Smokin.....Oh Yeah !!!

[JohnDeere4300]

I've done a deer, but nothing stinks like a chicken..

Bird,__

You have to be joking, when i kill a deer my wife field dresses it because i get sick__looks like a lot of work for her

Good Evenin Bill and Bird,
Well I have never dressed out any chickens either, but I can tell you I remember my Great Grandmother goin in to the hen house, grabbin a bird and makin quick work of its neck out on the choppin block out behind her house !

Scott,

Now that is what I'm wanting, something quick, she can do the rest.

Scotty, when you have free range chickens, sometimes just catching one can be quite a chore..

Ok Bird,

We have free range chickens.___Good eggs.

But i already took care of the catching, 30 minutes ago me and my son went out in the hen house and pick out the best young ones, and locked them in the barn.
________________________________________________

So the other day me and my wife talked about killing chickens, and this is what i learned tonight.

1) Nothing stinks like chicken.____Wife can handle it.

2) Doing it quick.____I can handle that.

3) Catching a free range chicken.____They are already caught.

 

[tallyho8]

I must have been about 6 years old the last time my parents butchered a chicken but I can still remember chasing it around trying to catch it after they cut it's head off.

 

[JESSE1]

My Grandmother had a large chicken yard and somehow she always knew which hens had stopped laying (they were all white leghorns). She would wring their necks and douse them in hot water to loosen the feathers before plucking. That's when it really smelled bad. She would then take the cleaned chicken and dress it out. These older hens tended to be tough but if you stewed them long enough they would always make great chicken and dumplings.

 

[Bird]

My Grandmother had a large chicken yard and somehow she always knew which hens had stopped laying (they were all white leghorns). She would wring their necks and douse them in hot water to loosen the feathers before plucking. That's when it really smelled bad. She would then take the cleaned chicken and dress it out. These older hens tended to be tough but if you stewed them long enough they would always make great chicken and dumplings.

Yep, a pressure cooker is the fastest way, then as you said, chicken & dumplings, chicken soup or stew, or ground up to make chicken salad sandwiches.

And like a lot of youngsters, I guess, when we were first marrie, my wife tried frying one without realizing she'd bought a "roasting" chicken instead of a "fryer". They're so tough you can't chew it.

 

[scott_vt]

I must have been about 6 years old the last time my parents butchered a chicken but I can still remember chasing it around trying to catch it after they cut it's head off.

Good Evenin Dudley,
I was too petrified at 3 or 4 to do any chasing !

 

[Bird]

I must have been about 6 years old the last time my parents butchered a chicken but I can still remember chasing it around trying to catch it after they cut it's head off.

I've always heard of folks wringing a chicken's neck, or chopping a chicken's head off with a hatchet, but we didn't do it that way. Maybe that was because Dad made me start killing and dressing chickens before I was big enough to wring one's neck, or to hold the chicken with one hand and a hatchet with the other.

So we held the chicken by both feet, bent over to let its neck touch the ground, laid a short and stout stick across its neck, and quickly stepped on the stick, one foot on each side of the chicken's head, and pulled up on the feet, thereby very quickly pulling the chicken's head off, and in the same motion tossed the chicken out in front of us so we didn't get blood on us and our clothes from it flopping around. The "stick" for the purpose could be an old piece of a broomstick, although we preferred something a little stronger, like an old piece of a broken hoe or shovel handle, or even a 3/4" or 1" iron pipe.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Good Mornin Guys,
Sorry about bringin up an old thread, pullin a little LB this mornin ! Sorry LB !
Spring fever has hit ... 50 degs and gettin warmer.

Good mornin Scott,

I'm pulling a little LB this morning____I'm sorry LB
______________________________________________

Giving a update on the chickens.

We didn't kill none because of the weather,__From last Friday to Tuesday of this week it was in the upper 70's, then Wednesday it got cold...and Thursday night it started snowing.

I keep thinking about the last picture, _to get back to fishing.

 

[scott_vt]

Good mornin Scott,

I'm pulling a little LB this morning____I'm sorry LB
______________________________________________

Giving a update on the chickens.

We didn't kill none because of the weather,__From last Friday to Tuesday of this week it was in the upper 70's, then Wednesday it got cold...and Thursday night it started snowing.

I keep thinking about the last picture, _to get back to fishing.

Good Evenin Bill,
Hey your entitled !!!

BTW thanks for the great pics !

You could throw some smokin recipes in there too !

