First Post- Howdy!

Hey John. Since no one responded yet, just wanted to say hey and welcome.

Can't give you too much help on your questions, though:
I got my 008 in the garage, so rust ain't a problem.
I tend to do cix on a weber kettle, indirect, at higher heat, cause I like the skin crisky. at 250, the skin stays soft...
I use the oo8 for butts and brisket mostly. ribs good too. I will say this: mop just ain't needed with the Smokette. you hold so much moisture, I just let it go with the original rub treatment. til done. use a probe therm to determine that.

hope that helps some.

Welcome !! Yhese cookers are pretty well built and should with stand most anything, but would still keep an eye on it as far as the weather goes. I've never done yard bird but most would suggest removing the skin, it will never get crispy. If you don't have one get a remote thermometer, you can run the probe down thru the vent hole, set your temp and wait for it to go off. You have to be quick if you open the door at any time, you lose alot of heat and it take's awhile to get it back thus making your cook time longer. Most question's can be answered using the "search" function altho answering them give's folk's something to do while thier "Q" is cooking. Good Luck!!

Mark

Thanks, guys. I do already have a remote therm and plan on using that. I also figure to use a grill or broiler to crisp up the chicken skin once it's done. For now I'll skip the mop and see how things go. I'll also go ahead and split the birds and keep my fingers crossed.
Thanks for the advice- I'll let you know how it goes.

Hi!!!

Welcome to the forum. I agree with the other posts, the skin will never get crisp, so it is best to discard it. If you do want to keep the skin, try smoking the chicken for longer than normal and then finishing it on a hot grill to crisp up the skin a little, it may work.

With regard to using apple juice, some people spritz ribs with a little apple juice every time you open the door in order to keep the ribs moist. I sometimes leave a small glass jar of apple, grape or cranberry juice on one of the trays and leave it in for the duration of the cook. This causes the juice to steam and keeps them moist. It seems to add to the flavor of the ribs as well.

With regards to sauces, check out the sauce list on the recipe forum. I compiled the list of sauces and sent it to Smokin' Okie, and he formatted it and published it on the forum. You will find a wide variety of sauces on there, including several that I developed myself. Most of my recipes are preceded by my name, except for the modified buffalo wing sauce, which is also my recipe.

Give several sauces a go before settling with one, they are all good. Try Smokin's mustard sauce, it's awesome!!!

I have several good recipes for chicken which my family rave about, if you want them, send me a private message, and I will send them to you.

Cheers,

Micah

Hey there John in MD. Dj in Maryland as well. We are fairly new to the area from UPSTATE NY. Got my smoker before Christmas. Good luck and welcome! Dj

John in MD,
Jack prepares the chicken like you're talking about when we're cooking for us. It's easier to carve after it's done and seems to cook very quickly. Also, it exposes more area to the heat, seasoning and smoking. When you remove it from the smoker, you can crisp it under the broiler just fine. Sometimes, it can be a little hard to grill if it's falling apart.
Has anyone crisped the skin first, then smoked?
Peggy

I split my chickens too and then finish under the broiler. Great minds think alike.

BTW, I tried some of that Alabama white sauce on some chicken I did last week. Not bad. I'd be just as happy with ranch dressing, but the white sauce was worth trying.

Welcome John.

Are you the John in MD from Basso's forum?

Tom-Fl