smoking chicken - not plant but I know one of you can help..

Many years ago I lived in Texas.
Everyone had smokers with the smoke box off to the side and I loved the food.
So I bought one. Now I need help.
I would like to smoke two chickens. How?
My smoker is not huge but enought for a family of four.
Can someone help me on what to do.
Wood is soaking, chickens have been brined, now what to do with the grill.
Thanks
Joyce

Everyone that could answer is off at the lake cooking for the fourth! LOL!

Sheila you are probably right...LOL I would be if it wasn't raining and I knew how to do it.
I am attempting it anyway, just wanted some feed back and maybe learn what it took someone else lots of trial and errors.
But I figured sometime this week someone would be kind enought to answer me.

It is very easy, pretty much cooks itself. You build your fire in the smoke box with charcoal or wood....let it burn until it dies down to grey white coals.....Put your wet, soaked wood on top of the hot coals to smoke. Put your chicken in the other side. Let er rip

I smoked 4 briskets, boudin and pittsburg hotlinks at my place Saturday....at my house I AM the pit boss, my hubby doesn't know squat, lol!

Joyce, just make sure the internal temp of the chicken is at least 165 degrees before you decide it is done. Sometimes I cook for a while on the smoker/grill and then wrap chicken, brisket, whatever, in foil and transfer to the oven to make sure it is fully cooked.

Thanks patrob, what temps do you guys smoke at? I did cook them and they came out pretty good and I had read to get the internal up to 180, but then read another thing on the internet that said 160. So far we aren't dead or sick so I am guessing we are ok, least I hope... That is why I don't "can" food, I figured I would kill us all with botchilism....LOL

Any suggestion or tips on ribs?
Like what temp, how long, what kind of wood to smoke with? (Used apple on chicken)
Any 'secret' recipes you want to share with a few 100 folks?...LOL actually only had 39 folks view.

I went out on the bbq forum but it is pretty slim out there.

LOL, podster I suspect you are probably right! Yes, all the food is gone...I had 50 folks over to celebrate my daughters graduation from college and the 4th....sent all leftovers home with daughter and her boyfriend and my younger daughter, who all share an apt. I didn't want to even look at it anymore!

I don't have a temp gauge on my smoker...just use a gauge on the meats. Pecan, mesquite and hickory are all great woods. I pick up pecan limbs in my yard and use them. On ribs.....if they are on the bone some people boil them a while before grilling to make them more tender. I usually just smoke the boneless country style pork ribs.

timing, temp, 165 degrees. wood depends on personal choices of flavoring. More women prefer hickory, while more men prefer mesquite(trivial), chicken, pork- the temp is to kill a possible infestation of worms, chuckl, how old timers stayed safe, like only eating rabbit killed in the months with R's, like apples were eaten with pork for the same reason. Our meat raisers are very careful these days. Salmonella is increased by allowing raw meat to sit in open air for more than 2 hours, or mixing the juices of different meats that have been sitting out too long, refrigerate and seperate! mix before immediate cooking only. I was taught to start with hot temps for pork and chicken, searing, sort of, then reduce heat and continue to cook. Beef, same, sear then reduce, but the flavor of a meat is increased with 'carmelization' hard to impossible to achieve in a smoker, a brisket could well smoke 24 hours at slow heat, and be perfect the next day. You are still with us, so you did fine. chuckl. the texture of raw meat is different when fully cooked, you'll recognize it when u see it. honest.

Well I had it for lunch also. The only problem is I hope I don't smell like smoke....LOL I really like it but seems to have a smokey taste in my mouth that lingers which I can't say I am too wild about. Need some mints or chocolate...rofl

Thank you for all the good advice. It is amazing alot of us suvived. I was before seat belts, car seats, and we had good old hard play grounds....LOL and who knows about the temps and cooking, I don't remember that except my Mom was a good cook I thought. Miss her fried chicken.....

the smokey flavor puts a lot of folks off, dont know if milk could cut that taste, beer can added to smoking is liked by several, (milk as a marinade), would have to experiment, wrapping meat in foil to smoke might temper the dose?? time for work, later.

everyone is so different in their taste...I savor the harsh, biting smokey taste, the after-burn of it almost...my husband doesn't

I love the taste while eating just not 2 hours later....LOL