 

[Bird]

Jim, there may be some bad news. I was in Walmart this morning and thought I'd just see if he price had changed on those drip pans. They didn't have any, so I happened to see the department manager and asked about them. She knew exactly what I was talking about and said they discontinued them, but she doesn't know wny, nor did she know whether it was all Walmarts or just this store, but she thinks it's probably all Walmarts.

Mine are 25" x 47", stamped "Auto Drip Pan" and "Auto Trend Products".

So I don't know where to find more like them.

So last year Walmart discontinued the big drip pans that I liked to put under the grill and the smoker and I had to get the smaller size at AutoZone and O'Reilly's, but this morning I was in the Hickory Creek, TX, Walmart and there was a whole stack of them priced at $9.96 each.

Incidentally, they're marked "Made in the USA".

 

[dooleysm]

Back to the chicken discussion...I gave up plucking mine, way too much work for chickens that were just going in the stew pot. If I were going to fry them I might go to the trouble, but mine are too old and tough for that. They skin out fairly easy for me, about on par with a rabbit or squirrel. I always try to snatch mine off the roost and put them in solitary confinement for a day or two with just water, no food. This empties them out pretty good and makes the butchering alot cleaner and less stinky.

 

[Bird]

That might not be a bad idea, Shawn, but we never did it and I never knew anyone who did (give them only water for a day or two).

 

[Tdog]

Bird, pulling on the chicken's feet with its head under a broomstick, is exactly how I was taught to do in the chicken. It wasn't a lot of fun, but the eat'n made it worth it.

Jack

 

[Bird]

I now use the Great Outdoors Wide Body Smoky Mountain gas smoker from Walmart.

The above is a quote from post #5 in this thread. I believe Home Depot also sells the same smoker. A couple of nights ago, friends invited us over for ribs and he has the narrower model of the same smoker. When we got there, he said there was something wrong with it and even wide open could only get a tiny flame at the burner; just wouldn't get hot enough to use, so he had to do the ribs in the oven and on the grill.

The reason I'm tell you this is in case you should buy a similar product. As with most things now-a-days, it's made in China. And I had exactly the same problem with my smoker one year ago today. The problem is a defective LPG regulator and places such as Home Depot and Lowe's do not have a replacement. The company that sells the smoker wanted to send me a complete new valve "assembly" for $80. But a local LPG company (in this neighborhood, Northwest Propane Company) sold me a "Marshall Gas Controls, Model 230" LPG regulator and a couple of fittings for $23.60, including sales tax that fixed it.

 

[jinman]

Some people will say that if you don't burn wood in a firebox when smoking meat, you are cheating. Well, I've never used a gas smoker like Bird has, but I can tell you that I love my Masterbuilt digital-electric smoker. The hardest part is cleaning the racks and water tray between batches. Since Bird gave me the idea of putting foil in the water pan, that big job just disappeared. Thanks Bird! The racks come clean by just spraying them with some purple cleaner and let them soak for a few minutes. Then I take a nylon brush and the racks shine like new. I just let the rest of the grill season and run it up to 225 degrees for a couple of hours before smoking so it is sterilized.

I put dry rub on my ribs and marinated a brisket about 24 hours starting last Thursday morning. Yesterday morning, I loaded my wood chip tray with hickory chips and put the ribs and brisket in the smoker as seen in the first two pictures below. I let the ribs and brisket smoke for about 5 hours at 210, basting every hour with the left-over marinade. The final picture is the ribs and brisket at the 5-hour point. I then took the meat out and rubbed it with yellow mustard and olive oil. I wrapped both the ribs and brisket in foil and let the ribs go for another couple of hours until they are just falling off the bone. I let the brisket go for another 5 hours wrapped. It keeps the moisture in and the final meat is moist and so tender you can cut it with a fork. I don't have any pictures of the meat wrapped in foil. You'll just have to use your imagination.

How was it? Terrific! I sampled the brisket and ribs last night. I cooked all this in preparation for when my wife and inlaws come back from Ohio tomorrow. I'll give them a nice home-cooked meal when they get here.

 

[Bird]

The racks come clean by just spraying them with some purple cleaner and let them soak for a few minutes. Then I take a nylon brush and the racks shine like new.

Jim, I found the easiest way to clean the racks, too. I let Margaret do it. Our kitchen sink is big enough that she lets them soak in the sink awhile, and I think then she uses an SOS pad.

