Whole chickens

Popajack: Consensus opinion, not humble opinion, consensus!!!!!!!Do "chicken on a throne." It's not only good, it's fun! You can find info in this forum, and in the cook books. Basically, you mount your bird on a beer can half full of beer and other goodies that convey odor and flavor. Then smoke the bird,sitting upright. Get the picture?
No kidding. It is a nifty method you might want to try. Good luck.

Mornin',Popajack.

Brining works great,as does unbrined.

If you are just doing one yardbird,you could split it and brine one half.

If you brine,go easy on the salt in your rub.

Use less wood than you think,because it will take up a lot of smoke.

As you know,if you brine the breast will handle a few more degrees than 160� internal to allow the thighs to get a little more done.

You could also mix a couple Tbsp. of CS yardbird rub in 1 cup of mayo and rub it all over.

The skin will not crisp for you,unless you finish a couple of minutes on the grill or under a broiler.

Injecting a well seasoned liquid will give great flavor as well.

All this being said,I'd probably just use a little salt and pepper,rub it with a little oil,1 or 2 oz. of a fruitwood[apple or cherry] and cook it at 250�
till the breast just hits 160�.

This way you will know how the CS does them and change it to suit you next time.

The search on the forum will have a lot of good approaches to great CS chicken.


Hope this helps some.