Applewood Smoked Chicken

I found this recipe on Recipes Worth Repeating and it was simple to prepare and resulted in a mild-flavored bird. For a 5-6 pound bird, prepare the following rub:

1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs smoked paprika
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs oregano (I used dried leaves from the herb garden rather than ground oregano)
1 tsp salt (I used kosher salt and a bit more than called for)

Cut the breast up the middle and split the bird open. Apply the rub all over, including the chest cavity. Allow to marinate 8-12 hours in the fridge before you plan to smoke,

After well-marinated, fire up the smoker and cook the bird at 225-250 F until 165 F internal temperature (around 4-5 hours.)

I used apple wood chips for making smoke in the first hour of cooking, after which I removed to avoid a heavy smoke flavor.

After smoking, let the bird rest at least 10-15 minutes to reabsorb moisture before carving.

Enjoy!

Burner Upgrade

I decided to try a different burner with a little more capacity. Gas One has an excellent selection of burners and I purchased their 50200 Cast Iron Burner Head. I was able to purchase the burner with a fuel line and regulator included on Amazon. I also found an exact replacement burner pan (Bergan Basics galvanized pet food pan) online, which made the retrofit quick and simple.

I cut a hole in the burner pan that was about 2-inches greater in diameter than the burner to provide adequate combustion air. I based the size of the hole on the total area of the holes in the old burner pan I was replacing. This provided enough free area for sufficient air to enter the smoker from the bottom, supporting combustion and convection through the smoker before exiting from the top vents.

I appreciate that the new burner allows adjustments to air-fuel ratio without reaching into the heated smoker when the burner is operating.

Old burner removed and replacement burner with an exact-match burner plan ready for installation.

View from the bottom. A single piece of steel flat bar supports the burner.

The previous burner had brackets for holding a tin can of wood chips above the flame to create the needed smoke. While the Gas One burner did not have this, it was easy to construct a rack for the can using some 1/2-inch all-thread and 1/2-inch conduit brackets.

Looking down into the smoker with new burner and pan installed.

1/2-inch all-thread secured with conduit brackets made a good rack for the coffee can that holds wood chips and creates the needed smoke.