Pit Boss Smoked Whole Chicken

Step 1

Clean, rinse, and pat dry the whole chickens well with paper towels.

Step 2

Trim any excess pieces of skin or fat off of the chickens.

Step 3

Place the chickens on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet.

Step 4

Mix together the 4 Tbsp Kosher salt and 1 Tbsp pepper, or use your favorite BBQ rub, and sprinkle generously over the tops and bottoms of each chicken. DO NOT use cooking oil to adhere or skin will not get crispy.

Step 5

Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4-6 hours.

Step 6

Take the chickens out of the refrigerator and wipe off any excess salt still remaining on the outside with a damp paper towel.

Step 7

If you only used Salt and Pepper to Dry Brine, mix the In a Pinch BBQ Rub ingredients together and apply some to all sides of the chickens. Or add a little more of your favorite BBQ rub for chicken

Step 8

Remove the fire pot from the bottom of the Pit Boss and clean out any ashes left over from the last cook. Replace it and make sure it is secured in place with the clips on either side. Also, wrap the drip tray in aluminum foil to limit cleanup needed later.

Step 9

Add your chosen pellets to the hopper, start the Pit Boss pellet grill and put it on the "Smoke" setting.

Step 10

If there are no pellets in the auger, hold the "Prime" button until you hear pellets begin falling in the fire pot. This will speed up the auger to prime it full of pellets before you start preheating.

Step 11

Once the Pit boss begins to produce thick white smoke, let it run for about 5-7 minutes until the smoke turns more of a clearish blue color. This means the fire rod has fully heated up to burn the pellets more cleanly.

Step 12

Next, set the temperature to preheat the Pit Boss pellet grill to 350°F. We will drop this temperature before we start cooking.

Step 13

Fill an aluminum pan with water pan if you want to add extra moisture, and place it on the far left side of the Pit Boss pellet grill. Place a disposable bucket liner in the grease bucket as well if you want to limit cleanup later.

Step 14

Once the Pit Boss has come up to 350°F, drop the temperature on the control panel to 325° and clean the grill grates with a good grill brush and close the lid.

Step 15

Position your seasoned whole chickens on the grates breasts up and the legs pointing to the hotter RIGHT side of the grill.

Step 16

Place an internal temperature probe if you have one into the center of one of the breasts, and another one, if you have one, into the middle of one of the thighs.

Step 17

Close the lid. Rotate occasionally for even cooking.

Step 18

When the internal temperature of the breasts has reached 165°F, and the internal temperature of the thighs hits 175°F, carefully remove the chickens from the Pit Boss.

Step 19

Let the chickens rest for 15-20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to distribute.

Step 20

Carve, plate, and serve immediately.