help with smoking whole chicken

[jack and coke]

After work today I plan on buying 2 chickens to smoke on Friday.  I have never done chicken before.  Can any of you guys send me a link from this site with help?  of if you have any knowledge on this please post your input. 

Cooking temp
good wood flavor to use
brines

Thank you

[KyNola]

Cooking temp= as high as you can roll, hopefully can get to 250F
Wood flavor= hickory or apple
Most of the chicken I purchase has already been injected with something when processed so I don't brine anymore.

Biggest tip I can give you is make sure the vent is open 100% to let the vast amount of moisture from the chicken escape.

[Caneyscud]

So what's not great about smoked whole chicken?  Imagine one of those bland/dry Sunday night roasted chickens your mom used to make, but now moist, tender and bathed in flavorful smoke, wonderful warm spices and slow cooked to the point where it melts in your mouth. Wowzers, now I'm hungry!!!  I really think that smoking chicken is the way chicken was meant to be cooked - well except for Hot Fried.  

There will be several ideas come forward.  The last few birds, I have spatchcocked - and I'm sold on the technique.  That is cut out the backbone and spread out flat.  Gotten very good and moist results using the technique.  Google spatchcock chicken and there are youtube's to show you how - actually quite easy especially if you have a good pair of poultry shears and a sharp knife.

Temps - I usually keep Cabinet temp 225 to 250 until the thickest portion is at 160 to 165.  Some like it hotter to "crisp" up the skin - but I won't risk a dried up bird for a crispier skin.  Some will finish inside in the oven or on a grill or Big Easy to crisp up the skin. 

The first step in smoking a barbecue chicken is to find a good chicken. Don't pick up a shriveled up frozen bird. Pick out a fresh, plump bird, and TRY to avoid any chicken that is packed with "solution". Many, if not most chickens these days are mixed with a chemical brine to make it look good and plump. This makes them look good, but doesn't necessarily make them taste good. Consider getting two or three or four.  Four is as easy to smoke as one.  I usually try to find a 4 to 5 pound bird.

Woods? - whatever you like, but definitely hickory, cherry (gives a good reddish color) and apple.

Brines - I don't.  I have a hard time finding a "non-enhanced" bird and a brine would not work very well with an enhanced bird.  Besides, with the spatchcock method, I find they don't dry out as much as a whole hunched up bird.  But a typical brine is 1 cup salt to 1 gallon of water.  Add spices as your tastebuds guide you.  For a "rub" typically, I'll use a Rosemary/garlic blend or a Montreal Chicken blend, or a lemon/pepper blend or just salt and pepper.  Occassionally I will marinade in Italian dressing and then sprinkle the rub on.  Sometimes I will use a marinade of Dales, Worseych...worchet.....uhh...dagnabbit Worcestershire sauce, and jalapeno juice, along with some mexican spices.  Sometimes I will place things such as sliced sausage or chorizo, or sliced lemons, or herbs, or butter between the skin and the meat.  Have not done that with a spatchcock, but often with a whole hunched up bird.  If doing a whole hunched up bird, I will usually stuff the cavity with butter, onions and jalapenos. 

Ky has ya with the vent open. 

And in the Bradley, the skin will not likely get crisp, but I have no trouble with that - the skin tastes fantastic. 

This past weekend I did about 50 pounds of chicken parts and pieces.  Sprinkled on some Montreal chicken rub, then glazed with a thinned down and kicked up Cattlemen's BBQ sauce.  I don't usually sauce, but this crowd insisted.  Turned out good. 

[jack and coke]

after the pucks burn threw, should i keep water in the drip pan.

thanks for the help. 

[muebe]

Always keep water in the drip pan cause that is where the grease drippings end up and grease & heat from the element do not go well together :o On some cooks with a lot of fat you should exchange the water several times during the cook to remove the excessive grease.

[smoker pete]

These guys have you hooked up Jack.  Vent wide open, 250º, and when doing 2 chickens I would definitely spatchcock them.  Here a view of a couple of spatchcock chickens I did a while back.  I always rub the chickens with some EVOO before applying rub/spices under and on the skin.  Took me 4½ hours to smoke 2 chickens.  I used 3 hours of 2 to 1 Apple/Special Blend smoke but there's nothing wrong with Hickory, Pecan, Apple, Cherry ... it's all good ;D ;D

[jack and coke]

sounds good.  thanks guys.

[steve-o]

after the pucks burn threw, should i keep water in the drip pan.

After I am done the smoke, I dump out the puck water, and refill with hot water. I thought I read here something about that helping too. But then again I may be wrong.