How to Cook an Amazing Whole Chicken in the Flaming Coals Offset Smoker

Who doesn’t love the family favourite smoked chicken, not only is it tasty - it’s also SUPER simple to cook and very rewarding.

This recipe will have you cooking a whole chicken that’ll be juicer than anything you can buy at the local supermarket and will definitely keep the family happy! Let’s get started … 

You’ll need the following basic ingredients:

1. Kosmos Q Dirty Bird
2. Flaming Coals Gyros Rub
3. Flaming Coals Classic BBQ Rub
4. 2 whole chickens 

Whole Chicken Preparation

1. Begin by butterflying (or spatchcocking) your whole chicken. Simply press down on the back until you hear a crack sound (to break the back). Once you have done this, turn the bird over and use a sharp pair of scissors cut down either side of the spine to remove it. Don’t be alarmed if you hear a little cartilage breaking. 

2. Once this is complete, it’s time to apply your favourite rub. In today’s cook, we are using 2 rubs (1 for each chicken). Kosmos Q dirty bird not only provides an incredible colour but the taste is incredible on chicken.

Secondly, Flaming Coals Gyros rub was designed to enhance chicken and boy does it deliver! Coat your chickens evenly and pat in. Remember to lift the wings and legs to ensure your chicken is covered all over!

3. Place the chicken in the Flaming Coals Offset smoker running at 275°F. We like to place the chicken on the side closest to the firebox. This will help to eliminate some of the ‘rubbery skin’ issues that are associated with smoking chicken. 

4. Spray (or spritz) your chickens every 45 minutes with apple juice to keep the surface from drying out.

5. Cook time will vary based on the size of the chicken and the temperature of the offset cooking chamber. Use a meat thermometer to ensure your internal temperatures. Remember we are not cooking to time but to temperature. 

6. Once your chickens have reached an internal temperature of 165°F it's time to remove them from the smoker.

7. Serve immediately with the Flaming Coals Classic BBQ sauce on the side

8. Enjoy!

Cooking a whole chicken in the Flaming Coals offset smoker is an easy task once you have mastered a few fundamentals of smoker heat management. To make things even easier you may consider purchasing a Flaming Coals Tempmaster Pro control unit. The unit works by placing a temperature probe on the grill in the cooking chamber, this information is relayed to a control unit. By setting your desired temperature (say 275f) the unit will initiate the fan connected to the firebox if your cooking chamber drops below the set temperature. Inversely if the smoker is running too hot, the fan will turn off and allow the smoker to drop in temperature until it hits its target. Maintaining even temperatures throughout the cook is now as simple as set and forget. The unit delivers pellet grill simplicity with the taste and experience of a true offset cook, it’s a must-have for anyone looking to do long cooks and get some sleep! 

Smoker Heat Management 

1. Using a charcoal chimney and charcoal starter wand, light 6-8 pieces of lump charcoal and let them come to a full burn. Add to your firebox and preheat the smoker to 275°F (105°C), add additional charcoal to the fire as necessary.
    
2. Add a chunk or two of smoking wood (cherry or apple is our preference) to the firebox each half hour to create a stream of thin but visible smoke that is somewhat blue in appearance. Too much wood may result in thick, gray smoke. If this happens, open the smoker and clear the smoke out, waiting to close it until you’re able to achieve manageable smoke again.

by: Rhiannon Peterson