I received a stainless steel Bradley Smoker for Christmas...Sunday I decided to try it out...I started by smoking it empty for about an hour and a half, went out and bought a whole chicken, cut up...
I removed the skin, injected with my BBQ sauce and put in the smoker at 220 degrees...I was using the apple flavor wood...I took it out and checked after 2 hours and it was done...My wife and I sat down to eat, frankly it tasted like it had been cooked over a trash barrel...We ate some and threw the rest out...
I've smoked with a Brinkman for about 15 years, is it just that I'm used to the charcoal flavor??? Did I not need to remove the skin?? Do I need to try other woods??? Does a new smoker need more curing time to remove the "new" taste???
Removing the skin lets the smoke get into the meat more easily and tends to dry out the meat. Also try less smoking time, but the same cooking time, smoke does not have to be rolling all the time. If meat is still on the dry side try brining.
I smoke whole chickens all the time and don't have any problems. Chicken will absorb a lot of smoke flavor quickly so you have to be careful. You should leave the skin on the chicken. It keeps it moist and slows down smoke absorption. I smoke a whole chicken usually 2 hours and then finish it in the oven. The chickens I smoke are usually about 4.5lbs. I use a mix of hickory and maple woods.
I use either apple or maple on mine. I do skinless breasts but usually drape some bacon on top to help with moisture.
Ensure the vent on the top of the unit is well opened. You should detect zero smoke escaping at the space where the generator attaches to the tower.