I would like to smoke a whole chicken tomorrow and I was intending on deboning it and stuffing with something?
Do I need to brine a chicken before I smoke it?
What temp should I smoke this boneless stuffed bird at?
Any tips on keeping me out of the emergency room?
Is light a particle or a wave? ???
Spatchcock the bird after brining. How do you do that you ask?
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how long should a brine last?
I either smoke/cook whole chickens or chicken parts. Chicken parts are better, because you can put the dark and white meat on separate trays. If your have a chicken that is already injected with a brine solution higher then 2%, you may not need to brine (if it is only injected with water, then brining will help). That information should be on the package label. If you bought it from the display case at the butchers station you would need to ask the butcher or meat cutter.
The time you need to brine depends on the amount of salt (salinity) you have in the brine, and the size of the bird. I generally will brine whole chickens from three to four pounds for 4 - 6 hours, and I generally use 1 cup (10 oz.) of pickling salt per gallon of water. I prefer pickling salt over kosher, because it dissolves easier in cold water.
I would be careful slow cooking a chicken that has been stuffed. Some have smoked Tur-Duc-Hen with success, but stuffing and low heat is a good incubator for bacteria. So if you do stuff, I would smoke/cook at the highest temperature you can get the smoker. Or move it to the oven or grill after the smoke has been applied.
Thanks for the info Habs, hot and fast smoke it is.