First Go with Kettle

[brokenappletree]

Hi All,

Here was my first go with my kettle:


Preparation: spatchcocked rubbed with sea salt, evoo and dried rosemary right before placed on grill
Grill Setup: Slow n Sear with 40 hot KBB briquettes, one chunk apple wood

The smoking:
1) Total cook time was 2 hours 10 minutes (about 40 minutes longer than I wanted).
2) I had a hard time keeping the temperature at or above 325.  Next time will start with 60 briquettes.
    a) I had to add non-lit briquettes twice
3) Good learning experience with the slow n sear and the kettle
    a) I kept a good log of the whole process so I can make adjustments (couldn't get the log to paste in here and retain its formatting)

The taste:
1) Chicken was nice and juicy.
2) Good amount of smoke flavor. One boy loved it and the other said it was a bit too much smoke.  But, both went back for seconds and whole thing disappeared

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

[indy82z]

Looks good!! Just picked up a whole chicken myself and deciding how I am going to make it. Not sure if I will put on the rotisserie or if I will just shove a can up its butt and smoke it.

Thanks for the inspiration...it looks delicious!

[TheDude]

That was your first go! Good show!

[iCARRY]

Looks good from here.


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[tb80]

Looks great.


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[brokenappletree]

Thanks all.  I did a less scientific cook this evening (can you tell I have the grilling bug). 

Started with hamburgers on freshly lit coals.  After they were cooked, I threw on a couple of turkey tenderloins.  More coals to start with was the key.  Maintained heat no problem and easier to adjust temp with the vents.  Both burgers and turkey turned out great. 

As a side note, I love the ET-732 temperature probes.  Makes monitoring the grill and meat easy.

[SmokenJoe]

First cook  ...  your a natural.   That chicken has a great color and crispy skin.   Well done !!!    It takes time to "learn" your particular grill, charcoal, etc.  ...   take your time & enjoy the journey.             Sj

[MikeRocksTheRed]

Awesome cook.  I've found that chicken really absorbs smoke so I use a lot less than I would when smoking other meats.

[austin87]

Awesome cook.  I've found that chicken really absorbs smoke so I use a lot less than I would when smoking other meats.

+1 I find a more mild wood like pecan or apple (as opposed to hickory or mesquite) work really well for chicken. Definitely a case where a little goes a long way.

[feeshrman]

Good cook!! A heck of a lot better than my first. Try you some hardwood natural lump and see how you like it. Gets hot and stays hot for a while.

[kettlecook]

Hi All,

Here was my first go with my kettle:


Grill Setup: Slow n Sear with 40 hot KBB briquettes, one chunk apple wood

The smoking:
1) Total cook time was 2 hours 10 minutes (about 40 minutes longer than I wanted).
2) I had a hard time keeping the temperature at or above 325.  Next time will start with 60 briquettes.
    a) I had to add non-lit briquettes twice...

You're off to a great start. Here's a link to how I grill butterflied birds on the kettle. Give it a go sometime and I think you'll like it as well. It's easy, fast, yields nice crispy skin, and you shouldn't have to add any more charcoal.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/08/the-food-lab-how-to-grill-a-whole-chicken.html


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[Travis]

Thats a mighty fine looking yard bird man, and a good read linked from kettlecook. Interesting article.

[captjoe06]

You're off to a great start. Here's a link to how I grill butterflied birds on the kettle. Give it a go sometime and I think you'll like it as well. It's easy, fast, yields nice crispy skin, and you shouldn't have to add any more charcoal.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/08/the-food-lab-how-to-grill-a-whole-chicken.html


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Great article, thanks for sharing! 

[gdphishman817]

I see you have a slow n sear. When I'm cooking 325 on it, I always use the method they recommend for longer 325 cooks. I dump in 1/2 a chimney of unlit and add 1/2 lit. Even if it cooks in an hour, I just reuse the coals on the next cook

[Big Dawg]

D@mn good looking Yardbird ! ! !





BD