# Tips for smoking a whole chicken?



## stretch90

Hey everyone,

So I'm about to smoke a whole chicken for the first time and I was wondering if anybody has some advice for anything that I should watch out for. I've heard that the skin doesn't come out well at all after smoking the bird, but I've also heard of people putting it on a grill for a few minutes to crisp the skin before smoking, so I think I'll try that.

I've also heard that the end temperature should be about 165-170 in the breast. I'm new at smoking altogether as well, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!


----------



## dave54

I smoke mine at 300 degrees til it hits 175 .

that takes care of getting a crispy skin and I know it's done


----------



## scarbelly

My SmokinTex does not get up to 300 so I smoke at 250 until I hit the internal of 170

I finish it on the grill to crisp the skin since I cant reach the higher temps

Do a search for Shooter Ricks chicken rub - I can not tell you how many great chickens I have made with that rub.

Good luck


----------



## smoke_chef

I've smoked several chickens. I have a turkey thawing now. The number one most important step on any poultry is the brine. The basic brine is 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of brown sugar to a gallon of water. After that, any seasoning you want to add only helps. Things that provide heat are good. i.e. Jalapeño, Crushed red pepper, cayenne. Savory things like poultry seasoning, bay leaves, onions, celery ect. Then your sweet things like cinnamon sticks, orange zest, orange juice ect. The combination is limited only by your imagination but some sort of brine is imperative IMHO. It will keep your bird from drying out and impart great flavor. After ribs, poultry is my favorite smoked meat. It's also one of the easiest things to smoke b/c you don't have to try to control your fire like you would on a long "low and slow" smoke. Poultry doesn't benefit from low and slow. My smoker runs between 300 and 350. The time of course will vary by the size of the bird, outside conditions, ect. But put that bird in the brine of your choosing for at least 12 hours but 24 is even better and you will love it!


----------



## stretch90

I'm not really sure how high I can get the temperature of my smoker, but I'll try to get it to 300 and see if that crisps the skin. I've been hearing that once the chicken is smoked you can't crisp the skin anymore, so it needs to be done before smoking....is that true?


----------



## jirodriguez

stretch90 said:


> I'm not really sure how high I can get the temperature of my smoker, but I'll try to get it to 300 and see if that crisps the skin. I've been hearing that once the chicken is smoked you can't crisp the skin anymore, so it needs to be done before smoking....is that true?


No... a lot of folks crisp the skin at the very end. There are a lot of smokers that don't get that hot, so a lot of folks toss the chicken onto a hot grill or into a hot oven to crisp the skin.


----------



## northern greenhorn

You gotta get a really big rolling paper


----------



## mballi3011

I agree with most of the folks here and raise my temps on my poultry smokes to maybe 275° or 300° even. Then the skin does crisp right up for me and to our likings. I also agree with the 165° in the breast and 170° in the thigh and don't forget to let it rest. It might not be as important with poultry as it is to beef and pork but I still et it rest for 30 minutes or so. Q-view please don't forget that either that's for us out here.


----------



## stretch90

If I were to do it in an oven, what temperature would be good enough to crisp it?

Also, how long does a whole chicken typically take on the smoker if its set at 275-300?

 


JIRodriguez said:


> No... a lot of folks crisp the skin at the very end. There are a lot of smokers that don't get that hot, so a lot of folks toss the chicken onto a hot grill or into a hot oven to crisp the skin.


----------



## bmudd14474

be patient is the best advise.


----------



## vic81

considering doing a small chicken myself this weekend, let us know how your's turns out.....


----------



## pops6927

northern greenhorn said:


> You gotta get a really big rolling paper


That's NOT the problem IMHO.  Getting the dang end lit w/o singeing your eyebrows is the problem!  And then, to make matters worse, if you brine it first.. whaddamess!  Then you have to resort to a beer can ...  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I'm so sorry, I just couldn't resist..


----------



## Bearcarver

stretch90 said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> So I'm about to smoke a whole chicken for the first time and I was wondering if anybody has some advice for anything that I should watch out for. I've heard that the skin doesn't come out well at all after smoking the bird, but I've also heard of people putting it on a grill for a few minutes to crisp the skin before smoking, so I think I'll try that.
> 
> I've also heard that the end temperature should be about 165-170 in the breast. I'm new at smoking altogether as well, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!


