Whole chicken

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bennylt

Newbie
Original poster
Nov 6, 2009
9
10
I was thinking about brining a chicken over night then hanging it whole in the smoker, not stuffed. Will that work or end up too dry?
 
No it won't be dry if you don't smoke to death. I do have a question for you thou? You are going to brine it over night thats just fine. You say that you are going to hang the bird in the smoker thats is my question why hang it when you can just rest it on the grates???? I smoker chickens all the time and they come out great and juicey and all. I would lay the bird right on the grates and keep the temp in the smoker at 375-300 and take it to about 165-170 in the breastand you'll be fine.
PDT_Armataz_01_34.gif
 
Stuff a beer up it's cavity and stand it up and smoke it. We call that beer can chicken :)
 
I hang some a the ones I sell. There put in nettin which if ya don't have the rig ta stuff inta the net with could be a pain.

Brine overnight is fine, rinse an put some rub on it. I got a few a them beer can chicken racks that I use fer home birds, works out great or like was said, just lay em down on the rack.

I smoke chicken in the 275° range an take em ta 170° in the breast. But thats just me.
 
I just pat dry mine after a brine and coat in a canola oil/ pepper/hot pepper coating before the smoke. I smoke them upright.
 
I don't like the beer can method because it prevents the smoke from getting inside the cavity. In addition, some of the juice that would ordinarily be retained in the cavity can't help but run out into the drip pan.

I smoke mine on the grates, at 225 or thereabouts. I start 'em on their backs; I turn 'em after 90 minutes, then again after another hour. I also mop 'em every 45 minutes or so to keep the skin from getting rubbery.
 
Here be how I hang mine:




Otherwise I just use the beer can racks an skip the beer can:


Or if ya wanna spatch **** sumtin:

I've found a nice set a poultry shears makes that job lots easier. Ya can find em perty resonable on ebay er such places.
 
I was only planning on hanging because of convenience. For one, my smoker is home made so for racks i currently have cookie cooling racks because they fit perfectly. I'm working on other solutions though. But anyway they are a little too flimzy for something like a whole bird. I also have one of those devices used for frying turkeys. it would be easiest to take the racks out, plop the bird on the fryer lifter and hang that from a hook. My smoker is of the verticle design.

Thanks for the answers and tempereture suggestions. that was going to be my next question. I'll try ittomorrow and see how it works.

I am still very green and i am trying to practice my way up to doing a turkey over the holidays.

For the turkey i think i'll smoke it to about half cooked jsut for flavor then finish in the over or fryer. not sure yet. we will see if i can handle a chicken first.

Oh by the wya i make beer can chicken on my grill all the time. Love it.

I usually open the whole top of the can with a can opener, then drop hot pepper and diced fresh garlic into the beer. YUM!!!!
 
Some of these pics look beautiful! I BBQ chicken without brine. Thin coating of mayo, thin coating of mustard, chicken rub, BBQ at 225 to 160 internal, wrap and let set for two hours to 170-172 internal. Haven't tried a pure smoke yet, gotta do that now.
 
Tip, what in the hell?
Looks like a mini jet engine eating a bird after catching it with a net.
Never seen a machine like that...
 
There called stuffing horns, this one is sized fer chickens, they make a smaller one fer roasts an bigger ones fer ham an such. Not cheap, I lucked out an got a deal on this en. Some a my customers like to give the chickens as gifts an really like the nettin look. More like an old butcher shop woulda had.

It is a neat pattern when ya peel the net off.

It works great on pheasant an ducks to, the hunters round here like that if there taken somthin to a game feed. Ya know, fluff up there feathers cause they can show off somthin nobody else did.:)
 
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