Alright, it wasn't my first smoke ever, first smoke on the new rig, a Charbroil Silver Smoker. The old rig was a Brinkman electric water smoker.
The bird was about 5 lbs, and in the past I used a molasses/ pickling salt brine...this time I didn't brine it at all. I filled a Canada Dry Gingerale Can halfway with apple juice, stuck it up the chicken rear and put it on the smoker. I didn't even rub it or anything.
I used kingsford to get the smoker going, then I did a load of lump (Cowboy), and another load of Kingsford. The experience I had was that the Kingsford raised the temp of the chicken, and that the Cowboy maintained it.
I pulled the chicken out after about 5 hours. I didn't have a therm for the smoker, so I just used the probe in the chicken (It's a pyrex, you can see it in one of the pics). I checked the temp about every half an hour, even charted the temperature (yes, I am a smoker nerd).
All in all, it turned out well-- my wife liked it better than the ECB smoked brined chicken, and the kids ate second helpings. I even liked it better.
The bird was about 5 lbs, and in the past I used a molasses/ pickling salt brine...this time I didn't brine it at all. I filled a Canada Dry Gingerale Can halfway with apple juice, stuck it up the chicken rear and put it on the smoker. I didn't even rub it or anything.
I used kingsford to get the smoker going, then I did a load of lump (Cowboy), and another load of Kingsford. The experience I had was that the Kingsford raised the temp of the chicken, and that the Cowboy maintained it.
I pulled the chicken out after about 5 hours. I didn't have a therm for the smoker, so I just used the probe in the chicken (It's a pyrex, you can see it in one of the pics). I checked the temp about every half an hour, even charted the temperature (yes, I am a smoker nerd).
All in all, it turned out well-- my wife liked it better than the ECB smoked brined chicken, and the kids ate second helpings. I even liked it better.