Stretch,

You don't list what state you're from, so I can't even tell if it's legal to smoke chickens where you live.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


----------



## stretch90

haha, I'm actually in Canada.
 


Bearcarver said:


> Stretch,
> 
> You don't list what state you're from, so I can't even tell if it's legal to smoke chickens where you live.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bear


----------



## Bearcarver

stretch90 said:


> haha, I'm actually in Canada.


LOL, up there you're probably allowed to smoke anything. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


----------



## sqwib

stretch90 said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> So I'm about to smoke a whole chicken for the first time and I was wondering if anybody has some advice for anything that I should watch out for. I've heard that the skin doesn't come out well at all after smoking the bird, but I've also heard of people putting it on a grill for a few minutes to crisp the skin before smoking, so I think I'll try that.
> 
> I've also heard that the end temperature should be about 165-170 in the breast. I'm new at smoking altogether as well, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!


8/21/2010



We had some company Saturday and we were going to throw on some dogs and burgers, I figured I would try it on the RF. I asked my better half to pick up a couple of whole chickens as well. We decided on Beer can chicken.

"Beer Can Chicken" 
Smoked with Cherry Wood


Remember food safety especially with chicken, do not "cross contaminate" and keep a bleach based cleaner on hand to wipe everything down each step of the way.

When working with chicken get everything ready and mixed before ever handling the chicken.

Preheat *RF *to 350°.

Mix some sweet basil with butter to rub up underneath the skin in the breast area. 

Prepare your beer can and pour out half the beer, take a can opener and remove the top of the beer can.

Remove chicken from refrigerator, remove the gizzard goodie bag, rinse chicken and set aside.

Add the giblets neck and liver from the bag and a teaspoon of rosemary to the beer can.

_If you want to make gravy, you can add salt and other spices such as garlic and onion powder and when you remove the can from the chicken, place in a pot and dress up a bit, get creative here._

Some people do not like the taste of liver, so you may not want to add the liver to the beer can if making gravy.

I have noticed that spices such as Rosemary and Thyme added in the can really impart flavor into the chicken.

Place the Beer can on a cookie sheet. Rub chicken with olive oil and add your favorite rub or spices. Place chicken on the beer can.

Heat the RF up to about 350°, remove the “Beer Can Chickens” from the cookie sheet and place directly on the grates.

Cook about 80 minutes, I did 90 minutes last time and it came out pretty good. _The chicken makes for an incredible chicken salad the next day._

The safe temp to cook a whole chicken is 165°; I don’t mind overcooking these guys because they still come out OK.

Just make sure to get some butter up under the skin at the breast area, because the breast can dry out before the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken from the grill, place in a clean steamer pan and rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

_If you are making gravy, do so while the chicken is resting._

Remove the skin and place on the still hot grates, if there's a hot spot on your smoker place the skin fat side down on the hot spot, carve the chicken and after the all the carving is done remove the skin from the smoker and cut into strips to serve alongside the meat.

As you can see by the first photo, I did not rub these with olive oil or place any butter underneath the skin, however it still came out pretty good.


----------



## jirodriguez

SQWIB.... why is it everytime we see a picture of your wife she's holding a knife! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Is she trying to tell YOU something.... heh-heh.


----------



## realtorterry

what is this pour out half the beer stuff???  Never heard of such a thing??? How do you do that???


----------



## deannc

realtorterry said:


> what is this pour out half the beer stuff???  Never heard of such a thing??? How do you do that???


I agree, who waste such a resource?  At least pour it in a mug!  


 


Pops6927 said:


> That's NOT the problem IMHO.  Getting the dang end lit w/o singeing your eyebrows is the problem!  And then, to make matters worse, if you brine it first.. whaddamess!  Then you have to resort to a beer can ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm so sorry, I just couldn't resist..


Dr. Pops....LMAO  

Looks like the others have you covered...please don't forget the Qview...that'd be most important...forget spices etc, but don't forget the Qview!  Happy smokin'!


----------



## Bearcarver

realtorterry said:


> what is this pour out half the beer stuff???  Never heard of such a thing??? How do you do that???


Being a Philly Boy, I'm positive SQWIB means pour it into a glass, and don't spill any.


