Newbie and new to smoking

Freddie said:

Hi newbie here! Hope everyone is doing well! I’m new to smoking and I need some help. I hope y’all can help me. I decided to start with something easy so I purchased a Dyna Glo electric smoker. I smoked first some butts and they turned out great! I used apple wood and hickory. But then I tried chicken. Boy was that a huge failure! I used Apple wood and left it in the smoker the whole time it cooked. I think it was 3.5-4 hrs. It tasted like I was eating a tree. So the next time it was the same thing but this time I only left the Apple wood in for 1 hour as my instructions said that most of the smoking would be completed in the first hour. It turned out the same way as the first.

So my question is what am I doing wrong? I know it’s got to be something I’m doing as others can smoke chicken with no problems. I don’t personally know anyone that smokes. Can y’all help me with this problem?

I’m hoping to smoke a whole turkey for thanksgiving for my family. But if I can’t get the chicken right then I’m sure The turkey won’t be any good either. Can y’all offer some pointers for smoking a turkey too?

Click to expand...

WilliamKY said:

I'm also curious at what temperature you're cooking at. It sounds like you may be overcooking the chicken. It shouldn't take 3.5-4hrs. Also I highly recommend a Thermapen. One of the best investments you can make on your BBQ journey.

Click to expand...