help smoking a chicken

[j 2the w]

I have a 3 1/2 pound butterflied chicken I would like to smoke on my kamado.  I have never done this before and I hope someone can help me.  I bought the chicken from a local butcher and its pre marinaded by the buthcher with a wet butter/garlic rub.  How long should I smoke?  What kind of wood chips should I use?  What temp should I smoke at?  Should I use a water pan or just a pan to catch the drippings?  Any help is much appreciated, I am a rookie when it comes to this stuff.

Thanks,

James

 

[rdknb]

you want to smoke it til the breasts are 165 and fluids run clear, I would get a temp of 300 to 325 if you can and figure about 2-3 hours.  The reason for the higher temps is to make the skin crispy. I use a water pan but many others do not.  I like using apple wood with my chickens.

 

[j 2the w]

Thanks for the help RdKnB.
 

 

[turnandburn]

high heat, and watch the internal temp to know youre done, dont worry about time. i prefer a dry chamber but really you could do either, i just use a pan to catch drippings so i dont have to clean up much. as for wood, all really depends on what level of smokiness you want. for chicken i prefer to use a wood like hickory and cut it with a fruit wood, meaning i use mainly apple wood with a couple chunks of hickory in the mix... apple as suggested already works great on chicken i think, i just add the hickory for a little added punch of smokiness.

 

[j 2the w]

OK and thanks.  What side of the butterflied chicken should I have on the grate while smoking? Or do I flip it every so often?
 

 

[turnandburn]

OK and thanks.  What side of the butterflied chicken should I have on the grate while smoking? Or do I flip it every so often?
 

im assuming youve spatched the bird? always bones side down..

 

[j 2the w]

Yes, spatched.  Thanks for the tip, it is greatly appreciated!

 

[turnandburn]

Yes, spatched.  Thanks for the tip, it is greatly appreciated!

what kinda smoker are you using btw? and depepnding on how ur setup is maybe just a rotation of the bird if you have a hot side of the smoker or whatever to make sure it cooks evenly.

 

[j 2the w]

I have a Kamado, what do you think?  I think the back side is a little hotter than the front.  As far as the chicken already being marinaded, will it still take on the smoke flavor?

 

[j 2the w]

Hey, thanks for serving too, I was a corpsman in the Marine Corps and Navy.

 

[turnandburn]

I have a Kamado, what do you think?  I think the back side is a little hotter than the front.  As far as the chicken already being marinaded, will it still take on the smoke flavor?

you should be fine. like i said before, rotate it halfway thru and it should be gravy!...and that chicken will take to smoke nicely. marinaded or not you should definitely taste smoke on that bird.

 

[turnandburn]

Hey, thanks for serving too, I was a corpsman in the Marine Corps and Navy.

thanks to you too bud. were all essential in the mission, depsite the constant rippin on eachother between branches..lol. all aircraft all the time for me...didnt get to do wet work until i got out, scary scary stuff when you dont have your buds around you and your'e on the civilian contractor side,...good money but scary. lol.

 

[jaguarken]

I smoke chicken on my BGE and concur with the posts here but would like to add a few comments.  A 4 lb bird took about 90 minutes with indirect heat, but temp should be your final determination.  I use a digital remote thermometer (Maverick ET-732, one of the best investments I ever made) and monitor temp that way.

I always brine my chicken for 12 hours (Slaughterhouse brine found in the forums) and add salt by weight, not by volume.  I use 1 lb salt (usually kosher sea salt) for 2 gallons of water.  It's a little below the recommended salt % but I have had great results with it as have others I've shared it with.  Pat the skin dry with some paper towels and separate the skin from the breast meat.  Store uncovered in the fridge for 36 hours (24 hrs minimum).  The skin looks gnarly but comes out ever so crispy and delicious with the BGE set at 350.

Good luck!