This dish will take an hour or less to prepare and about 5 hours on your smoker/grill. In the end, you will enjoy the slow-cooked, smoked flavor meal worth remembering. This whole-cooked chicken will soon become a family favorite!
Combine the following ingredients and pour over your hot pork sandwich for some real zing!
5 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 onions, quartered
2 (4 pound) whole chickens
First, let's get our bird ready. Remove the giblets and any excess skin from the chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub each chicken inside the cavity, under the skin and on the outside with spice mixture. Now place 1 of the onions into the cavity of each of the chickens. Place chickens in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 to 6 hours.
In a small, glass, plastic, stainless steel bowl, thoroughly combine the salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Remove and discard giblets from chicken.
Preheat your smoker to 250° F. If using a true smoker, cook as you would any other meat. If you have a grill or gas grill, prepare it for indirect cooking....the heat source will be on one side of the pit and the chicken will be on the other. Rotate the chicken occasionally to more evenly displace the heat coming from the other side of the pit.
If you desire additional smoky flavor with your chicken, consider using a smoker box with wood chips or wood chunks.
Place chickens in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 5 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 160° F. Always let the chickens stand for 10 minutes before carving.
Enjoy!