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[heffneil]

Hey guys I was going to do some beer can chickens.  I haven't done them on my FEC120 - so the question is what temp and how long -ish?

I can probe the biggest chicken to see when they are getting done - but just wanted an idea?

Thanks!

Neil

[pmillen]

Here's what I do on my PG500.  Shouldn't your FEC120 require about the same?

• Brine the chicken(s)
• Rub something under the skin (softened butter with citrus zest, rosemary & thyme or just your favorite rub)
• Smoke at 275° until the IT is 150°
• Raise the temperature to 350° (maybe even 375°, I've done both) to crisp the skin
• Pull the bird(s) at your desired IT

It'll take about an hour and 45 minutes.

[heffneil]

Thanks that is helpful!

Does the PG500 have convection?

[Canadian John]

 Beer can or not - I SMOKE for an hour then crank it up 350º to 375º until done @ 165º - his is under 30 min for a 3# bird. The 30 min will vary depending how fast your pit climbs from smoke temp to 3XX º and the bird's weight.

 If you pay attention to the sound of  the drips sizzling after the bird starts to cook, you will note the dripping will stop as the cooking is finished.. Always use a thermometer verify doneness.  Let us know how things went.

[heffneil]

Will do I will document.

[pmillen]

Does the PG500 have convection?

Yes, the heat comes from the bottom left, goes up and then to the right, then down to the main smoking area (#18) and past it to exit via a very low chimney entrance.


This is a PG1000 cutaway, but the PG500 is exactly the same, convection-wise.

[heffneil]

I see - its natural not fan-powered I guess was my question

[pmillen]

The combustion fan blows air into the pit and circulates the heat around quite a bit.  It provides more than one atmosphere of pressure inside the unit.

IDK how it compares to a convection fan.

EDIT:

I think the air movement is substantial because the heat is incredibly evenly distributed as shown by this large pizza.

[heffneil]

So there IS a fan?  Whats the number of the fan unit?  I am just not familiar so I am very very curious.  I was recommending to a buddy to buy a Daniel Boone.  I really like that grill.  I really like that it is wifi enabled and they are really cheap!

[heffneil]

So I didn't really have time to brine.  I just seasoned.  First one was Mojito Lime seasoning from McCormick.  I put it on dry.  The next one I used mustard and seasoned with Montreal Chicken..  Last one I used Crystal and Creole seasoning.

Here they are in the 225 degree fec120

[heffneil]

I really made sure this image was right side up but can't change it here?!

[pmillen]

So there IS a fan?

Yes, there's a fan, but it's the combustion fan that all pellet pits have.  But that plus the air escape route through the main cooking area, commonly called zone 4, creates the convection-like air movement.

Whats the number of the fan unit?

IDK what you're asking?  CFM?  Model number?  IDK anything about it.

[Bentley]

Are the pictures in an iphone?

[heffneil]

Yeah but I transferred them to my computer and converted them to jpg because the stupid iPhone does helc.

[heffneil]

Man oh Man these were good! My wife said she doesn't remember the last time I made chickens like this.  I don't either but they were great.  See pics below.  The family couldn't decide which one they thought was their favorite.  I don't know what the yield for chickens is.  They were all about 5.5 lbs and I happened to weight what was left over which was about 4.5 lbs.  So not bad.  We ate most of the dark meat so its mostly just meat leftover.