Re: What to smoke first?

"Dave Bugg" <davebugg2@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:BgSli.70$iE4.7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Steve Pope wrote:

BOB <abc@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

"Steve Wertz" <swertz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

Chicken thighs or leg quarters. There is no other answer if
you're trying to experiment.

Bingo. Whole chickens are hard to "smoke" and get good results
because of the different cooking times/rates of the white and dark
meat. Leg quarters are almost as cheap as whole chickens, and are
much more forgiving. There's a reason that most BBQ competition
teams use thighs.

What is the point of BBQ chicken? I mean, sure it ends up
smoky but it doesn't turn into Q the way the classic cuts
of beef or pork will (or for that matter, lamb or goat).
Something about chicken, maybe the connective tissue or
something, is wrong for BBQ.

I put "smoke" in quotation marks. ;-)

BUT...with practice, chicken cooked low-and-slow can be excellent. The
texture will be something that you've never experienced, but it takes
practice, and lots of "failures".

Right. You can't really bbq chicken, which is why I referred to
'smoke-roasted' chicken. You can slowly smoke-roast a chicken, but the
slow cooking won't tenderize the meat like it does with a pork shoulder.

I also disagree with BOB that whole chickens are hard to smoke for good
results. It's no harder than roasting a chicken.

I stand by my comment. The title of this thread is "What to smoke first?"
;-)
AFTER she learns temperature control and the little fire tending that WSM
needs, yes, whole chickens are a good idea. It's can be difficult to get
the white meat and dark meat done together.

I'm thinking of changing my recommendation for the first cook...up above
someone mentioned a pork loin (NOT a tenderloin!!!). It's pretty forgiving,
and as long as the internal temperature is kept low, (130-ish before
resting), it'll be nice and juicy, and very tasty.

I'd recommend a pork ***, or picnic for the first cook, but Christine may
not be up for a marathon YET!
;-)

BOB


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