Skinned, spatched, brined whole chicken

[tjones96761]

I've been playing with the smoker, different wood flavors and meats. Haven't found anything that doesn't come out good at the very least, typically great.
I have a simple problem that I just can't figure out, hope you guys can help me with. I have no problem making chicken juicy or getting flavor penetration with my brines. But I can't get any smoke penetration, it's surface only. At first I though it was because of the skin, which none of the family eats anyway. So I started skinning them before brine, which helps brine penetration tremendously and doesn't change juiciness at all, but also doesn't change smoke penetration. I assume now it's because chicken cooks so fast, but I don't know the correct way to change that and maintain juicy. Is this just the trade-off we all face?
I always brine 2 birds after spatching and brining roughly 24hrs with a tea,salt,apple concentrate,green onion,jalapeño thing I'm working on (still working the kinks out of it before I share it). Wood is typically .6-.8 maple and .6-.8 apple and .2-.4 mesquite for 1.5-2oz total. I do not preheat. Chicken goes straight from fridge brine bag to grill rack (I do not rinse). Cold chicken into cold 3D set to 350 for IT of 165. Takes about 20 minutes for smoke to start rolling good and chicken is done in about an hour. Cook temp never hits 350, usually about 275 it's done.
So should I break the golden rule and preheat?
More wood?
Cook at a lower temp? Will a lower temp make dry chicken?

Appreciate any input gents.

 

[Smokin3d]

Try at setting at 250 degrees or lower.

 

[Grampy]

Definitely lower the temperature to between 225-250 as John suggested. I also would increase your wood to 2.5-3 ounces and see how that turns out for you.

 

[NDKoze]

Definitely, lower the temperature to between 225-250 as John suggested. I also would increase your wood to 2.5-3 ounces and see how that turns out for you.

+1

I smoke all of my poultry at 250 with 2.5-3.0 ounces of wood. You just need longer time in the smoke at a lower temperature.

My birds are always super juicy.

I would also consider skippy the spatchcocking. It really isn't necessary. I usually leave my birds whole and stuff them with a mirepoix (2 parts onion, 1 part carrots, and 1 part celery). I'll occasionally add a cut up granny smith apple to the mirepoix as well.

No matter whether cooking whole birds as described above or even leg quarters, I have never had a dry bird smoking at 250.

 

[AlinMA]

+1 on the lower temperature.
Although I do not do whole chickens I often do leg quarters and turkey thighs.
I am also not a fan of the skin...... so I recently tried removing the skin from 1 of 2 turkey thighs (bone in ). Skipping the details the result was the thigh with the skin removed was drier towards the edges and the moisture increased closer to the bone. Leaving the skin on helps to retain moisture in poultry.

 

[drains]

3 ounces of hickory and you'll have smoke flavor to the bones. On the other hand it may be more than you want. It's worth a try.

 

[DivotMaker]

+1 on lower temp, and more wood!  Use 3-4 oz, and smoke at no higher than 250 for skin-on, 225 for skinless.  350 will yield a drier bird, with very little smoke flavor (just not enough time in the smoke).

As Gregg mentioned, whole birds smoke the best.  I, personally, use equal parts of chopped onion, celery and carrots (and sometimes a little apple or lemon wedges) to flavor the mirepoix.  This really aids in moisturizing the bird, from the inside out, and makes a whole bird cook more evenly.  No need for high-temp on chicken, but I do all mine at 250. 

Just a note on the brine, too...  24 hours is a long time to brine chicken.  It takes brine very quickly, if you have enough salt.  I use a simple poultry brine (you can certainly vary the ingredients - yours sounds great!), but it doesn't take 24 hours.  Here's my poultry brine, which only goes 3-4 hours for a whole bird:

DM's All-Purpose Poultry Brine

Add your flavors, brine for 4 hours (or less for "parts"), smoke at 250, and enjoy some killer yard bird!

 

[tjones96761]

I will try lower temp and more wood this weekend. Got a new rub I need to test drive anyway.
I just started spatching this year, no way you guys are talking me out of it!
For serious tho, the total cook time for 2-5lb whole birds is almost double what it is for spatchcocked in my D3, and much more even.
After skinning uncooked chicken, I empathize with people that don't eat poultry. It's nasty. How something so slimy and disgusting can become so delicious I'll never fully comprehend...

 

[NDKoze]

Spatch away my friend. Let us know how your smoke goes this weekend.

 

[DivotMaker]

Spatch on, T! 8)

 

[SconnieQ]

Since the spatchcocked bird cooks quicker, I would go with 225 for the temp, to get more time in the smoke.

 

[DivotMaker]

Since the spatchcocked bird cooks quicker, I would go with 225 for the temp, to get more time in the smoke.

+1!