Whole or 1/4's

[smokin for life]

I plan on trying chicken tomorrow. My question is..whole or 1/4s which way is best?

 

[ultramag]

Halves.

Buy whole (cheaper) and cut in half yourself.

 

[deejaydebi]

S4L -

They both work great. It depends on what you want. Brine em first and they'll be nice and juicy. 1 cup of sea salt and 1 gallon of water add garlic powder, onion powder and other spices if you wish. Over night is best but as little as a few hours will do.

Whole chickens about 2.5 to 3 lbs take 3 to 4 hours at 250 degrees
Whole chickens about 3.5 to 4 lbs take 3 to 5 hours at 250 degrees

1/4s take about 3 hours at 250 degrees

Make sure to cook to an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

Spray every hour or so with apple juice if you want to add BBQ sauce do it the last 30 minutes.

Good Luck!

 

[gunslinger]

You could also cut the back out and smoke it whole, but flat. Makes for a nice presentation if you're after that.
Sometime try brining in Mountain Dew. 1/2 cup kosher salt to each 2 liter bottle, add the rest of your favorite ingredients.

 

[cajunsmoker]

I'm with Ultramag. Halves are the way to go.

 

[coz]

I am going to try the cutting out the back and laying it flat method tomorrow.They are brining as we speak.The wife picked up 2 nice birds for less than $4 each.

 

[cheech]

Don't forget the pictures so that we can all enjoy them