Grilling whole chicken


 
NeilH

NeilH

TVWBB Emerald Member
At what temp do you guys grill a whole chicken and what internal temp do you call it done? Thinking of trying a small one indirect tomorrow.
 
Indirect it cooks in the 325 degree range with skin crispier than low n slow. Apple wood is good with chicken too.
 
On the rotisserie, with briquets to both sides, my kettle is usually 400 or better. I usually cook until the dark meat is 170 plus. Many pull sooner, but my wife is funny about undercooked chicken. Still comes out moist, especially if brined. The rotis is magic that way.

Brining chicken is always a good move.
 
Whole is certainly one way to cook them, but I usually go ahead and butterfly them. I think they cook a little more evenly and we quarter them up for serving anyway. Poultry shears makes it easy to cut out the back bone or even just to one side of it, and you just open 'em up and flatten them, bone down. 350* will generally get you crisp skin, so I like indirect on a kettle. The idea is that you want the thighs well up into the 170*'s by the time the breast hits 160*.
 
I do mine in the 350-375 range, like the skin a bit crispy. You should also brine your birds as well, it really makes a huge difference. Pull at 170.
 
I halve the birds (remove back bone and separate at the breasts), cook indirect on the OTG or smoked on the WSM (using high heat, foiling the water pan using NO water) and remove at 170 degrees.

NOTE: I consider brining a MUST for moist meat.

Dale53
 
Pull at the right temp and the meat will be Moist! But a brine will help if you overshoot...But more imortant add a nice saltyness thru the meat. So Brining is a good thing.
 
Wolgast said:
Pull at the right temp and the meat will be Moist! But a brine will help if you overshoot...But more imortant add a nice saltyness thru the meat. So Brining is a good thing.
Click to expand...

I agree. A brine adds flavor and forgiveness to the cook, but there's ways to cook most poultry on the grill or smoker without it drying out.
 
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