# Give me your best whole chicken process!



## russmn (Mar 24, 2017)

Guys I've recently learned the art of making good chicken on my smoker but I've only done pieces ! in doing a whole chicken . Im looking for brine , rub , injections and temperature! Please tell me your best whole chicken process thanks


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## akdutchguy (Mar 24, 2017)

Spatchcock that thing. Once you figure out how to do it it is quick. I find it helps with more even cook. The breasts get done with the legs. For brine I use 1 gallon of water and 350g salt and 125g sugar. You can add different seasons as well. The brine stays the same. I will brine for 3-4 hours. I smoke mine at 325-350. I usually do a mix of hickory and cherry. My last bird I did with alder and it turned out well. That is how I do my whole chickens. 
Jason


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## russmn (Mar 24, 2017)

Ohh yeah .. I've done one spatchcock chicken last year ... hmm good idea thanks! Keep em coming guys


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## andrewv (Mar 24, 2017)

Spatchcocked chickens are the best. I generally use some EVOO on the skin and use some of the Weber kickin' chicken rub as well as some Weber chicken rub without spices. I've used some butter under the skin and have liked the results but for sure not a necessity. I like to smoke them around 350 or so on the kettle with hickory and cherry wood chunks. Hickory for the flavoring and cherry for the coloring. Generally only takes a few hours since it's such a high temp. Done them low and slow but the skin is so much better crispier than the rubbery stuff from lower temps.


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## geezer (Mar 24, 2017)

Lots of good ways to do a chicken.

One way is to take a fresh unadulterated chicken and brine it for 24 hours or a little longer.
Two gallons of water.
One cup salt.
One cup sugar.
Pepper corns and bay leaves if you like.
Bring brine to a near boil and let cool to room temp.
Brine bird.
Spatchcock bird.
Season to taste.
Smoke over fruit wood at 275 or so until breasts reach 165.
Let rest for about 20 minutes.
Devour. 
:drool


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## geezer (Mar 24, 2017)

Another way is to brine bird.
Stuff with celery and a stick of butter.
Put pats of butter under skin next to breast meat.
Season to taste.
Place in foil pan with about an inch or so of chicken stock and some more butter.
Roast on grill at around 350 or a bit higher.
Baste often with stock and butter until done.
Thank me later. :drool


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## bangster (Mar 25, 2017)

So far I have done a wet brine of water/salt/brown sugar. Brine for 24 hours, rinse and pat dry, wet with lemon, rub with salt, pepper, and garlic. I left it whole and put a halved lemon, halved onion, and garlic in the cavity. Smoked with mesquite at 225 for almost 4 hours. It was nice and juicy, next time I would let it go a little longer, to a higher IT, but not by much. I also cranked up the heat to 425 for the last 15 minutes to get the skin fight over worthy.

Next one will be a dry brine, and rubbed with poultry rub. I would probably use cherry or apple or the Trager gourmet blend of hickory, cherry, and maple.

I would also want to try spatchcocking it because I do like the more surface area and skin being exposed to the smoke and heat.

I want to roast one as well, higher temp, in a pan, but I think I will like it smoked better. I haven't tried roasting on the smoker not sure how much the wood flavor happens at 350 in something in a pan.


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## geezer (Mar 25, 2017)

bangster said:


> So far I have done a wet brine of water/salt/brown sugar. Brine for 24 hours, rinse and pat dry, wet with lemon, rub with salt, pepper, and garlic. I left it whole and put a halved lemon, halved onion, and garlic in the cavity. Smoked with mesquite at 225 for almost 4 hours. It was nice and juicy, next time I would let it go a little longer, to a higher IT, but not by much. I also cranked up the heat to 425 for the last 15 minutes to get the skin fight over worthy.
> 
> Next one will be a dry brine, and rubbed with poultry rub. I would probably use cherry or apple or the Trager gourmet blend of hickory, cherry, and maple.
> 
> ...



When roasting you'll get some smoke flavor, but not as much. When I cook in a pan I just use one chunk of smoking wood. Of course you get a bit of flavor from the charcoal too. You can taste it, but it isn't an actual smoked bird. Some of my clan prefer the butter and stock birds to a smoked one, but will gladly eat both.

I need to roast a chicken here soon. I'm hungry for one now. :drool


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## gr0uch0 (Mar 25, 2017)

Everything Geezer said with a point of emphasis--only brine an "unadulterated" bird.  There's zero need to soak meat that has already been injected at the processing plant.


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## geezer (Mar 25, 2017)

gr0uch0 said:


> Everything Geezer said with a point of emphasis--only brine an "unadulterated" bird.  There's zero need to soak meat that has already been injected at the processing plant.



Yeah and one has to search a bit for birds that haven't been dicked with. Luckily I know a butcher shop that brings in fresh chickens that have never been injected or frozen. Even these birds need an appreciable amount of time in the brine before it helps in a noticeable fashion. 8 hours? Skip it and just cook it.


