Can you eat smoked chicken without cooking it?
In this brief article we will answer the question, ‘Can you eat smoked chicken without cooking it?’ We will explain how to fully cook a smoked chicken and how to cold smoke a chicken safely. We will also discuss how to tell if a chicken is fully cooked and how long it takes for a smoked chicken to spoil. We will briefly discuss some dangers of consuming cold smoked chicken.
Can you eat smoked chicken without cooking it?
This depends on how the chicken is smoked. If the chicken is hot smoked you can consume it because it cooks all the way through but if it is cold smoked it is not safe to consume the chicken. Cold smoking is usually used mainly for salmon and oily fish but you can as well cold smoke chicken.
Cold smoking as earlier mentioned does not fully cook the chicken so such chicken could potentially be contaminated with bacteria.
How do you fully cook already smoked chicken?
You can fully cook your smoked chicken using the oven. To do this, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Then place your chicken in a roasting pan and pour about a quarter cup of water to moist the bottom of the pan.
Use an aluminum foil to cover tightly and heat for about fifteen minutes per pound or until the chicken gets to an internal temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
How can you safely cold smoke chicken?
As earlier mentioned, cold smoking does not fully cook a chicken and can result in food infections. However, you can brine chicken before cold smoking so that you best preserve it from bacterial growth. To brine chicken, mix 6 parts of water and 1 part of salt in a bowl.
You can add ingredients of choice to infuse some flavor into the chicken such as brown sugar, star anise and citrus zest. Let the chicken pieces soak in the bowl for 4 hours or overnight. The brine helps in curbing the growth of pathogenic bacteria as well as keeping the chicken moist.
After curing the chicken, you now require to cold smoke it. To do this ensure you have an appropriate cold smoker. Add some pieces of charcoal about 6 should be sufficient to the sawdust tray. Place your chicken on the smoking rack and ensure you close the vents so that the smoke is infused onto the chicken. Monitor the smoker temperature and ensure that it stays at around 85 degrees Fahrenheit and smoke for about 6 to 12 hours.
How can you tell if a smoked chicken is fully cooked?
To effectively tell if a smoked chicken is fully cooked, use a home thermometer to check the temperature. To do this, insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken flesh and take care not to touch any bones.
Check if the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit or high and if it has it means that the smoked chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat.
Is smoked chicken healthy?
Smoked chicken is usually an excellent source of proteins. Proteins are essential because they help in boosting metabolism, they have satiety i.e they help reduce the appetite and assist in eating less, they are good for the bones and helps in increasing the muscle mass and strength.
How long does smoked chicken last before it goes bad?
Smoked chicken does go bad and it usually takes about 4 days for it to spoil if it is properly refrigerated after being smoked. If the smoked chicken is properly wrapped and frozen, it can stay fresh for up to 3 months.
What are the disadvantages of eating cold smoked chicken?
May lead to Cancer
Consuming smoked chicken can increase your chances of contracting cancer. This is because smoked chicken has carcinogens. For example, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzopyrenes from wood smoke are toxic.
By-products of curing agents such as nitrates and nitrates called nitrosamines, are also carcinogenic. Mutagenic compounds Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs) are created when meat is cooked under high temperatures.
May elevated sodium levels in the body
As earlier mentioned, cold smoking chicken usually starts with the curing process. This means that cold smoked chicken will have high amounts of sodium owing that salt brines, salt-curing and the addition of rubs are used in the curing process.
The high salt intake increases the amount of sodium ingested. High levels of sodium may result in high blood pressure, over hydration and cardiovascular disease. It can have severe effects for people with underlying conditions such as kidney or heart disease, and such people should avoid smoked meats.
Other FAQs about Chicken that you may be interested in.
Can you cook chicken at 250 degrees?
Can you cook chicken at 275 degrees?
Can you cook chicken at 220 degrees?
Conclusion
In this brief article we have answered the question, ‘Can you eat smoked chicken without cooking it?’ We have explained how to fully cook a smoked chicken and how to cold smoke a chicken safely. We also discussed how to tell if a chicken is fully cooked and how long it takes for a smoked chicken to spoil. We lastly briefly discussed some dangers of consuming cold smoked chicken.
