Going for my first cook, wings and thighs. Any help would be great.

[Killjoy]

Well what I'm going to do is about 8 lbs of chicken thighs and 10 lbs of whole wings. I've brine them over night and I'm going to pull them out and rise and dry them off. Put them on trays and stick back in frig. Planning on removing the skin off of about half of them. To see what works best. Rub them down and cook at 250 for 2 - 2 1/2 hrs.  Not sure on placement, but I was thinking of putting the thighs on top then the wings.

This will be my first smoke ever and it will be about 30 degrees out and a windchill of about 10 when I'm smoking. So I hope this works out.

Would love any thoughts or suggestions you may have.

Oh and I will be doing ribs this coming weekend. So love to hear some feed back on that too. 

Thanks

 

[SuperDave]

Paul,
If you have done any reading on the chicken forum yet, you've probably seen that the biggest issue is the skin.  If you are a skin eater, you will want to pull out of the smoke at about the 3/4 point and blaze on the grill to get some char and crisp up your skin. 

 

[Pork Belly]

Planning on removing the skin off of about half of them. 

Not sure on placement, but I was thinking of putting the thighs on top then the wings.

I don't recommend doing either of these options. Skinless chicken will dry out more than skin on. Smoking wings and thighs is not overly complicated but also not simple. They cook differently due to size and bone structure. For your first several smokes I urge you not to add complications or variables. Stick with one type and size of meat to simplify cooking time. If your doing diferent rubs keep track of where you put them on the rack. Don't stack one rub or spice above another you wont get a true flavor.

The weather outside the smoke has little affect on what is happening inside, it no worries. No water pan added for chicken and do not plan on crispy skin unless you finish it on the grill or under a broiler. If crisping your chicken you will need to pull it at 155-160 then bring it up to 165 to be safe. I prefer 170 for my chicken but I only eat dark meat and it is better a little hotter.
Good luck and post pictures.

 

[Killjoy]

Thanks SuperDave.
I am a skin lover, but I don't have to have it. So discard is fine if need be. With as cold and windy as it is here not sure if I want to mess with the grill. Might use broiler on the oven.

 

[Killjoy]

Thanks Pork Belly
You make good points, I will take them into account. So are you saying don't add water pan? I was thinking of apple juice, I meant to put that in original post.
Thanks for your input.

 

[SuperDave]

Water pan just adds to the soggy skin factor.  Apple juice would be a nice add to your brine, which BTW adds all the moisture you need to eliminate the need for a water pan. 

 

[Barrel99]

I have made lots of wings...yesterday in fact. I brine them and rub them. I still put in a water pan because I know the skin will not crisp but I want lots of moisture during smoking which I think keeps them real juicy. I did put them on the grill, but they still don't get real crispy. I have tried them in a very hot oven which was better, but then a bit overcooked.

Next time after they come out of the smoker I am going to slather them in bbq sauce and then put them on the grille. This should crisp them up better. It is easy to overcook them.

 

[Killjoy]

Ok thanks
I'm pulling them out of brine now. Then patting them dry and putting them on trays and back in the frig to dry more. Then I'm going to rub them down. Any thoughts on my placement in the smoker? I'm still doing the thighs too. Probably biting of more then I should for my first time, but that's how I'm. I'm using 5oz of hickory.

 

[Barrel99]

5 oz of hickory is way too much. You only need 3 otherwise it will be over smoked and not taste very good. The chicken will probably cook in 2-3 hours. If you don't have a temp probe in the meat, you will have to check it after a couple hours. I would put the wings on the top shelf and thighs under them. Thighs will take longer. Cook at 235-250. Because of your outside low ambient temp, any opening and peeking will drop the temp a bit.

That's a lot of chicken you have there. Make sure it is thoroughly cooked by checking the internal temperature. You want at 165-170 degrees.

 

[Barrel99]

I have never smoked as much chicken as you have here at one time. I am going by my experience with lesser amounts, but the principles are the same.

