Step 1

Bring 1 cup cold water to boil. I usually do this in a 2 quart glass measuring cup in the microwave, however you can do this stovetop in a saucepan if you prefer.

Step 2

Add the 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of Morton Kosher Salt (not table salt!) to the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Stir in the remaining 7 cups of cold water so that you have 8 cups of water total.

Step 3

Place the whole chicken, giblets removed and discarded, in a gallon sized freezer zip top bag.

Step 4

Place the bag inside a large bowl.

Step 5

Transfer the salt water to the bag containing the chicken. Zip the bag to seal.

Step 6

Place the bowl with the chicken and brine filled bag in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours.

Step 7

Remove the chicken from the brine.

Step 8

Discard the salt water. Rinse the chicken inside and out.

Step 9

Place the chicken on a large baking sheet and pat dry.

Step 10

Rub the chicken inside and out with the Homemade BBQ Chicken Rub. I like to carefully separate the skin over the breasts from the meat so that I can put some of the rub under the skin.

Step 11

Let the chicken sit while you prepare the smoker.

Step 12

Prepare your smoker to a low heat setting.

Step 13

On our Traeger, we use the "smoke" setting (around 150-160 degrees F) and we either use Oak Pellets or the Gourmet Blend Pellets for our wood. Hickory or pecan would also work well for chicken.

Step 14

Transfer the chicken from the baking sheet and place it on the smoker, insert the probe of a digital meat thermometer that is safe for BBQing into the thickest part of the breast, and smoke on 150-160 degrees F according to manufacturer instructions at 160 for about 3 hours.

Step 15

Increase the temperature to 225 degrees F and continue to cook until the the meat thermometer registered 165 degrees F.

Step 16

Remove the chicken from the smoker and let rest, loosely tented with foil, on a baking sheet for 20 minutes before slicing.