Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
July 4th! About 3 hrs total! Started with temps right at 250. About 40 mins into the smoke the temp dropped to 200. Added more RO and the temp stayed at roughly 265 for the remainder of the smoke. I could not get the temp down. Final breast temp with a digital thermometer was 184. The breast was a bit dry.....but I was very happy with my first smoke!
Once the temp dropped to around 200 after the first 45 mins of the smoke, I added RO and the temp rose to right around 265 and I COULD NOT get it to come down. I added well soaked hickory chips and even removed the top portion of the smoker and splashed water on the coals to try and get the temp back down into the 250 range.
I did use the water bowl and filled it with water after I covered it with tin foil. Wondering if removing the water bowl might have provided better smoke? It would have allowed me to add coals and wood chips easier without having to remove the top portion of the smoker. All in all I'm satisfied with this first smoke...............and definitely hooked!
Yard birds don't gain much by low and slow. If you try it you will get rubber skin. If you are pulling the meat for future use, the skin is not an issue. Also by taking to 165, your pulled meat will stand up to a second heating later without becoming dry and tough.
Hang in there and keep experimenting. Just be safe in the process.