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–+ servings
smoked whole chicken on the grates of a pit boss pellet grill

Pit Boss Smoked Whole Chicken

Mads Martigan
Our Pit Boss Smoked Whole Chicken is first dry brined and seasoned overnight to get the most flavor and crispiest skin possible.
We then review step by step how to set up your Pit Boss pellet grill to perfectly smoke this whole chicken to perfection.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Dry Brine Time 12 hours
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Australian, barbecue, BBQ, Smoked
Servings 4 people
Calories 350 kcal

Equipment

  • Pit Boss Pellet Grill
  • Wood Pellets Hickory, Oak, or Fruitwood
  • Large Cutting Board
  • Paper Towels
  • Large Baking Sheet with Wire Rack
  • Internal Meat Thermometers
  • Carving Knife
  • Insulated BBQ Gloves

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Whole Chickens
  • Your Favorite BBQ rub or our "In a Pinch BBQ Rub" below

Dry Brine

  • 4 tablespoon Kosher Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh Course Ground Black Pepper

In a Pinch BBQ Rub

  • 2 tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar
  • 2 tablespoon Paprika
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
  • ½ tablespoon Course Ground Black Pepper
  • ½ tablespoon Chili Powder
  • ½ tablespoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper optional

Instructions
 

Clean the Chicken

  • Clean, rinse, and pat dry the whole chickens well with paper towels.
    2 Whole Chickens
  • Trim any excess pieces of skin or fat off of the chickens.
    trimming a raw whole chicken

Dry Brine Overnight

  • Place the chickens on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet.
    a raw whole chicken
  • Mix together the 4 tablespoon Kosher salt and 1 tablespoon 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.
    4 tablespoon Kosher Salt, 1 tablespoon Fresh Course Ground Black Pepper
    seasoning a whole chicken
  • Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4-6 hours.
    a brined and seasoned whole chicken

Remove the Next Day

  • Take the chickens out of the refrigerator and wipe off any excess salt still remaining on the outside with a damp paper towel.
  • 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
    2 tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar, 2 tablespoon Paprika, 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt, ½ tablespoon Course Ground Black Pepper, ½ tablespoon Chili Powder, ½ tablespoon Garlic Powder, 1 teaspoon Onion Powder

Start the Pit Boss

  • Add your chosen pellets to the hopper, start the Pit Boss pellet grill and put it on the "Smoke" setting.
    pellets in a pit boss hopper
  • 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.
    a pit boss pellet grill making smoke
  • Next, set the temperature to preheat the Pit Boss pellet grill to 300°F.

Smoking the Whole Chicken on the Pit Boss Pellet Grill

  • Position your seasoned whole chickens on the grates breasts up and the legs pointing to the hotter side of the grill.
    a temperature probe in a whole chicken smoking on a pit boss pellet grill
  • 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.
  • Close the lid. Rotate occasionally for even cooking.
  • 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.
    an internal temperature probe showing 165 degrees on a pit boss smoked whole chicken

For Crispy Skin

  • When the breast meat reaches 120°F, turn the Pit Boss up to 400°F and continue cooking until the chicken reaches the final target internal temperatures for both breast and thigh meat.

Rest and Carve

  • Let the chickens rest for 15-20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to distribute.
    a pit boss smoked whole chicken
  • Carve, plate, and serve immediately.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal
Keyword barbecue chicken, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Smoked Chicken, Dry Brine, pellet grill, Pellet Grill Chicken, Pit Boss Chicken, Pit Boss Smoked Chicken, Pit Boss Whole Chicken, Smoked Chicken, smoked whole chicken
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