Smoked Whole Chicken

Now that I am home I can now use the Big Green Egg again. I decided to smoke chicken this time. I have had plenty of chicken recently, so I think I might take a rest before I cook it again. As I usually do when cooking chicken on the grill, I butterflied it and seasoned it well with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. In order to impart the most flavor, I rubbed the salt and pepper underneath and on the outside of the skin. I then put the chickens on the grate which was sitting on top of the ceramic plate setter (feet-up) with a fire box filled about 1/3 full with BGE Lump Charcoal (much better than charcoal briquettes). I also threw on a generous handful of hickory chunks that had been soaking in water for an hour or so for a extra smokey flavor. I cooked the chickens at about 260-290 F for two or three hours until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thighs reached about 170.
The chickens turned out real good, although grilled barbecue chicken with homemade barbecue sauce is hard to beat.

There is no need to flip the chicken.

Hickory chunks on left and BGE lump charcoal on right.