Kathy and the in-laws ought to really enjoy the meal you've prepared. It looks great.

We're expecting our kids Easter after church, and I'm going to use the injectable marinade in a pork loin roast and a couple of turkey roasts, then cook them in the smoker for dinner that day.

 

[scott_vt]

The final picture is the ribs and brisket at the 5-hour point. I then took the meat out and rubbed it with yellow mustard and olive oil. I wrapped both the ribs and brisket in foil and let the ribs go for another couple of hours until they are just falling off the bone. I let the brisket go for another 5 hours wrapped. It keeps the moisture in and the final meat is moist and so tender you can cut it with a fork. I don't have any pictures of the meat wrapped in foil. You'll just have to use your imagination.

How was it? Terrific! I sampled the brisket and ribs last night. I cooked all this in preparation for when my wife and inlaws come back from Ohio tomorrow. I'll give them a nice home-cooked meal when they get here.

Good Afternoon Jim,
Oh my word !!! Scottys' commin to Sunset.....

Thanks for sharing those rib pics Jim.....

OK I guess I deserve it !

 

[jinman]

Good Afternoon Jim,
Oh my word !!! Scottys' commin to Sunset.....

You have to hurry Scotty. If you don't get here quickly, all you'll see is a pile of bones and a bunch of folks sittin' around with smiles on their faces.

BTW: When Kathy came home from Ohio yesterday, she brought me a present. It's a bottle of low-cal maple syrup from Cracker Barrel restaurant. I figured it was worth a taste, but didn't expect much. The ingredients said it contained "natural maple flavoring," but I had my doubts; especially since it also said only 10 calories in 1/2 cup. Well darn if the stuff wasn't very tasty! It's made with Splenda and has a nice flavor. It's kinda thin, but very good. Too bad I can't eat anything I'd want to put it on while I'm on this diet. Sheesh!

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I thought I posted this before. I will just keep a chicken up overnight, that pretty much lets the food clear out of the gullet and even most of the gizzard.

I have a wire I catch them with hubby made me, just a long sturdy wire with a hook on the end. I then tie their legs together and leave them on the chicken house floor for the night. It's easier to catch them after dark. I then loop the tie over a corner post of the fence. Then I take a very sharp knife and slit the veins on each side of their neck the next morning. Also I just tie their legs together enough to keep them from getting loose but not enough to hurt them. They bleed out really quick and they don't do all that flopping and stuff. I read this is a humane way to kill them, its like they just go to sleep. I had a hard time doing this the first time. I had watched mom dress out chickens when little and had only picked the feathers off and cut them up later, not killed them, its not a pleasant experience. Also when removing the entrails be sure not to crush the gallbladder by the liver or it will get on the chicken and make it very bitter tasting. I use latex gloves to remove the insides as I always seem to have some cut on my hands and don't want to get anything infected.

 

[BigE_]

The above is a quote from post #5 in this thread. I believe Home Depot also sells the same smoker. A couple of nights ago, friends invited us over for ribs and he has the narrower model of the same smoker. When we got there, he said there was something wrong with it and even wide open could only get a tiny flame at the burner; just wouldn't get hot enough to use, so he had to do the ribs in the oven and on the grill.

The reason I'm tell you this is in case you should buy a similar product. As with most things now-a-days, it's made in China. And I had exactly the same problem with my smoker one year ago today. The problem is a defective LPG regulator and places such as Home Depot and Lowe's do not have a replacement.

I have the same smoker, and yes, the LP regulator went out. I went down to BiMart (like Walmart, only better) and bought a replacement for about $15. I installed the replacement, and then tore into the old one.

It turns out that you just pop the little metal cap off the regulator and there is an adjustment screw. The problem is that you get a little moisture in there, and the aluminum starts to oxidate a little, and the little pressure spring can't activate against the part that moves. (Sorry, don't know the right names).

The point is that you can count the number of turns, and turn the screw almost the way in, and then most of the way out a few times. Then put it back where it was. This frees it up, good as new. I now have a spare...

-Steve

 

[BigE_]

My problem is getting the meat to stay "moist". With chicken, I just brine it before smoking, and it comes out great, nice and moist.

With ribs, though, they tend to get too dry or too done if I keep them in there too long (temp up too high?). The temperature regulation on my smoker is iffy (in the sun vs. out of the sun, and outdoor temperature makes a big difference), but I try to keep it right at 250 degrees. Oh, and the water bowl stays full.

-Steve