----------



## que-ball

The trick is to pour off ONLY HALF of the beer.  If you pour too much off but had the foresight to pour it into a glass, you're in business since you can pour from the glass back into the can.  I sometimes pour into my mouth to save washing dishes, but if I pour off too much I have to start over with a whole new can!  Sometimes more than once!


----------



## Bearcarver

Hey, it's a tuff job, but somebody's gotta do it.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Bear


----------



## sqwib

Bearcarver said:


> Being a Philly Boy, I'm positive SQWIB means pour it into a glass, and don't spill any.


I didn't want to offend any of our younger smokers, that sounds awful...younger smokers... or non beer drinkers


----------



## gene

im about to put a whole chicken in to smoke. i have a masterforge so i can crank it to 300 to crisp the skin up. my question is when do i put the olive oil on the skin and when do i put the seasonings on and when do i put bbq sauce on?. sorry for all those but i want to do a good jub


----------



## SmokinAl

Streach, I'm a little late getting in on this, but you have gotten plenty of good advice. I'm sort of partial to beer can chicken. I usually buy a 12 pack & by the time the chicken is done so am I!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Gene, Put the olive oil & seasonings on before you put it i the smoker. If your going to put BBQ sauce on it put it on the last half hour or so. About when the IT gets to 155.


----------



## sqwib

Personally (speaking from experience), I would pass on the barbecue sauce.

In my reverse flow the skin crisped up at 250 smoke temp, but don't worry about the skin, smoke till the bird is done and you can always crisp up the skin in a frying pan.

(I just realized my earlier post did not state the actual smoking temp of 250°, sorry.

Here's one I brushed with homemade Honey Barbecue at 155° (doesn't look very good, does it!)















the skin was crispier than it looks but I would not do it again.

You would be better to use a sweet dry rub in place of a wet sauce

Here's one with no oil butter or anything, just sprinkled some salt and pepper.







If you were doing a bigger bird such as a turkey, then a wet rub (slather) would be ok, however, I would suggest foiling the wings when they are getting dark, then foil the breast at 150°
















*  Cherry wood smoke*

 *  Foiled Wings, starting to get dark**  Foiled breast when thigh reached 150°F*














*  Removed all foil at 15**5°F and brushed with honey**Pulled when thigh reached 160°F*  *Rested, wrapped in foil and towels for 30 minutes and ready to carve.*


----------



## kimbro

I've been smoking whole chickens for a while now .And looking at your picture you choose the right idea ...Being you stood the birds up it lets the fat run off making the birds crispy. Now what I do is not to use the smoke box but I put a pan of chip coals in a pan with lump of hickory soaked for and hour .light the coals get them to where they're burning good  and then add my lumped Hickory. Place the birds to the right of the pan . And now you have more heat and the smoke is right there in the same chamber with the birds . ajust your smoke stack lid to 3/4 closed and every 4o minutes rotate birds for even cook...


----------



## bdskelly

I use a Masterbuilt smoker. It's tough to get a good skin on an electric unit.  The high temp is the key. Mine wont get to 300  about 270 - 275 is all the old girl can give.  BUT with a heavy smoke it the birds come out great  In addition MB units are known not to put out large amounts of smoke.  I changed from chips to pellets and that appears to give additional smoke.  AS the other say, watch your internal temp.  The difference between a great bird and a bone dry one is about 30 minutes too long on the grate.  It must work.  Seems like the chicken go before the pork butt and brisket.


----------



## todd2968

Over cooked my chicken 3 hours at 250 internal breast temp finished at 180 breasts way to dry


----------



## oldschoolbbq

Hmmmmm.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Looks like the Guys got ya covered, I was out with G-kids, have fun and send the Q-view.  Don't worry , it's not a test, it's so we can Congratuate you on a job well done 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  .

Hang around, we always have new ideas 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  .

HAVE FUN AND AS ALWAYS . . .


----------



## sqwib

todd2968 said:


> Over cooked my chicken 3 hours at 250 internal breast temp finished at 180 breasts way to dry


I have pulled Beer Can chixc at 180° IT  at breast, that were moist.













20130331126.JPG



__ sqwib
__ May 28, 2013


----------



## smokinjoan

Hi, I love smoking meats.  Thanks for the great tips on flavors for chicken.

Thanks

SmokinJoan


----------

