Cooking with a countertop indoor smoker

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I'm pleased to report a modest success.  Last night I smoked a chicken breast in the GE.  For wood I used a sweetwood blend.  For a rub I used an Oaxacan Ancho Coffee Rub from The Spice House, being careful not to overdo it.  Smoking temperature was 135C.  Pull temperature was 71C.  Time was about an hour and ten minutes.  The meat was lovingly tender, and I could slice it remarkably thin.  I could even chew it.  For someone who finds chicken breasts impossible to cook I was impressed and pleased.

 

It would be interesting to cook a chicken breast in the Anova at the same temperatures but with steam.

 

 

 

[rotuts]

@JoNorvelleWalker

 

nice work.   when you say pull temp , that would be the probe temp in an approximate center of the item

 

but not the equilibrium temp when taken out of the IDS and rested ?

 

I have not tried these higher temps just yet.  Next time Im in possession of a CkBr or TrBr

 

I might try it , going for an equilibrium temp of `145 F , and then using the meat w think slices for

 

a sandwich or what not .

 

good work.

Edited September 19 by rotuts (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

6 hours ago, rotuts said:

@JoNorvelleWalker

 

nice work.   when you say pull temp , that would be the probe temp in an approximate center of the item

 

but not the equilibrium temp when taken out of the IDS and rested ?

 

I have not tried these higher temps just yet.  Next time Im in possession of a CkBr or TrBr

 

I might try it , going for an equilibrium temp of `145 F , and then using the meat w think slices for

 

a sandwich or what not .

 

good work.

 

By "pull temperature" I mean the core temperature as read by the Combustion probe.  I then let the breast equilibrate outside the smoker but I did not take a final reading.

 

 

Edit:  I forgot to mention, some sources say to smoke chicken breasts at a higher temperature to avoid formation of an unpleasant dry chewy skin.

 

 

Edited September 20 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I've been remiss in recording my attempts.  Since the chicken breasts in my post above, not much has been worth mentioning, but I did have an accidental success with pork shoulder:

 

My pork was a three pound boneless roast.  Because it was boneless some sections were thicker than others.  I put the Combustion probe in the thickest part, and proceeded to smoke using the Profile's preset, to a target of 92C.  After five and a half hours I gave up about 2:00 am.  My Thermopen agreed with the Combustion, but because of the size variations some parts of the meat were underdone while other parts were quite overdone.

 

Dinner was some of the more overdone.  Tough but edible.  But then night before last I took a chunk of the pork and cooked it further in the Anova on sous vide mode 100C and 100% RH, for an hour and a half.  This was the first time I achieved anything like pulled pork.  I was very pleased.

 

Tonight I hope to replicate the success.

 

[rotuts]

Chicken sale is back @ Stop&shop :

 

 

Ive tried CkThighs @ Market Basket , but was very un-impressed :  those thighs had a large skin and fat flap under each thigh

 

which you could not see in the package.   not so good a deal , as I get rid of the skin // fat.

 

but S&S CkDrums were so much better , Ill initially try  a pack of the thighs and see how they pack them.

 

Im going to use the IDS to smoke lightly @ low temp , then SV as I SV'd some previous legs  ( no skin )

 

worked out very well for chicken to use later for a variety of dishes .

 

might even make a few more tubs // bricks of smoked chicken stock this week.

Edited Thursday at 02:44 PM by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

I started w a tray of thighs . I wanted to see how easy they were to trim away the skin // excess fat , and if S&S gave you that extra flap under the thigh :

 

they did !

 

 

trimmed  .   note :  the every day price of the thighs is higher than the legs !

 

 

these went into the IDS @ 185 F , full smoke , for 3 hours , shifting trays ever hour :

 

 

as it was still early in the day when the thighs started their smoking , went back to S%S and got a tray of CkDrums ;

 

 

these were actually a bit easier to trim :  I learned from the last tiem I used these , its impossible to get all the skin off, as the bit around

 

the end of the bone is stuck there firmly .   Soooo I cut around the skin , right to the bone , about 1 " up from the bottom of the bone.

 

then bluntly dissected the skin away from the bone , which was fairly easy to do .  I cut the freed up skin down to the end cut  , and peeled

 

the rest off the leg.  It stuck fairly firmly in one area.  I then bluntly dissected the skin all around the leg , down to the bottom 1 " before

 

I cut the released skin to the bone end.  Easier this way :

 

 

these also went into the IDS for 3 hours , 185 F , hourly rotation .

 

 

I measured the ' trim's ' weight , and as I thought :  the trim on the thighs was 31 % of the chickens weight , and was 17 % of the legs weight.

 

as I thought , they do slip you more skin // fat w the thighs .  these leg are very very large , much more so that MarketBasket 

 

so if you use slimmer legs , you wont get as much meat // leg.   I was initially planning to use the thighs for ' SV IDS thighs ' , as

 

I recently just SV'd a pack of skinned legs , w/o IDS'ing , and was pleased w the results. but Im going to make IDS smoked CkStock

 

w the thighs via the iPot.  and SV the legs , as Ive done in the past.

 

Ill saute the thighs first , to get some fond and Maillard flavor first.

 

learned this :  stick w the plump legs @ S&S .   thighs are not worth it.

 

And remember here the color on the legs  // thighs  is from the smoke , not the Maillard Rx.

Edited 6 hours ago by rotuts (log)