 

[Killjoy]

Yeah, on second thought after looking at all that chicken. I'm only going to smoke the thighs today. And do the wings in a couple days. That's just too much chicken. What was I thinking! Thanks Barrel99 for your insight. Ok 5oz is to much. Glad I put that on here. So I'll just do one stick then. Yes I have a Maverick probe. So I'll be keeping an eye on them that way. I was thinking it would take about 2.5-3 hrs.

Have them all dry putting rub on now then in they go. I'm putting them in at the top.

 

[Barrel99]

That's probably a good idea Paul. I think you are ready to go. My chicken always comes out great when brined. I hope yours does too. Go get em!

 

[Pork Belly]

I do all birds at 250 there is nothing gained by low and slow on poultry.

 

[NDKoze]

I don't bother with water pans for poultry and always leave the skin on even if I plan to take it off afterward.

I also do all birds at 250. Without the internal fat and connective tissue to break down, low and slow is not necessary.

If you "were" to do wings and thighs at the same time, you would definitely want the thighs lower than the wings because they will take longer.

I found a great special on Turkey Thighs at our local grocery store yesterday. They were in two packs and regular price was $7-$8 dollars. But they had $4 off stickers on them as I am guessing they were approaching their sell by date. So, I bought 4 two-packs and immediately put them in my poultry brine overnight and smoked them this afternoon. They ended up going about 5.5 hours until 165. I put them under the broiler for about 5-7 minutes until the fat had rendered off and the skin got crispy. I too did not feel like uncovering the grill as it was snowing out and 12 degrees.

The Turkey Thighs were well received by both of my teenage boys and we will be doing again especially if I can find a deal like this again.

Kind of unglamorous pictures on the paper plate, but no one felt like washing dishes tonight.

 

[tnlyne]

Gregg-

Looks good, what kind of seasoning were you using there?

 

[NDKoze]

It is Excalibur BBQ Smokehouse Seasoning:
http://www.waltonsinc.com/p-3518-smokehouse-bbq-no-msg-163-lb.aspx
http://www.waltonsinc.com/p-3470-smokehouse-bbq-no-msg.aspx

This is my go to seasoning for all things pork and poultry. I buy this and most of my other sausage seasoning and supplies from www.waltonsinc.com. I actually buy this stuff by the 5lb bag. But, they sell it in the smaller amounts via the links that I have listed above.

I don't think I have gotten anyone else here to try it yet, so I am not sure if I am alone in loving this stuff or not. But everyone who has tasted my ribs, pulled pork, and poultry has given it rave reviews.

 

[Pork Belly]

i think turkey thighs are the best cut of domestic poultry. I have little or no use for white meat, i only cook it because my wife likes it.

 

[NDKoze]

i think turkey thighs are the best cut of domestic poultry. I have little or no use for white meat, i only cook it because my wife likes it.

Big +1 with you there Brian. I am a dark meat fan all the way. This is why I love wild turkey or even goose when I can get them (It has been some time since I have had either).

Where many buy frozen boneless chicken breasts, I buy frozen boneless chicken thighs. They have these at Costco and I would much rather have the thighs than the breasts.

 

[DivotMaker]

I do all birds at 250 there is nothing gained by low and slow on poultry.

+1!  Poultry is definitely the "3 H's;" High, Hot and a helluva lot! ;D

 

[Killjoy]

Sorry it took me so long to Repost.
I cooked the chicken at 250 checked the after 2.5 hrs. The therm prob was to big and wasn't reading properly. They need to make different size probes for smaller proteins. They were about 145 so I finished them off in the oven for another 20 min. Then broiled them for about 5 to crisp the skin. The were cooked perfectly nice and juicy. Brine is diffidently the way to go , but the smoke flavor wasn't real prominent. So not sure if I should use more wood, I used 5oz of hickory.  Any thoughts? I'm sure with more aging of the smoker that will help with flavor. Also naybe if I smoked them about another 30-45 min. But after opening the door, it was so cold out, I figured that the SI3 cooled down to much.