Chick in Memphis
Patti and I have set one night a week just for us. It’s our date night. We usually put something special on our Memphis Elite Wood Fire Grill/Smoker and with all of the features we rarely cook inside. We always eat outside on our patio where it is very comfortable with a rainforest theme. Wood burning stove, little lights, candles, lanterns and surround sound. We enjoy a little wine, or strawberry margaritas using frozen strawberries for ice, good food, music and sometimes a dance or two…
We haven’t used the Memphis meat probe yet and wanted to check it out on our Memphis Elite. So, Patti got me a big bird that I rubbed with a little olive oil and Memphis’s “All American” rub, simple. Our chick settled on the Elite like she was on a tanning bed. She really looked good there. Then, we let her hang in some nice pecan smoke at 180 degrees (84c) for about 30 minutes or so. Then, turned up the heat to 325 degrees (165c) until she was done. I was thinking about an hour. The meat was moist and the skin crispy. One of the many pluses of the Memphis Grill/Smoker is a lot of the fat under the skin drips away, less fat and still tons of flavor.
It was more like 45 minutes and the ITC (Intelligent Temperature Control) done me it was done and reduced the heat to a holding of 180 degrees (84c) and flashing “DONE” in big red letters. Tell me, how helpful is that?
Chick in Memphis
A Pellet Grill Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes smoke, 60 minutes cook
Grill: Memphis Elite Wood Fire Pellet Grill/Smoker
Pellets: Nature’s Way Pecan
Ingredients: Chick in Memphis
- 1 large roasting chicken
- Memphis’s “All American” rub
- Olive oil
Hanging in Memphis
Chick in Memphis
A Pellet Grill Recipe
Directions: Chick in Memphis
Rub your bird with a little olive oil then sprinkle your rub, to taste, over her. If you are using a meat probe insert it now. Set your bird directly on your preheated grill.
Again, we let her hang in some nice pecan smoke at 180 degrees (84c) for about 30 minutes or so. Then I turned up the heat to 325 degrees (165c) until she was done. I was thinking about an hour. It was more like 45 minutes and the ITC (Intelligent Temperature Control) told me it was done and reduced the heat to a holding temp of 180 degrees (84c) and flashing “DONE” in big red letters.
I had my meat probe set at 180 degrees (84c). USAD says 165 degrees (77c) for chicken, I like the way the chicken flakes or pulls apart when you go to 180 degrees.
Cooking Directions: Memphis Wood Fire Pellet Grill/Smoker
Open the lid and set the ITC (Intelligent Temperature Control) to “180” degrees (84c). After about five minutes you can shut the lid. Give it a few minutes to heat up.
Place your bird directly onto the grill and just let it hang out in the smoke and get happy for 30 minutes or so. This is referred to as “Smoking” or “Hot Smoking”, the temperature is 180 degrees (84c). 30 minutes of smoking is not enough to have any cooking effect on your meat but it is enough to open the pores so that the meat can pick up all the flavor of the smoke. We like to use pecan pellets for chicken.
After 30 minutes, turn the ITC (Intelligent Temperature Control) up to 325 degrees (165c). In a bit less than an hour the ITC (Intelligent Temperature Control) was flashing “DONE” in big red letters. Pull the bird and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. I use a Maverick ProTemp Instant Read Thermometer for checking meat temperatures.
The “ITC” Showing the Meat Temperature
Note: I get a lot of questions about the kind of pellets you can use with a recipe. Keep in mind that a recipe is just an outline. Some you need follow closely like when you are making bread, but most you can do anything you can dream, our favorite way to cook. Feel free to mix and match the pellets until you find a combination you really like. Also you are only smoking at temps less than 250 degrees, anything higher is cooking and there will not be much if any smoke so it does not matter what kind of pellet you are using.
Chick in Memphis
A Pellet Grill Recipe
Cooking In the Oven:
We have been getting requests for recipe conversions for the Pacific Living Pizza Oven. I tell folks all the time that cooking on a Wood Pellet Grill/Smoker is just as easy as cooking in your oven. Just about anyone can do it and do it well. Think about it. You set your control knob to the temp you want, put your meat in and leave it for a set time.
It is the same thing, time and temperature is what it is all about. The Louisiana Grill is just like your oven except it uses wood pellets and has wheels.
About Our Recipes
We do our recipes on our patio where we have a lineup of grills, including Louisiana, Green Mountain, Memphis, Royall, Traeger pellet grills, Char Griller side box smoker, Saber, Charmglow, Char-Broil, The Big Easy, Pacific Living Pizza Oven, Lodge Sportsman’s, Brinkman and Weber. I call it our “Wall of Grill”. Our grilling styles are healthy and low fat and will fit pelletheads, gas, natural wood and even charcoal purists. Almost any of our recipes can be done on any kind of good BBQ.
The important thing to keep in mind is TIME & TEMPERATURE. You can even do some of them in the oven or crock pot, but, then you lose all the flavors you get from cooking outdoors. But sometimes it does rain.
Remember that a recipe is simply an outline; it is not written in stone. Don’t be afraid to make changes to suit your taste. Take it and run with it….