Chickens

[Hermdog]

Just picked up my new smoker yesterday and was plannin on startin out with a few chickens today. I've read that i don't need smoke thru the whole cooking process, so do I want the smoke on the front end or back end of the process?? Also what temp would I want to set it at. Don't want to sound stupid, but I am a virgin to smokin and I am confident that I will get some good advice from this forum!   Off the subject, whats with the letter recognition and question every time I post????

[devo]

The number thing will go away after about 5-6 post's. It's just to make sure the forum doesn't get spammed.
Now as for your chicken adventure there are many different ways to smoke it. The one thing you will find is the skin will come out rubbery and many finish in the oven to crisp up the skin.
Two hours of smoke at the start should be good and depending on the size of your chicken it should take about 4 hours to do at a cabinet temp of 210*F. You are looking for an internal temp of 160*F at the breast.
You will want your vent wide open when doing chicken as it has a lot of moisture in it. You need to vent that outside or else you will end up with a black rain inside the smoker.
Check out the recipe site for some recipes for chicken or duck and go from there.
http://www.susanminor.org/

Oh and welcome to the forum

[ratherbboating]

Devo is right.
I do the "beer but" chicken in the smoker.  I smoke in the middle of the cooking process (I like apple wood, but that is personal choice).  And into the oven for final crisping of the skin. Beer but chicken has LOTs of moisture, so the vents need to be open.

[Hermdog]

Yea i just went to rural king and got the beer can holders! I'm gonna do 3 chickens, and your help will get me srtarted. I kinda figured I would need to smoke at the start but wasn't 100% sure. Thanks for the input!!!

[rigstar]

i do my chickens on the beer can holders for 2 hrs of smoke at 220*f
then move to bbq and insert beer can underneath, medium indirect heat
until IT of chicken is done (roughly gonna take 2 hrs depending on heat and size of bird)
moving to bbq after done the smoke crisps up the skin nicely