First Whole Chicken Smoke

I have not smoked chicken in my CS yet, but I've normally smoke-roasted them whole, on a beer can or vertical roaster, at 350 degrees. They get a light smoke flavor that way, which is how I like my roasted chicken.

Another method may work better for a CS. I'll be looking forward to the responses you get.

I recently smoked two 5 lb. chickens in my new SM045 and they came out superb. I smoked them whole, on the middle rack, using 4 oz of apple wood after applying some Cookshack Chicken Rub. I took em out when the probe in the breast read 160 and the thigh probe read 175. Both birds were delicious. Skin was rubbery but the meat was perfect. I'm defrosting 2 whole chickens now for another smoke except this time, in the quest for a crisper skin, I'm going to try SmokinOkies tip of covering the breast with butter soaked cheese cloth and perhaps raising the temperature a bit. On the first smoke I also found that a large quantity of fat pooled up inside the cavity of the birds so on these next 2 chickens I plan on cooking each bird on those wire "stands" that have the bird sitting vertical. I figure this way the fat will drain better and I'm thinking perhaps this way more smoke will fill up the empty cavity of the bird and perhaps help to impart even more of a smoky flavor to the meat way down near the bone.

L.I.H. - What temp did you smoke at and approximately how long did it take - love this forum!!!

My last chicken I smoked at 300*, and the skin turned out pretty well. Not crispy, but edible and not rubbery. Moist, smoky, flavorful. The higher temp helps the skin.

I smoked those chickens at 250 and they took 4 hours. On the next smoke I'm going to try 300 combined with the cheese cloth and see what results I get with the skin. Also, the birds were not brined and yet the breast meat was still nice and juicy. Right now I have a nice brisket sitting in the fridge soaking up the dry rub that will be smoked tomorrow but all this talk of chicken is making me crave smoked chicken