Chicken on WSM without Pan

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Bruce B

Master Chef
Joined
Jan 4, 2005
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Location
Utica, MI
Been seeing where quite a few folks are cooking in their WSM's direct, without the water/sand pan so I thought I would try some chicken quarters using that method last night.

I marinated three chicken quarters for 4 hours in WishBone Robusto Italian dressing then patted dry and then rubbed using of Dizzy Pig Raging River Rub.

I fired up one full chimney of the "new" Kingsford and waited until it was 90% ashed over and dumped it into the ring. I added to chunks of pecan wood to the coals and and put the chicken on the grate sans the pan.

The plan was to cook 20 minutes skin down, then 20 minutes bone side down, then sauce and the last 20 minutes skin side down.

The cook went off without a hitch, here's some in progress pictures and a plated picture. The sauce was Sweet Baby Ray's, slaw and sweet potatoes.

One other thing I wanted to add, with all bottom vents open 100% and the top vent open, the WSM ran at 350º steady for the entire cook.





 
Great looking cook Bruce.
I cook Butts with no pan from time to time. I would do it way more often if it wasn't for all the rendered fat that ends up in the pan. I guess I could foil the charcoal pan. :) Use that method to cook Baltimore Pit Beef.
 
I've done birds without the pan .... 1 maybe 2 smallish birds is ok, but I did 4 without the pan once and for my taste, the flavor caused by the smoke from chicken drippings was way too strong
 
There's a guy over on Basso's forum who does pork butts without his pan and he says they are the best he's ever had. He rarely uses the pan for anything anymore.

Clean up is the only concern I have, basically being a lazy f*%K.
 
without using a pan, you are going to have a very nasty mess to clean up in the fuel chamber.

That said, you will also achieve a different flavor profile, with the smoke now carrying the flavor of burnng pork fat back up to the meat. Some will like that, some won't, but it works.

Great chicken Bruce! btw, Bruce showed me how to do comp style chicken. Finney is the one who started the rumor that I invented it.
 

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