is that there aren't the same nice grill marks and time...takes longer to get the cooker going and cleaning up/ putting away the Flip Flop grill vs my Weber gasser. When I'm in a hurry and want something done easily, I use the gasser.

Bruce

I tried pounding the chicken breast to an even thickness in one of my previous cooks and I think that is when I experienced the grayish color on the second side. I may just stick to 275 for a awhile. Thanks!

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

Thanks. I can get grill marks on the first side, the second side is a different story.

Well, you can only see one side when you're eating it, so what's the problem?

 

[Moose]

If you use the flippity, flip-flip method over very high heat, you just may actually avoid having to build a UDS.

 

[Bigskysmoker]

I do not have a pellet grill but I shoot for 285 for BCB on my drum and they turn out great. They disappear quickly and very seldom have leftovers. I also never take the breasts to the recommended 165. I take them off at 157-158 and it gives me juicier results.

 

[Shan]

I do not have a pellet grill but I shoot for 285 for BCB on my drum and they turn out great. They disappear quickly and very seldom have leftovers. I also never take the breasts to the recommended 165. I take them off at 157-158 and it gives me juicier results.

I soak mine in juniper berry brine and smoke at 225. I take it off at 155, wrap it tight and stick it in a cooler for an hour.

 

[Cat797]

Bob, I don't know if this will help you or not. Most of the time at my house we cook boneless skinless breast because that is what everyone likes. I would say 99.9% of the time I'm cooking them on my Weber kettle because IMHO you want to cook them quickly to preserve what little juice they have and not overshoot temps. I normally buy the big pack of minimally processed at Walmart and break the pack down at home to freeze. I also 99.9% of the time cut the bigger breasts into chicken scallopini so I get nice thin pieces that are consistent and cook faster. Most of the time I marinate in zesty Italian or Balsamic dressing, then season with a SPOG type of rub.

Just last night I made some of the best chicken I have had in a while. Got a pack of chicken out of the freezer and put it in a sink full of cold water for a couple hours after work (had 5 scallopini in it). When they were thawed, I put them on a sheet and sprinkled with some conglomeration of SPG rub I had in my cabinet (think it was Oakridge SPOGOS) and let them hangout with a flat iron steak I seasoned for about 30 minutes while I got a chimney of Rockwood lump charcoal going. Dumped the coals in for a 2-zone fire, cleaned the grate up real quick with the brush. Cooked the flatiron first for 6 minutes all in and put it in foil to rest. Next put all 5 pieces of chicken on the grate direct heat side, closed the lid. Flipped about a minute later. Closed lid. About a minute later I'm checking. Very nice grill marks on both sides. At this point I'm moving the smaller pieces over to the indirect side. Flip the bigger pieces again. When they were done, I wrapped all 5 pieces in foil and let them rest for about 10 minutes. The breasts probably weren't on the grill for more than 6-8 minutes total. When I opened the foil they were extremely juicy. I didn't use wood this time, but if I want wood flavor I throw a chunk or two on the charcoal and that is enough for me.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas.......