Stan Marks wrote:
> I'm planning on smoking a couple of chickens this weekend, and I got to
> wondering if I should buy large fryers or baking/roasting birds. I've
> done large fryers, before, with good results. In fact, they usually
> turn out almost *too* tender, if you know what I mean. What kind of
> chickens do you folks choose to put in your pits?
>

I buy the largest roasting chickens I can get when they are on sale
(0.59-0.79/#). These are usually minimally processed (1%-3% retained
water) and run from 7 to 9+ pounds. Larger chickens generally have a
higher proportion of meat to bone than smaller ones.

I brine them or not as time permits. They cook at 250-275F with light
smoke until the thigh joint hits 161F. You can try cranking to cooker up
to 350 for a few minutes in an attempt to save the skin. I tried it once
and the skin turned into armor.

Mathew

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