Having Some Troubles

[bwt]

I am new to charcoal and am trying to start small. I have attempted cooking a whole chicken on my new Weber 26" kettle three or four times and each time it doesn't work out. I spatchcock the chicken to help it cook faster and more evenly. Each time I have placed a thermometer in the thigh area. The thermometer tells me it is up to temperature (170º) but after letting it rest 15-20 min, I cut it and it is not fully cooked.

Tonight I used a smokenator for the first time. I followed directions with the coals, vent placed opposite the side of the smokenator, temperature kept relatively stable at approximately 300-325º on the dome thermometer and legs of chicken closest to the heat source. After 4.5 hours the thermometer indicated the meat was up to temp but when I brought it in and separated the thigh from the body it was clearly not done. I know I needed to let it rest for 15-20 minutes but after waiting for the resting time in the past and getting undercooked chicken, I figured I'd better have a peek. I put it back in the kettle another 30 minutes. I was still not 100% comfortable with the "doneness" of the chicken after this extra time and letting it rest 15 minutes. 

I am getting frustrated with the extra-long cooking times, undercooked meat, and family waiting for dinner. Can someone make suggestions to help me? I'm very comfortable with my Weber Genesis but getting frustrated with my kettle and charcoal grilling.

Beth

[Andrew]

Beth: Its more about time AND temperature than either of them alone. I would set the grill on one side (indirect cooking) to about 300 degrees, and smoke the chicken for at least 4 hours. Try that. And I'm sure it will work out!

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[bwt]

Thanks for some feedback Andrew. That's pretty much how I did it. The smokenator on one side loaded with charcoal - about 15-20 lit and the rest unlit (minion method) and a couple small chunks of apple wood. I put the spatchcocked chicken on the grate for indirect cooking with legs facing the heat source, water pan over the smokenator, pretty steady temp of 300-325 and after 4.5 hours, still not done. Another 30 minutes on the grill, 15 of resting and was still not totally comfortable with the results. 

[Shoestringshop]

I concur with Andrew. I do a lot of chicken on the grill and do offset on almost all of my chicken. It wiil take a Long time depending on the weight of the bird, but it will turn out great. I would recommend getting a instant thermometer to check the thickest part of the bird staying away from the bone the best you can. I cook mine at about 300 to 350

[pbe gummi bear]

What isn't "done" about the chicken exactly? At 4 hours of cooking it will be at a safe temp to eat.  When chicken is done at temp the meat won't be translucent and the juices will run mostly clear. When I BBQ chicken the meat around the bones may be more red vs other cooking methods. I can't explain why, but I have no problem eating reddish chicken as long as it temps ok.

[bwt]

The probe read 170º but when I separated the thigh from the body, the juices were not clear but pink and the meat appeared undercooked. I place the probe of my thermometer in this area, being careful to stay away from bone, because I know this is the area I keep having trouble with in terms of it not being fully cooked.

[Cochise]

I'm with Gummi....4.5 hours at 300+ degrees and that chicken should definitely be eatable. When you smoke meat, especially dark chicken meat it can retain a pinkness to it that sometimes is mistaken for raw or bloody meat.

[Uncle Al]

What kind of thermometer are you using?  Is it possible it is out of calibration?  I use one of the fast read ThermoWorks Thermapens to check the final temperature.  They are pricey but worth it for durability and accuracy. 

[pbe gummi bear]

This article from amazing ribs is on point about cooking chicken- http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_chicken_is_done_when_juices_run_clear.html

[Troy]

What gums said!

Use a high quality, accurate thermometer. When its 165 - its safe to eat regardless of juices and colors.

Right now there's an open box sale on thermapens, they're the best of the best - the gold standard. They're near instant read and incredibly accurate.

[1buckie]

Thanks for some feedback Andrew. That's pretty much how I did it. The smokenator on one side loaded with charcoal - about 15-20 lit and the rest unlit (minion method) and a couple small chunks of apple wood. I put the spatchcocked chicken on the grate for indirect cooking with legs facing the heat source, water pan over the smokenator, pretty steady temp of 300-325 and after 4.5 hours, still not done. Another 30 minutes on the grill, 15 of resting and was still not totally comfortable with the results.

Your setup here is perfectly fine......one thing from the 1st post that stands out to me though, is this:

     "kept relatively stable at approximately 300-325º on the dome thermometer"

The dome reading will always be higher than at the grate, sometimes by 40 or more degrees (fh) and.....if the therm is not completely accurate (which these commonly are not), then that difference could possibly be even more.....

Half chickens or spatched should be done in a lot less than 4.5 hours it SEEMS.......I could be wrong, but that thick of a piece just seems, at that temperature like it would take closer to two hours, if that.............