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## russmn (Mar 25, 2017)

I'm thinking these birds would probably do best with a simple marinade and an injection since they already have water added


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## gr0uch0 (Mar 25, 2017)

russmn said:


> I'm thinking these birds would probably do best with a simple marinade and an injection since they already have water added



Same thing--they don't just have "water added":  they're chock full of sodium, broth (more sodium) and "natural flavorings" (likely more sodium).  Don't inject unless you have fresh, unviolated poultry:  it's a waste, can be a salt overload, and can actually help dry out a bird.


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## russmn (Mar 25, 2017)

I like injecting a butter and herb mix in chicken


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## chilerelleno (Mar 25, 2017)

Spatchcock
Season
Cook on grill/smoker
Take pics
Eat


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## dnvrdv (Mar 25, 2017)

My go to is to rub with Hughes and leave in the fridge for 4 plus hours. Then smoke them at 230 beer can style using Alder and Hickory.  Usually throw on some wings rubbed with Hughes too.  Quick, easy, and damn tasty.


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## russmn (Mar 25, 2017)

I need some more rubs in my life .. when I started I was making them left and right .. now I just keep it basic salt pepper paprika ceyanne garlic powder brown sugar on certain things


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## dnvrdv (Mar 25, 2017)

We like Hughes on just about everything. Just watch the cayenne.  It varies in hot. I've learned to add it last depending on the heat of the cayenne.


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## geezer (Mar 25, 2017)

russmn said:


> I like injecting a butter and herb mix in chicken


Yeah, I like chicken stock and butter sometimes injected in the breast meat. These past couple years I've been experimenting with this on occasion. 

As Groucho eluded to, go easy on the salt, it can cause issues on chicken.


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## russmn (Mar 25, 2017)

Yeah you can always add some salt but you sure as heck can't take it away lol especially with chicken !


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## gr0uch0 (Mar 25, 2017)

When I buy birds/parts and they're not the same processor as I've used before (another plug for keeping a cook log), I'll cook one plain.  Nothing on or in it:  nada.  That way, I can taste just the meat, and figure out from there what I may or may not want to add on or in.


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## mike5051 (Mar 26, 2017)

I brine my chickens, but don't inject.  I find it kind of steams the meat and changes the  texture to one that I don't like.  Just my 2 cents.  I also smoke at around 300 to get good skin texture.  My GF is all about the texture of chicken.

Mike


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## jimpam (Mar 26, 2017)

I spatchcock- and have brined similar to others who have replied.  However the last two times I have soaked the bird in orange juice, pineapple juice, a bit of teriyaki and some minced garlic, for a day and a half.  The flavor is incredible.


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## smokesontuesday (Mar 31, 2017)

Jimpam said:


> I spatchcock- and have brined similar to others who have replied. However the last two times I have soaked the bird in orange juice, pineapple juice, a bit of teriyaki and some minced garlic, for a day and a half. The flavor is incredible.


This sounds delicious.


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## comer4tide (Mar 31, 2017)

I dont brine my birds and I leave them whole. Rub the bird with olive oil and then my rub or your favorite falvor. Pull the skin back enough at the neck to get some rub down on the breast meat itself. As it cooks I baste with olive oil and rub mix. I pour half a Bud heavy down my throat and put a couple good spoonfulls of rub in the can and sit the bird right ontop of it. Cook about 4 hours 275-325


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## gwschenk (Apr 7, 2017)

Spatchcock, dry brine with salt in fridge, then olive oil, then sprinkle paprika, onion, garlic and thyme. Two small pieces of apple and crank the WSM wide open. After 1.5 hours it's done. Fairly crisp skin, smoky and super juicy and tender. It's the best!


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## mike5051 (Apr 8, 2017)

This is my chicken in a hurry process!  I didn't marinate the chicken for Huli Huli chicken, I forgot all about it!  Once the chicken chicken cooking time was upon me, I salt and peppered it, and put it on the kettle.  A chimney of charcoal divided equally on each side, chicken in the middle.  Cook for 45-60 minutes and check temp.  I apply my GF's sauce at the 160-165 mark and cook another 15 minutes.  













chicken.jpg



__ mike5051
__ Apr 8, 2017


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## lancep (Apr 8, 2017)

mike5051 said:


> This is my chicken in a hurry process!  I didn't marinate the chicken for Huli Huli chicken, I forgot all about it!  Once the chicken chicken cooking time was upon me, I salt and peppered it, and put it on the kettle.  A chimney of charcoal divided equally on each side, chicken in the middle.  Cook for 45-60 minutes and check temp.  I apply my GF's sauce at the 160-165 mark and cook another 15 minutes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That's a good lookin bird Mike!!

Whole birds, spatchcocked, is the way I roll. Other than jerk which is thighs for me. I get my chickens from the store so I don't brine. Now for chicken, I like to use a wet rub. 1 tsp each of kosher salt, coarse black pepper, parsley and thyme. 1/4 tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder. Then add a tbsp or two of olive oil and rub that bad boy down. Over the skin, under where I can and throw it on at about 335-350. I've been using oak mostly but I like mesquite or hickory too. I like to throw a kielbasa on there too because a two meat plate is always better than one. Also, at that temp, the casing on the sausage gets a great crisp in it. I usually serve the legs, wings and thighs with a side of white sauce and salad. (It's my "healthy" BBQ.) breasts I carve up for sandwich meat and the rest is picked and boiled down for gumbo.


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