I've become emboldened!!!

[GOMRDS]

Tonight I cooked my first whole chicken on the 'new' red SS! It was also my first grilling duration greater than ~20 minutes. By my newbie standards, it was a great success... enough of a confidence boost to embolden me onward to more adventures!

- 5lb bird
- 60 minute cook time (no lid lifting!)
- 380 degree avg temp, fluctuated 360-390
- Indirect cook, coals in the baskets

The internal temp was perfect, and I also got a light crunch on the skin. Next time I think I'll try a stronger marinade to boost the flavor quotient.

Below is the end result. Not pictured is the asparagus, which I did in the veggie basket right after the chicken & taters came off.

[1buckie]

                    EMBOLDENED !!!! 


Yep......I like that word.......


        Good Show !!!!!


                    Onward & Upward !!!!!

[Craig]

Looks good from where I sit! Nice job!

[jcnaz]

Yummy yardbird!

[GOMRDS]

Something I wasn't expecting is how well the wings turned out. Next time I might skip the whole chicken and just spring for a package of fresh/raw wings.

I have a feeling I'm going to gain 10 lbs this summer... 

[Bman]

You always remember your first - and this is no exception.  Good lookin' bird and can't wait to see what you spring for next. 

[blackdog1101]

Looks great!  I should try wings too, I usually do rear quarters.

[mike.stavlund]

OUTSTANDING!    You are off and running, my friend.

(and kudos for using a good drip pan-- I cleaned that bowl up way too carefully to have someone just fill it with chicken juices!  ;-)

[Cuda Dan]

GOMRDS,
Nice job on the chicken. Now throw a couple of pieces of hardwood on to the charcoal that is in baskets just before you put the grill on. That will give your chicken a smoky taste.

[blackdog043]

Nice job on the chicken!! Keep it up and you will be doing your thanksgiving bird on there!!! 

[GOMRDS]

GOMRDS,
Nice job on the chicken. Now throw a couple of pieces of hardwood on to the charcoal that is in baskets just before you put the grill on. That will give your chicken a smoky taste.

Thanks for the tip. How long does the wood need to soak before going on?

[GOMRDS]

OUTSTANDING!    You are off and running, my friend.

(and kudos for using a good drip pan-- I cleaned that bowl up way too carefully to have someone just fill it with chicken juices!  ;-)

Regarding the drip pan, just trying to make you proud, Uncle Mike 

Come to think of it, Bman sent me the link to your FB photos/instructions, so you can claim some credit!

[1buckie]

GOMRDS,
Nice job on the chicken. Now throw a couple of pieces of hardwood on to the charcoal that is in baskets just before you put the grill on. That will give your chicken a smoky taste.

Thanks for the tip. How long does the wood need to soak before going on?

You're welcome to test out soaking wood if you'd like.....

I do not, except for one certain instance which I'll describe at the end...............

Here's why:  The only way to actually get wood to absorb a lot of liquid, with the possible exception of wine (which won't be much different than water) is to boil it in the liquid, or soak it for an extremely long time in hot liquid, in which case it usually molds & ends up stinky......


I've seen people use moisture meters on pieces of wood soaked for varying lengths of time & no discernible difference was detected............


See this page of the Wedliny / Domowe sausage making site for a very concise rundown on this stuff..........

http://www.meatsandsausages.com/meat-smoking/wood


I do use a controlled burn with moistened shread, or 'sawdust' as some folks call it, moistened, but not soaking wet....

See Here:


http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/introduce-yourself/this-is-great-!!!/15/ 

Not quite halfway down the page is the description......like said, though, test the waters, so to speak & you may find an even balance that works.....mostly any wood I've tried larger than the shread produced at least a slightly, if not strong sometimes, bitter taste............

[teerhardy]

OUTSTANDING!    You are off and running, my friend.

(and kudos for using a good drip pan-- I cleaned that bowl up way too carefully to have someone just fill it with chicken juices!  ;-)

Well done!  Remember, the Grill Yoda will always be watching!