butterfly chicken

[Guest]

I am about to try my first chicken on the smoker. I am not trying beer-butt, and will use a simple rub and smoke with hickory. Chris recommends butterflying the young whole chicken. Is this truly necessary, and if not what actions during the cook should I be taking? i.e. turning, flipping, etc.

thanks all,
Troy

 

[Doug D]

Butterflying is a matter of personal choice and shouldn't affect the final product. Flipping isn't necessary, but you may want to reposition the bird sometime mid-cook to compensate for possible hot spots. The most important thing will be not to cook the bird beyond 165* measured in the breast, else you will have a dry result. If you are cooking 225-235*, you should start checking sometime after three hours. Poultry actually comes out better on the WSM if you leave the pan dry and cook at 325-350. This will obviously shorten cooking time as well, and the 165* rule still applies. (Pull it when it measures 161, and it will rise to 165 upon resting 15-20 minutes before carving.)