CB COOKS
Smoked BBQ Chicken on a Gas Grill!
Whole bird on the left, spatchcocked on the right.
It’s easy to call any backyard cooking experience a ‘barbeque.’ That’s pretty much become the standard reference point. And the purists will get all excited about drawing an absolute line between what most of us do, grilling, with true barbeque. Heck they’ll even get excited about how to spell it! (We prefer Barbeque or BBQ)
Truth be told, just about everyone enjoys the taste of slow-cooked barbequed chicken, beef or pork. But it is problematic to prepare slow-cooked food outdoors on a cooker when you get home from work at 6 or 7 and want to eat! And the weekends are pretty full with all manner of chores and outings and for many of us – extra jobs. So the luxury of owning both a grill and a barbeque is, well, not always within reason. But there is a solution for using your grill to create great tasting slow-cooked barbecued food. It takes a little practice and some patience, and is best left to a day when you have some time around the yard or house to work on projects because it will take a bit of time to get it right. Once again, the ‘purists’ (whomever they are) may be dismayed at my recommendations here, I’ve found it works and my friends and family love it.
Char-Broil Smoker Box
The first rule of slow cooking is paying attention to the heat so you can verify it is constant and around 200F – 250F. The second part is having a source for creating smoke. If you use a charcoal cooker – that’s pretty easy. But since the majority of folks have gas grills – the concept of ’smoke’ is a bit more of a challenge. There are a couple of solutions for this. One I recommend is the Char-Broil Cast Iron Smoker Box. This handy little unit is pretty tough and will hold quite a few wood chips so that when it’s placed on the grates directly above the burner, it will smolder and create a good steady smoke for adding flavor to just about any meat. For longer smoke – more authentic smoking style – you’ll need to refill it several times.
Char-Broil Brand Wood Chips for smoking
The next choice, and a very important one, is selecting the source of the smoke. All manner of prepared chips, chunks and such are on the market today and can be used to create smoke. The most popular are mesquite, hickory and even whiskey barrel. I like the fruit woods cherry, apple and pear. Some folks insist on a blend and also use tea, herbs and other items. If you are collecting smoke material from your own yard or neighbor land – make sure it’s safe and free of pesticides, etc. These are not aromas or tastes you want on your food! Depending upon the meat to be smoked, you will find what you like and that’s only by experimentation! Char-Broil has several styles and flavors of wood chips and chunks available and that may be a good place to start.
I like to smoke meat without much fuss. Some people enjoy putting all manor of rubs and spices on things. I like to taste the meat and taste the smoke. A touch or two of something to ‘highlight’ or showcase those flavors is all I’m looking for. You will, of course, decide what works for your taste buds and this is the next step. I brine my chicken and pork before smoking. The low & slow cooking in dry air will completely dry out most meats. You can use a basic brine like CB’s Basic Brine or devise your own, but brining pork or chicken before smoking or barbequing ensures the maximum amount of moisture in the meat and will pay out in the long run. For all meats, you may wish to use a humidifier in the closed grill – a tray of water or other refreshing liquid will do. And you may also wish to use a ‘mop’ or light sauce over the course of the cook time to ensure the meat has moisture applied to it; this does help somewhat to prevent complete dehydration of the meat.
Spatchcocked bird on the left, whole bird on the right.
OK…yesterday I smoked two whole chickens that I had Spatchcocked or butterflied after removing the back bone. I placed them side-by-side in a half-sheet and used a general seasoning on one (left) consisting of a commercially prepared Rosemary & Garlic blend. On the other (right) I used a gentle spice mixture a friend recently sent me from Australia called “Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle – An aromatic, Australian lemon myrtle mix for sweet or savory dishes and infusions.” It smelled wonderful.
DISCLAIMER:
I’ve prepared smoked chicken on several styles of gas grills using low heat and a smoker box as well as in electric and charcoal smokers. (CB’s EZ Cherry Smoked Chicken as an example of this, was prepared on a gas Patio Caddie.) For this particular post I am using the new Char-Broil RED infrared grill because I wanted to test out the pre-set temperature recommendations for BBQ that are printed on the controls as well as the ability to keep a good slow smoke going by placing wood chips in one of the infrared “U” shaped emitters.
