• Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker
• Weber Chimney Starter
• Instant-read food thermometer
• Candy thermometer
• 9 pounds Kingsford Charcoal Briquettes
• 3 small chunks smoke wood
• 2 chickens, 3.5 to 4 pounds each
• 2 16-ounce bottles Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian Dressing
• Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Each smoke wood chunk should be small, for example 3" x 2" x 2" or similar.

Use three chunks of oak, apple, cherry, or other mild fruit wood. As an alternative, you can use two chunks of any of these and one chunk of hickory.

If fruit wood is not available, use only two chunks of hickory, but be aware that some people find it overpowering when used alone.

Do not use mesquite for this recipe.

There is no need to soak the wood or remove the bark before use.

Learn More Later: All About Smoke Woods

Prepare The Chicken

Remove the backbone from each chicken and split into two halves:

• Place the chicken breast-side down with the tail facing you. Using kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone, then repeat on the other side of the backbone.
• Turn the chicken breast-side up and spread it out on the cutting board. Press down on the breastbone with the palm of your hand to flatten the chicken.
• Use a chef's knife to split the chicken into two halves.
• Trim any large pockets of fat.

Place two halves into a 1-gallon Ziploc bag and pour in 1 bottle of Italian dressing. Repeat with the remaining chicken and dressing. (If you have a 2-gallon Ziploc bag, all chicken and dressing can go into 1 bag.)

Squeeze excess air from the bag, seal, and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours, turning twice.

Remove chicken from the marinade, pat dry with paper towels, and season on both sides with Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Learn More Later: Chicken Selection & Preparation and How To Butterfly A Chicken

Fire The Cooker

Light a full Weber chimney starter of Kingsford charcoal briquettes:

• Loosely roll a double-wide sheet of newspaper on the diagonal from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. Bring the ends together to form a circle that fits inside the bottom of the chimney (Picture 1). Repeat with a second sheet of newspaper.
• Put the rolled newspaper in the bottom of the chimney (Picture 2).
• Place the chimney on the charcoal grate and fill to the top with briquettes. Light the newspaper in several locations with a long match or a butane lighter (Picture 3). Two sheets of newspaper is usually sufficient to get things started under normal conditions. If not, repeat the process with additional sheets of newspaper.
• It will take 15-20 minutes for the coals to light. You'll know they're ready when flames are licking at the briquettes at the top of the chimney and they're just starting to turn gray (Picture 4).

Spread the hot coals evenly over the charcoal grate (Picture 5).

Measure another 1/2 chimney of unlit briquettes and spread them evenly over the hot coals (Picture 6).

When all the briquettes are covered with gray ash, place the smoke wood chunks on top of the coals (Picture 7).

Now assemble the cooker:

• Put the empty water pan in the middle cooking section.
• Insert the middle cooking section into the charcoal bowl.
• Put the top cooking grate in place.

You're now ready to cook!

Learn More Later: Firing Up Your Weber Bullet and How To Use A Chimney Starter

Barbecue The Chicken

Arrange the chicken skin-side up on the grate and put the lid in place.

Start with the lid vent 100% open and the 3 bottom vents 100% open.

Place a candy thermometer in the lid vent and observe the temperature readings throughout the cooking session*.

Cook the chicken for 45 minutes. No peeking allowed!

You'll see a lot of smoke coming out of the lid vent and maybe from around the lid and access door. This is completely normal and will subside after 10-15 minutes.

After 45 minutes, close each of the 3 bottom vents 50%, but leave the lid vent 100% open.

Cook for another 15 minutes.

After 60 minutes, check the internal meat temperature using an instant-read thermometer. The chicken is done when the breast meat registers about 160°F and the thigh registers about 170°F.

* You may wish to write down a few notes about the cooker temperature. How high is the initial temperature reading? After the chicken is added, does the temperature go up, go down, or stay the same? Does the temperature fluctuate a lot over time, or does it settle into a steady reading? Did the cooker temperature go up or down when you partially closed the bottom vents? How many degrees did the temperature change over 15 minutes?

Your specific results are not important for this chicken recipe—remember, the point is just for you to become familiar with how changing the bottom vents affect cooker temperature.

Crisp The Skin

As a final step, crisp the chicken skin directly over the hot coals:

• Remove the lid and set it aside.
• Carefully lift the middle cooking section off the charcoal bowl and set it aside.
• Place the cooking grate directly over the hot coals (Picture 1).
• Turn the chicken skin-side down and grill for just a few minutes. Don't take your eyes off the cooker! Watch carefully and remove when you have crisp skin and nice grill marks.

Serve the chicken immediately.