Hi I am new to this site and I have NEVER used a smoker before. I recently purchased a Bradley 6 rack digital unit. I'm going to season it tues/wed and will have my first attempt at smoking 3 whole 5 lb chickens on Thursday. I'm going to use the brine recipe on this site I also purchased a Maverick thermometer, and I'm going to use apple . My questions are at what temp should I set the smoker? What temp should my maverick read as far as being done. What should the approx cooking time be. I've read 3-5 hours for whole chickens, but smoking three would it be longer?? I just want to get it right PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!! :-[ :-[ :-\ :-\
Hiya petlover and Welcome to the Forum.
Are you going to split the chickens?
Temp I would use is 250 to 260.
I like 165 in the deepest part of the breast (don't touch the bone with the probe)
Time .... When it is done.
You can pull them out a little early and finish them under the oven broiler to crispen the skin.
As stated above and perhaps plan to take them out and finish in the oven. Just a hint. . . Chicken (and 15 pounds of it) carries a lot of moisture so keep the vent on the top of the bradley wide open to let that moisture escape and avoid condensation in your new smoker.
Enjoy.
Hi petlover777;
Welcome to the forum.
I tend to measure at the thickest part of the thigh. I want to make sure the dark meat is finished. Undercooked dark meat has a slimy texture and metallic taste; at least it does for me. So I go by 165°F at the thickest part of the thigh, and generally take them out of the smoker when they reach around 162°F - 163°F.
W E L C O M E to the Forum petlover777!
You"ll want to rotate the racks top to bottom after a couple of hours.
Thanks so much for the quick replies. I bought two of the stainless chicken stands, but my mom is going to also buy a chicken, so it will have to lay one of them flat flat. Should I split that one?? I told her this would be trial and error at least she has faith in me :) I thought I would start with the chickens before I move to a more expensive cut of meat...I also like the ideal of placing them under the broiler to crisp up. Thanks again I will let you guys know how they turn out....
I lay them flat, I haven't got around to the spatchcocking thing.
There is no problem splitting (butterflying or spatchcocking) the chicken. When you butterfly them they tend to cook faster, so you may need to monitor that one closely.