Chicken?

[twistertail]

Well I'm finally going to try a chicken this weekend. I dont have one of those racks that the chicken sits on, do I need one or can I just lay it on the rack?

 

[cowgirl]

I like to lay mine on the rack and put a drip pan underneath.
Good luck to you and take pictures for us.

 

[twistertail]

Thanks for the tip, I'll see what I can do about a picture.

 

[mavadakin]

this site has lots of opinions.. best advice any cook or chef can give you is ..try to make it your way....dont complicate things where your entering into something you are not sure of..always keep it simple the first time..see what changes ya can get from the pros afterwards..we need qview..i agree with patty ..start simple..have a meat thermo .,.167 degrees min..deep in the breast....mike

 

[homebrew & bbq]

I've done 4 or 5 chickens and I don't have a rack. Some I've done whole and others I've split in half. Either way I just put them on the grate. Some of the folks around here spatchcock their chickens. There's a video link in this thread that shows how that's done.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ght=spatchcock

Good luck on the bird. I'm sure it will be great.

 

[geek with fire]

I'll tell yaâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji], from my experience over the last several weekend smokes, you can't beat a "fill in the blank"-can-chicken (meaning, beer, soda, apple juice, whatever). It's so easy and really keeps the meat from drying out, making the process very forgiving. You can do an SMF search for a process, or PM me and I'll shoot you some suggestions. Also, while a special Beer Can Chicken rack makes life easier, you really don't need it (unless one of your chickens has a shorter leg than the other).

One last thing, if you still have to buy your birds, buy at least 1 Cornish game hen. They are cheap; like less than 2 bucks. While they don't have has much meat on them, I really think they end up with a better flavor (my though it, less meat = more smoke penetration)

Best of luck!

 

[hawgheaven]

I've done yardbirds with a can up the butt or lying on the grates, either way is excellent. Brining is important for juicyness...

You may want to try spatchcocking sometime after you get a few birds under your belt. Basically, you remove the back and lay the bird out flat on the grates, giving it more exposure to smoke. Plus, it cooks more evenly, I think...