Smoked Chicken

Turn your smoker on the medium setting and allow it to warm up for 10 minutes. Turn it down to the smoke setting and keep it there for 5 minutes before putting the chicken on.

In a small bowl, add all of the spices and mix to combine. Sprinkle the spice rub evenly over the whole chicken and use your hands to lightly press the spices into the chicken. Note: If you have the time, you can refrigerate your rubbed chicken for up to 24 hours. (Ours was rubbed up and marinated in the refrigerator for 2 hours before smoking). If you enjoy drizzling oil over your meat before you add a dry rub, feel free. I only add oil when I think it is absolutely necessary and in most cases, I don’t think it’s necessary. The key is to cook the meat to the proper temperature, which is around 165 F for poultry.

Place chicken on the smoker either breast-side down or breast-side up on the smoker. Close the lid and allow chicken to smoke for 3 to 3.5 hours, depending on the temperature of your smoker. Checking the temperature of the meat with a thermometer, the chicken should be about 165 F on the inside when done. If it needs more time after 3 hours, you can put your smoker on the high setting in order to finish cooking and give the skin a nice crisp, careful not to over-cook.

Allow chicken to cool before serving it with your favorite side dishes.