Somewhat of a novice here... done a few briskets and ribs but doing a couple of whole chickens (4-5 lbs) today, spatchcock. I did a dry brine overnight. I’m using a Weber Smokey Mountain bullet and have a couple of questions...
(1) Should I remove the drip pan or foil it and leave it in? Leaning toward removing it for this smoke.
(2) What temp to smoke it at? Again, leaning toward somewhere between 325-350. Read that that’s the better range to get the skin crispier. Thought about running it a bit higher (350-375) to start with and putting the skin side down to form that nice crispy skin and then flip and lower temps a bit for the remaining cook.
(3) Round about timing on full cook (outside temps I know will be a factor). Obviously cooking to temp (165-170), not to time, but just curious on length. Trying to plan around Titans game today.
(4) Do you wrap the chicken in foil/butcher paper and let rest for a bit (~30 min)? I typically handle briskets in butcher paper (foil tends to cause them to broil and the crust to get soggy) but didn’t know how best to handle chicken.
Any tips are much appreciated!