Like said, I could be wrong as I don't get to do a lot of whole ones as the wife gets ahold of them & does them in the oven (very well, but still!!) .................so, humour me.....


Here's some possibilities........

Try lighting more coals at the start, like double the amount......

Get the pit up to a high temp, like 400f.....good & up & running before the meat goes on.....

Put a can lid over the dome therm if you're tempted to look at it.......

Get a cheap grate therm, like this:



Take a reading after 25 minutes of hot charcoal heating the kettle, lid on, vents open.....
...........at Meat Level (<<< Technical Term), then set your chicken on, cap the bugger & cook.....
Try top vent open, bottoms 3/4 open to extend your burn time a bit......

Don't lift the lid for a hour if you can stand to (kinda makes you trust your setup in the first place, eh?) then see what it looks like & perhaps take a reading with an instant in the thigh / leg & see where it's at........& if you have at least a decent idea of what previous ones looked like on the outside, charcoal or gas, then check how that compares......likely it will need to go more, but I think it will be much closer to done than previous ones at one hour......the grate therm should be plugging away at 350f if you got a good solid burn going at the start......

Hope the logic makes sense.....get it going good & strong, contain the heat well by not looking, trust that you set up well, check quickly with an instant read & I bet it gets good & done much sooner...............

This is a set for a chicken pieces cook....granted, not like whole bird..............





....but it did not take very long at all starting at this temp:



525 degrees......

You could also test out different sets....here's one MacEggs from Canada did.....




Here's what he called a "fail"....two chickens on an 18" Weber, 30 degree weather, an hour & fifteen minutes & they were 'close' to done.....


http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/beer-can-chicken-experiment-fail/msg90633/#msg90633

[austin87]

Pics would help. The pink you are seeing could be smoke ring. Also, if you break the bone when spatchcocking the bird it could appear pink.

Do not use a water pan when going for temps of 300-325 - water keeps temps low, in the smoking range of 225-250. The dome therms can be way off. If you are running at 300-325 as stated your water pan should be furiously boiling (but water takes a ton of energy to change into steam, creating a heat sink).

Trust your tools. If you are using a good instant read thermometer (Thermapen) or something like a Maverick and avoiding the bone, it is safe to eat at 170 internal temp regardless of the color of the meat.

A spatchcocked turkey should be done in 4 hours at 325. I'm surprised there was even any juice left in your chicken. Mine take 60-90 minutes depending on bird size and temp when running 325-400.

Stick with it and we're here to help.

[Bigdave]

To me the chicken always looks a little red when grilling in charcoal. Could be a smoke ring could be a reaction between the Chicken and charcoal. Anyway my wife is deathly afraid of undercooked chicken so I always take it to 170. And it's still kinda pink looking.

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[charred]

I've got nothing new to add, but that's never stopped me....

First thing imo is ditch the water. I never use it for anything, especially not for chicken and the higher temps I want.

Second is make sure your probe is accurate. A Thermapen is great but uneccessary- their (Thermoworks) Thermopop will do the job if you wanna save $50+. Once you're certain it's accurate, go by bird temp, not appearance.

Third- welcome fellow New Englander! (or do you say Englandah?!).

4th- try to relax and enjoy. This hobby (and this place) are great!

ETA: #5- Great move on your part getting a 26"er!

[ramsfan]

Four suggestions I would offer: First, (if you have one) cook the chicken on a Weber 22.5 grill instead of a 26.75 grill. That's an awfully big grill to use for cooking a single chicken. Using a smaller size grill will help concentrate the heat better.

Second, try placing hot charcoal on BOTH sides of the grill with a dry drip pan in the middle instead of hot charcoal on just one side of the grill.

Third, try cooking your chicken using a Weber rotisserie accessory. That is what I ALWAYS use to cook chicken. The bird will definitely get cooked this way because all sides are being cooked evenly as it is turning and exposing all sides to the heat plus the spit rod going through the middle of the chicken will conduct heat and help cook the inside of the bird. (I just happen to be selling a brand new Weber rotisserie in the member sales section if your interested?)

Finally, don't mistake a pink smoke ring for pink undercooked meat. Next time, cook your chicken without using wood chips (if you are using wood?). See what happens.

4.5+ hrs. to cook a chicken is waaay too long IMO. I have cooked a whole turkey (a small one) on my Weber on Thanksgiving Day in less time. You either have a bad thermometer or you're mistaking a pink smoke ring for pink undercooked meat or your idea of "done" is different from everyone else? Post a picture next time of the parts or pieces that you think aren't fully cooked.