1st try at Whole Chickens Pic

Howed it go I use the beer can And rack for mine.just curious if I need to since cookshacks a moist smoker

I use Big Green Egg vertical chicken stands sometime. I also like to spatchcock the birds other times.

How does one avoid the skin pull back? Butter soaked cheesecloth?

Thanks for the project report and photos Arnie! So how were they???

They were very moist. No complaints there. The skins on these were in sad shape to start with, most likely from the scald water being too hot. The skin turned out too bitter, but I am unsure if that was the fault of the brine or the smoke. I do think the next one I do I will tone the brine down just to keep it simple.

On chicken! Bitterness and dark skin is usually,99% of the time, too much smoke. It is very easy to over smoke chicken. I only use two SMALL pieces of wood for my chicken smokes.If I was guessing 1-1 1/2 ozs is what it would weigh,total.

A person can always use toothpicks to pin the chicken skin from pulling back.

Cal, the smoke would have been myfirst guess, but I only used 2 small pieces of wood, just as you sugested.

What was left of the skin was dark, but I didn't think it was overly dark and it was still in place.

I'm thinking I threw too much crap in he brine. I kind of threw the kitchen sink at it as an experiment