Find out how to smoke whole chicken at 275 to 300 degrees, and youll lock in juices and have crispy smoked chicken skin. How To Smoke Whole Chicken. If youre still smoking chickens like you smoke brisket and pork butts, low and slow, you are missing outFind out how to smoke whole chicken. For. years Id been smoking whole chicken in smokers running at around 2. Fahrenheit, just like I smoked about everything else. But a year. or so ago I discovered that its better to smoke poultry at a higher. After trying it myself, I wondered why I ever smoked chickens any other. There are definite benefits to smoking chicken and other poultry. Smoking chicken in an electric smoker is an easy way to get tasty smoked chicken that everyone will love. The chickens cook quicker. And even though the smoking time is shortened, the meat. Poultry is put together differently than beef and pork, and doesnt. I. mean, werent those beer butt chickens you grilled last summer tender, juicy and full of flavor They didnt suffer from cooking at 3. So, how do you go about smoking a whole chicken Theres really not that much to it. Smoked Chicken Salad' title='Smoked Chicken Salad' />Rinse a whole chicken. Trim off excess skin and fat. Soak the chicken in a simple brine for 4 hours. Preheat your smoker to 2. Fahrenheit, and up to 3. Red Velvet Cake Mix. Add smoke wood apple or cherry with a little. Season the chicken, including the body cavity, with your favorite dry rub. Smoking chicken tutorial to help you achieve juicy smoked chicken bursting with flavor and aroma. Put the chicken in your smoker. Be sure theres a drip pan under the. If youre using a horizontal. Smoke for 1 12 to 3 hours. When the breast and thigh reach 1. Brining The Chicken. A one gallon food storage bag or freezer bag is the perfect size for most chickens. And by using one, you dont have to make a lot of brine as you would if brining in a bowl or other hard container. Usually, one quart to one and one half quarts is enough when bag brining a chicken. Seasoning The Chicken. Let the chicken drain for a few minutes after removing from the brine. Use one of your favorite rubs to season the outside of the chicken and inside the body cavity. I used a simple mix of cracked black pepper, onion powder and a little chili powder. No salt was added to the rub because brining took care of that. Coat the bird evenly, pressing it in to help hold it in place. Trussing The Chicken. Heres a quick and easy way to truss the chicken legs without using string. Works really well First, make a cut on the underside of one leg, between the bone and the tendon. Make the cut barely large enough to allow the end of the other leg to pass through. Insert the end of the other leg through the opening you just made. You want a snug fit here. If the cut you made was too large, try again and make a smaller opening in the the other leg. Now you have a nicely trussed chicken, which will help it cook more evenly in the smoker. Basting The Chicken. Basting a whole chicken adds flavor and helps keep the meat moist. I like to use something that has some oil or fat, a little sweetness, some spice and some acidity. The basting liquid in the picture below is something I made up using a little chicken fat I saved from some thighs I cooked, a little BBQ sauce, a touch of vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, ground black pepper and onion powder. Baste the chicken  two or three times as it smokes. Now, if youre smoking some ribs, or a brisket, or a big, juicy pork. Smoke that bird at 2. Keep a close eye on it, and. The skin wont brown as nicely as it wouldve using the hot smoking method, but itll do in a pinch.