If the giblets are still in the cavity of the chicken, remove them
Prepare the brine using all of the brine ingredients in a brine bucket
Place the whole chicken in the brine. Add a few cups of water to the brine to make sure the whole chicken is completely covered.
I like my whole chickens to brine for 12 hours, but you will experience a juicier cook if you let the chicken brine for as little as 3 hours.
Remove the chicken from the bucket, and pat it dry with paper towels.
Add rub generously to the outside of the skin
Do your best to get generous amounts of rub underneath the skin too.
Set your smoker up to cook at 225 degrees, and place the bird in the smoker.
After the bird has cooked for an hour at 225 turn the temperature up to 275 to finish.
The smoked whole chicken is ready when the internal temp of the chicken thigh AND the breast is 165 degrees.
Let the chicken rest for ten minutes before slicing and serving