Smoking Chickens

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Cooksie

Senior Cook
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
459
Location
Texas
We are going to smoke some whole chickens tomorrow on a small Hondo smoker that we have only used one time for smoking brisket (which was pretty good, but a little dry). We have the wood soaking, so we know that much :LOL:. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips/techniques to help us out. What do we do to the chicken before putting it on the smoker? Baste? If so, with what?
 
Last edited:
I hot smoke whole birds on a weber. Obviously indirect heat. I oil and rub with a cajun salt and spice mix, truss the bird, and go for 1 hr (3 lb) 1 hr 15 min (5 lb), 1 hr 30 min (7 lb). I use mesquite for chicken.

I have also used whole sprigs of rosemary...very fragrant.

THe birds are nicely smoked and incredibly juicy.
 
I have used my smoker to do whole chickens as well as surround with charcoal/indirect on a regular grill. Actually, soaking the wood isn't a big deal. If you insist on soaking 30 minutes is plenty of time.

I rub the inside with butter and the rub, place on a beer can where I have poured out half and added some butter, onion, and some of the rub, then rub the outside with more butter and rub. The rub I make has kosher salt, brown sugar, dry mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, oregano, cayenne, chili powder, cumin, white pepper, and I think that's about it. In an actual smoker the chickens can take up to 5-6 hours. Indirect, with the coals on all sides of the bird, takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on the intensity of the heat.

And stick it's little wings behind like it's resting.
 
BBqing a whole intact bird on an offset can be done but it can be a challenge. Suggest you butterfly (spatchcock) the bird(s)...It will cook faster, and more evenly --- Season, and brown a little over direct heat (firebox)... Then Move to the cooking chamber with the legs/thighs facing the fire box ... bone side down. Persoanly I like the thigh meat to reach 170*-180* -- Time will depend on your fire, size of birds, number of birds, etc..Somewhere between 1 1/2 and 3 hours should do the trick, but check the thigh meat with a thermometer....

Have Fun!
 
Thanks everyone! Looks like lots of really good info here. I'm going to show all of this to the Chief Q'r.
 
I'm a happy camper! I used Munky's seasonings. Forgot to tuck the little wings :(, and have such a small smoker that spatchcocked wouldn't fit (we did two).

3565205718_987224bc68.jpg
 
Thanks, they were/are very good (just had some more for lunch). We'll be doing that again for sure.
 
BBqing a whole intact bird on an offset can be done but it can be a challenge. Suggest you butterfly (spatchcock) the bird(s)...It will cook faster, and more evenly --- Season, and brown a little over direct heat (firebox)... Then Move to the cooking chamber with the legs/thighs facing the fire box ... bone side down. Persoanly I like the thigh meat to reach 170*-180* -- Time will depend on your fire, size of birds, number of birds, etc..Somewhere between 1 1/2 and 3 hours should do the trick, but check the thigh meat with a thermometer....

Have Fun!

thats good advice! If you can brining always helps and don't bother soaking your wood--that is one of the biggest bad ideas floating around the bbq/grilling world--
buzz
 
Back
Top Bottom