British BBQ Society Forums

So, I fancy doing some cold smoked skinless chicken breasts.

Has anyone got any advice for these....brine or not, length of smoke (I'll be using oak and doing cheese at the same time) etc,etc,etc

Cheers!

If you're going to cold smoke chicken you need to be very careful. I've done it before with great results but I was a bit worried that I might poison myself

I only smoked mine for about an hour and a half then it went back in the fridge overnight and I cooked it the following day. I used hickory dust over a single lit briquette in the bottom of my Excel to do it. What you have to remember is that while your chicken is in the smoker it is going to be in the temperature zone where bacteria can multiply very quickly. But if you use good quality fresh chicken and you make sure that you chill it back down again immediately (needs time to let the smoke flavour develop) then cook it well you should be ok.

I actually think that cold smoking then baking chicken breast gives a better result than hot smoking it but it is a bit of a faff.

Oh and I forgot to mention I brined the breasts first.

Here's a link to a recipe for cold smoked chicken

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/ ... ure-232188

They suggest 6hrs smoking . The danger zone for food is 40F - 140F. Chicken at this temp for 6hrs sounds scary but if you've cured it in brine first then in theory it should be ok.

I'm supplying no warranty with this post, if you poison yourself it's your own doing

Having said that, I might try the linked recipe myself, I ate chicken sashimi in Japan and that didn't kill me

Al have you ever cold smoked chicken? It's well worth doing. You know how hot smoked poultry has a more smokey taste if you let it cool and eat it the day after... Well if you cold smoke it then bake it, you get the same effect but in something that's been cooked once.

It's a different product to hot smoked chicken and it's good

Thanks for the replies Fellas - much appreciated.

The idea was to use a cold smoke generator in the Excel, but as the weather this weekend is going to be ~10°C and frikkin' windy I might just give this a miss....I mean I could do with losing a few pounds, but on my terms!!!

The reason for doing this was as a Kid and when we used to visit my Grandparents, on the way there there was this old ex farmhouse that always had a sign up outside it advertising "Cold Smoked Chicken, Game and Cheeses" which always intrigued me....funny how this stayed with me until now!

Yeah, too much sanitation is a bad thing just as much as not enough.

Anyway, this didn't come off....today was crazy windy...ended up with someone else's dustbin (minus lid and thankfully empty) in my back garden....and I have 7' fences!!!

DrSweetsmoke wrote:

LM600 wrote:Yeah, too much sanitation is a bad thing just as much as not enough.

Anyway, this didn't come off....today was crazy windy...ended up with someone else's dustbin (minus lid and thankfully empty) in my back garden....and I have 7' fences!!!

Cool now you have a large beer cooler for garden party's.