Whole bird on the left, spatchcocked on the right.
After pre-heating the RED grill on HIGH I turned all 3 controls to the BBQ setting – where after about 10 minutes the hood thermometer read 325F degrees. That would be too hot for a good low and slow, but it served my purposes for starting these birds. I placed both birds on the left-hand burners and turned them off. Because the grate temperature was hotter than the hood thermometer, my estimate is 400F degrees – I wanted to kinda get the cooking started on the bones and then allow the smoke and low heat to finish.
wood chips in the RED 'u' infrared emitter tray. Chunks work a bit better and smoulder slowly.
I placed a combination of hickory, cherry, apple and mesquite chips in the right-side single infrared “U” emitter and kept it on BBQ setting; turning off the other two control knobs I closed the hood and let it all just smoke for about an hour, checking to make sure smoke was still being generated by the heap of chips I’d used.
After about an hour I added more chips and noted the cooking chamber temperature was holding at a very level 225F degrees.
I moved the birds to new positions – one high and one low – using the warming rack as a shelf to help capture smoke in the circulating air. I checked internal temperatures which experience told me they were still a a ways from being done – internal temp for properly cooked chicken is 165F degrees.
Spatchcocked bird on top, whole bird on bottom.
I planned to remove the chickens when the internal temperature reached just over 155F degrees in the thick part of the breast and thigh and allow them to finish cooking from internal heat. But no timer would be used. It’s all about temperature when cooking low & slow.
I switched the location of the chickens on the racks about an hour later and then in another 35 minutes the thermometer reading hit the target I wanted – 155F degrees. I removed the chickens and placed them in a metal tray and covered with aluminum foil. Placing the tray on the counter inside I let the chickens rest for about 20 minutes – checked the internal temp and it was right on 165F degrees. The fully cooked chicken was tender and loose – so I easily pulled off the leg-thigh and wings leaving the breast intact. Placing both parted chickens in zipper plastic bags and into the refridgerator got the temperature down quickly to achieve safe storage.
Whole bird on the left, spatchcocked on the right.
Today – Smoked Chicken Salad for dinner. Tomorrow – Smoked Chicken Sandwiches.
There isn’t really a recipe for the offering today – just the narrative as outlined in the post. For a selection of tasty chicken recipes – grilled, barbequed, rotisserie or smoked, click on Search Recipes in the navigation bar at the top of this page, beneath the banner.
If you have questions or comments please post them in the Comment section directly beneath this post!
Happy Grilling!
Good recipe and GREAT technique article Barry. Good smoking can indeed be done on a gas grill…. the real trick is practicing so you know your settings to hold a given temperature. Steve
Please send me some recipes that deal specifically with the Quantum Infared Grills, and please mention them specifically in the future. There is really very little information out there with respect to Ifared grilling and wat little there is only mentions the RED grill. Most stuff even provided with the Quantum Grill is just generic stuff, How about some specifics for us Quantum purchasers….
Hiya Jim – thanks for the post. Most all recipes that are presented here can work easily on Char-Broil grills with the Quantum infrared system. Quantum is a unique combination of infrared and convection – so it has many of the same characteristics of a traditional gas grill but with an infrared “boost” so to speak. It can really provide you with the higher heat for searing when you want it – great for steaks, fish, etc. Chef Erik is using the Commercial Series with Quantum and tells me
“CB – it’s like a really really REALLY good grill. Except for when I want to sear on high heat not available on other grills, it cooks and acts just like the Commercial Series grills I cooked on for 6 months on the road with the 2006 Grilling Tour.”
Also the post called Basic Grilling: Sear and Hold… showcases a grill with the Quantum infrared system. I hope this helps you enjoy that great grill you have! – CB
Last week I was in Nashville Tn. We had some great BBQ at Jack’s downtown. As we ate and talked I decided when I got home I was going to try a slow cook on the Commercial series grill. I have the BIG SMOKER but one roast looks really lonely on there.
