Smoking brisket and chicken

[SamSpade]

I love my smoker, although I've used it almost entirely for pork - ribs, loins and butt.
I love the taste of smoked chicken, but my last several outings - the skin just ends up tough and chewy.
I don't know why that is - heat was low, and I kept the chamber basin full of water.
(What I did NOT do is slather or baste anything on the chicken directly).

I don't know anything about smoking brisket, but I read a little online and the result was pretty good.
Since no one was hungry when it was finished - it stayed on low heat until night time - I put it in the fridge still wrapped in foil
and sliced one of them up into thin slices yesterday.

It's fatty. I'd REALLY like it to be tender, as two of my kids really hate eating tough meat. It did NOT have the THICK chunk of fat that most pork loins and cuts of corned beef usually have - when I sliced it, there was a lot of fat inside the meat.

If the slices are cooked slowly, the fat drains out, but it doesn't make the meat more tender.

Is there a way to tenderize the meat now that it is cooked?

 

[lucky_bee]

Most smoked birds will have chewy skin. The skin eds up being more for looks than eating at that point, as you'll get a nice coloring to it but it will always be a little chewy. However, I've found brining the birds 24 hours helps prevent the skin ending up super tough - still a little chewy, but not so tough. And just get a spray bottle filled with ACV and water, spritz the skin from time to time, no need to baste or slather.

My husband trims the brisket a bit first, did you trim it? If not, highly suggest trying that but watch many YT videos first. His first time he just hacked at it and cut way too much off and it ended up tough. He's an intermediate smoker by now, but brisket is still hard for him. He's only just recently smoked a pretty amazing one, and he's been smoking meats for 8 years. Brisket is a huge learning curve.

you could try storing the leftover brisket in beef broth, and if the kids microwave it, wrap it in a damp paper towel.

 

[Bare-ya-cuda]

After you brine your bird, pat it dry with paper towels and put in fridge on a sheet pan with drying grate for 24 hrs. Before you throw in smoker melt some butter and inject the breast. use left over butter to coat chicken, this will help adhere any rub you use if any. They drying in fridge helps your skin come out crunchy.

 

[Grumpy]

Add baking powder to your rub for chicken, that will help crisp it up. Doesn't take much and works well.

 

[lucky_bee]

Add baking powder to your rub for chicken, that will help crisp it up. Doesn't take much and works well.

we do that for our smoked wings - haven't tried on the whole bird, but then my husband doesn't eat the skin regardless. I do either way

 

[Gilligan]

I love my smoker, although I've used it almost entirely for pork - ribs, loins and butt.
I love the taste of smoked chicken, but my last several outings - the skin just ends up tough and chewy.
I don't know why that is - heat was low, and I kept the chamber basin full of water.
(What I did NOT do is slather or baste anything on the chicken directly).

I don't know anything about smoking brisket, but I read a little online and the result was pretty good.
Since no one was hungry when it was finished - it stayed on low heat until night time - I put it in the fridge still wrapped in foil
and sliced one of them up into thin slices yesterday.

It's fatty. I'd REALLY like it to be tender, as two of my kids really hate eating tough meat. It did NOT have the THICK chunk of fat that most pork loins and cuts of corned beef usually have - when I sliced it, there was a lot of fat inside the meat.

If the slices are cooked slowly, the fat drains out, but it doesn't make the meat more tender.

Is there a way to tenderize the meat now that it is cooked?

I cheat. I soak the brisket in brine for at least 12 hours before it goes on the smoker. I'll smoke it for 16-20 hours at a very low heat. But then..it goes in our slow cooker pot for 4-5 hours to finish it off. Melts in your mouth... Just don't tell anyone you finished it off that way. ;-)

 

[Grumpy]

Have smoked 4 or 5 briskets, never had an issue with it not being tender or too fatty. Look up Jeremy Yoder (Mad BBQ Scientist) on youtube, lots of great info on everything brisket.

 

[SamSpade]

Have smoked 4 or 5 briskets, never had an issue with it not being tender or too fatty. Look up Jeremy Yoder (Mad BBQ Scientist) on youtube, lots of great info on everything brisket.

I will. Last night my wife took the remaining chicken - and there was a LOT - and air-fried just the skins, since the kids are astonishingly repulsed at the idea of eating chicken skin - and are often EAGER to give it to the dog.

I never have a problem with it.

So far with the brisket, I'm continuing to slice it thin and leave it to marinate until someone wants it for dinner. My youngest, who disdains meat and generally hates beef, has been tearing through it.

 

[Kyle]

So far with the brisket, I'm continuing to slice it thin and leave it to marinate until someone wants it for dinner. My youngest, who disdains meat and generally hates beef, has been tearing through it.

Crushed their inner-vegan.

 

[SamSpade]

Crushed their inner-vegan.

She's hard to please. She doesn't like beef, typically - but loves it in Chinese dishes (which are often sweet and tender). For example, she loves beef bulgogi or beef and broccoli. Isn't crazy about fried or baked chicken, but she liked the smoked chicken.

The boy, it's just a challenge to get him to eat anything, which tends to blow everything you've ever heard about teenage boys.

 

[kom526]

My go to reference is: www.heygrillhey.com
Lots of tips and recipes that are very easy to follow.

 

[kom526]

 

[stgislander]

View attachment 167668

That looks like a meatloaf.

 

[Kyle]

I'm sure there's a point being made, but for the life of my, I'm not seeing it.