Smoked Whole Chickens

I was so apprehensions to smoke whole chickens because others had scared me with things like, "The chicken is a different thickness all over, so it's difficult to get a consistent cook." Or, "You only ever get either the white meat or dark meat done well. The other doesn't come out."

Well, I tried two whole birds and was amazed at the results. Here's the story.

Meat:

2 whole chickens, one cut spatcock and one left whole

Rub (Spatcock chicken):

Sea salt

Pepper

Cayenne pepper

Paprika

Lemon salt

Rub (Whole chicken):

Sea salt

Pepper

Rosemary

Thyme

Wood:

Mesquite 75%, leftover Pecan 25%

Chickens were placed in smoker at 12:45pm and set at 225 F.  The bag of wood chips was opened and a little water poured in, then agitated to wet the wood.  The wood was completely charred by 2:15pm and more was added.  That wood was completely charred by 3:30pm and again by 4:15pm.  By 5:11pm the internal temperature was still 145 F and the temperature was raised on the smoker to 250 F.  Chickens were removed at 7:15pm with an internal temperature reading of 165 F.

Results:

When the whole chicken’s breast was pierced with a paring knife at 7pm, a gush of clear liquid ran out.  I felt like a Roman sentry on Calgary.  The chicken was extremely juicy, extremely moist and tender.  It rivaled the texture of sous vide chicken breasts.

The flavors were a toss up; each had its merits.

The spatcocking vs the whole chicken seemed to produce no different results.  Chicken stock was made with the remaining carcuses.  

I consider this an extremely good first attempt at chicken smoking.

The rosemary chicken on the left and the spatcock, spicy chicken on the right.  It was a whole lot more fun to do the spatcock bird.

Chickens were placed in the smoker at 225 F.  They took about 2 hours longer than I expected.

Laid out and ready to carve.

Delicious, tender, tender meat.  I didn't notice a difference in moisture between the whole chicken and the spatcock one.

Chicken Breast, Sous Vide

Simple boneless, skinless chicken breasts from the local grocery store.  I picked up three of a larger size.  Two of the breasts were only lightly seasoned with sea salt and pepper.  The third I used a dash of a lemon chicken seasoning.

Water bath: 147 F
Time: 4 hrs

The results were nice and tender, although I would cook them less time in the future and might even experiment with lowering the temperature.

In the 147 F water bath.

The chicken came out an interesting color.  I wouldn't call it ugly, but rather plain.

And a flip onto the plate.

Pan searing in hot Canola oil.

Excellent texture.  I don't believe I needed to cook them so long (most of that was waiting for everyone) and could detect the slightest hint that the chicken was about to get stringy if left in longer or hotter.

Again, only butter knives were used to cut the breast.   I wasn't able to tell which breast was lemon-seasoned after searing, so I doubt it made much difference.