I placed a sirloin roast on the grill at 9pm with the grill temp at 220f. For smoke I added a large piece of pecan wood I had started earlier. That would keep a nice lite smoke going for hours. I woke up at 5am in a panic because I had drifted off to sleep early and not checked the grill all night. I figured I would find a large lump of charcoal where the roast once sat! But, What I like about this grill is that it will hold a steady temp forever… This proved to be true once again. The temp was 220f when I got there. I had placed the meat in the middle with the outside burners going to avoid flare ups. The internal temp of the roast was 180. Higher than I wanted but still OK.
It was so good we ate some for breakfast! I chopped the rest for BBQ plates and sandwiches. I know it’s not chicken like this article but those new to grilling should try slow cooking on gas grills. It’s worth the time and effort… Your friends will love you for it!
Terry
“Way down in Alabama”
I have had a Patio Caddie for the past couple years (recommended by the owner of the local hardware store who owned one and raved about it) and I just love it. I would love to try some of your smoking recipes, but I have no idea how to use this grill for smoking foods…..no idea where a smoker box would go in it. Would you please shed some light on this for me. My family would love you for it. Thank you. Carol from upstate NY
Hiya Carol…actually I used the propane fueled Patio Caddie and simply set a metal tray on the burner into which I placed wood chips. With the lid on and the burner on lowest setting – the smoke was perfect for my CB’s EZ Cherry Smoked Chicken! As I recall it took about 3 – 4 hours and I needed to replenish the moitened chips every so often. Next time I think I’d use wood chucks…they might take longer to smoulder and last longer! – CB
So, would this work on the Quantum given that there isn’t as much space for wood chips?
Yes. You can place wood chips on the grates or use a smoker box…I’d opt for the latter.
Can that smoker box be placed on top of the Quantum grate? If so, what temp is needed on the grate that it resides to get it smoking nicely? Would you recommend soaking the chips first?
Thanks!
Yes – you can do this. For general “smokey” flavor when grilling steaks, chicken, fish, etc. you can also just place chips directly on the grates (they won’t fall thru!) and use a lower setting.
For actual long-term low & slow smoking you will need to experiment as to the best way to use the smoker box on the grates. For example – on my 3 burner I’d preheat either the left of right side and then turn it down to a low setting and with the hood closed, monitor the hood temp. I want between 225F – 250F degrees for smoking meat. Others like different temps, and I suggest you test out what setting on the control knob will give you that constant temp.
To get smoking I’d place the smoker box on the grates over the burner that is on and get it pre-heated as well – then carefully use tongs or an insulated grill glove to lift the lid and put chips in. I generally don’t soak chips – but that’s just me – so you need to experiment with that a bit to see how well your particular smoker box works with either wet or dry chips. It’s only a handful so not a huge cost or waste.
I’d place the meat on the opposite side and maybe even on the warming rack. Be prepared to check it every so often when the chips burn out and to ensure it’s cooking evening. Use an instant read thermometer to check temps on different parts of the meat and rotate or adjust as necessary to get even cooking. When slow cooking a chicken – consider the fact that white meat and dark meat cook differently and be prepared to remove the white meat prior to the dark meat being done (about 160F – 170F). You may want to consider the article I posted last week about either spatchcocking the chicken or dis-assembling it to be a white meat roast and a dark meat roast.
And I’d use a remote probe digital thermometer on the meat with a read-out that I can see without lifting the hood. (When you life the hood on a grill being used for low and slow cooking, all of the heat is lost and there is a definite affect to the cook time and meat. And by having a remote you can monitor the meat in the cooker to ensure you are cooking it properly throughout the time you have it on the cooker. Remember there is a danger zone between about 65F degrees and 120Fdegrees that if maintained too long becomes an incubator for bacteria – so you really want to pay attention to this process…especially it’s your first time.
Never EVER feel like you have to ’stick it out’ if something doesn’t seem like it’s going well. Cook the chicken at a temperature with which you are more comfortable and add some smoke to it using the smoker box…that may be all you want! In fact, if you really just want some smoke “flavor” just roast a chicken normally and add the smoker box during the roast – it won’t develop all of the qualities of slow smoked meat, but it will have flavor!
For more help with this topic – I’d recommend you take a look over on the Users Forums in both the Quantum and Smoking topic boards. If you don’t see answers you need – post a question and see what kind of helpful suggestions and comments you get from other folks who may have been there too!