Smoking a whole chicken

[Lorne]

Have a Bradley 4 rack non digital smoker and am a "newbie". I want to smoke a whole chicken (maybe do two at once). They are about 4 lbs each. I will brine them first. Then I will do some kind of rub on them.
Do I start them off with smoke and then finish with no smoke. I thought about two hours of smoking with cherry bisquettes and then finish in smoker without any bisquettes (dry smoke I think its called) until temperature is 170 degrees - not sure how long this will take. I will set the smoker on high and open the vent wide. I may have to finish either in the oven or BBQ to make sure they are done.
Does this sound like a good plan? Should I put the chickens on foil or a pan or simply place on the smoker rack?
Any suggestions welcome. My main concern is to ensure they are done and we don't get sick.

[mikecorn.1]

Most do 2 hrs of smoke. If you want crispy skin, you'll have to finish them in you grill or home oven. Make sure and leave the vent on the smoker fully open.


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[smoker pete]

You could "spatchcock" the chicken (remove the backbone and flatten out the bird).  Spatchcocking allows for a more even cooking process and it does take just a little less time.  Brining is always a great idea and I would suggest rubbing EVOO and your favorite poultry seasoning on and under the chicken skin.  I also recommend smoking and cooking at 250ºF with the vent wide open.  Unlike others I prefer to take my chicken breast to 170ºF rather than 165ºF.  As the wise 'smokin monkey' once said ... Don't worry - you can't hurt it cause it's already dead  ;D

Here's an example of spatchcocked chickens.  Skin side up or down doesn't make much difference.  Like Mike said, smoke for 2 hours (6 pucks) and you  could use Apple, Hickory, Pecan, and/or a combination.  These chickens took 4½ hours ... used an Auber PID to maintain the temp at 250ºF and of course the vent was wide open in order to allow the moisture to escape from the smoker ... allow chickens to rest under a foil tent for 15-20 minutes before carving and serving.

[Lorne]

Thanks Mike and Pete for the information. I am not sure if my Bradley can reach 250 degrees particularly on a cooler day. I will wait for a warm, calm day and do the chicken. I think the spatchcock method will work the best to cook the chicken faster and lower the contamination risk.

[Lorne]

Success!
I smoked a whole chicken yesterday for dinner. I spatchcocked the bird (at least my wife did), brined it in a container in the fridge for a couple of hours, rinsed it off and then rubbed olive oil all over the skin and seasoned with a BBQ spice rub. Had the Bradley at 250 degrees and used apple bisquettes (6). Smoked for 2 hours and then cooked for another 1 1/2. Checked the temp and it was 170 degrees. I let it rest tented with tin foil for about 20 minutes. The bird was done all the way through (no pink anywhere) and it was tender and delicious.
Next time I will do 2 as its a fair bit of work doing the clean up.
Thanks for your help on this.
My next venture will be back ribs and then I am going to try homemade sausage.
Incidentally I was pleased that my smoker got to 250 degrees as it was a cool rather windy day here yesterday.

[smoker pete]

Sounds great Lorne.  Glad it worked out ... but next time we'd all like to see some pictures  :D

[Lorne]

Yes next time I will take pictures and figure out how to post them.
This is a great forum.