My first chickens!!!

[nvanhorn]

Just got my first smoker a little bit ago ( a small horizontal offset) and this weekend did my first chickens. I just used some store bought bbq chicken seasoning and threw them on the grill. I had a bit of trouble keeping the heat consistent, stayed mostly between 225 and 240, but did have it drop once to just under 200 while I was starting some more charcoal. Had them on for about three hours and the one closer to the fire box ended at ~180 and the other at 172. All in all I think it was a success!  Now the question I keep asking myself is, "what's next...?"

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Looks good , nvanhorn...

I would suggest more Chicken a few times and go for a Pork Butt , easy and forgivable...

Have fun and...

 

[smokinhusker]

Chicken looks good! Like OldSchool said, do chicken a couple more times or even a pork butt. These will let you tinker with the smoker to get your temps dialed in.

 

[nvanhorn]

Thanks guys, I was thinking some more chickens, they were quite succulent, or maybe a couple of different fatties.

When you say try a pork butt, should I try one just to get it to cooked, or do you figure I should try to go for the pulled pork temp of ~200? I will also be starting to play around with some rubs and sauces, but I think the most important thing will be to tinker with the smoker to get my temps dialed in as SmokinHusker mentioned. I think one problem is air leaks, both from the firebox and chamber. What is a good high temp sealant that would stand up to what I put in the firebox?