Smoked Chicken

Hey guys..:-) Today I have got something very juicy and tasty for our chicken lovers and it is also a fun recipe for those who love cooking outdoors...
We are no strangers to the smoker and slow & low BBQ. But for all the hours spent with the mesquite smoldering and cherry branches smoking, all the pounds of brisket and pork butt delightfully slow cooked, until recently we’ve never smoked a whole chicken. Roast chickens make a near weekly appearance for us. As we get older, the lighter meat of chicken feels better to eat, is quite tasty, and sits in the belly much less heavy than pork or beef (although they are still quite delicious). Yet we just didn’t think about smoking a chicken in the smoker. However that thought did creep into our minds recently as we had the BBQ craving kick in, and we are forever changed.

One word, “Aammazzing!” This is something which will now be making a frequent appearance on our summertime tables. Chicken is perfect to pick up a perfect amount of smokiness, the meat stayed moist, and it was simple as can be. You’ll want to keep the smoker temperatures between 250°F-300°F, add in some fruit or nut wood branches or chips (cherry wood, apple, apricot, pecan, almond, etc…) couple times during the cooking to give a nice smoke flavor, and if you have the foresight, brine the chicken before hand for at least a couple hours, although overnight is usually best.

Oh, and if you want to go over the top, use a good lump charcoal, we usually use a mesquite lump charcoal and have always been happy with the flavors. We smoke in a grill which has a side smoker box. When filling the box with charcoal, we will pile the lit charcoal next to the side vent door (furthest from the grill), then stack the unlit charcoal going towards the grill (not on top of the already lit charcoal). This will allow the charcoal to slowly burn its way towards the grill and not all burn at once.

Time factor for this smoked chicken recipe will vary depending on how big your whole chicken is and the temperatures you keep your smoker at, so it is best to check done-ness by measure the internal temperature of the chicken, at least until you are familiar enough with the process to do it by feel and sight. At the thickest part of the breast is should be around 165-170°F. Usually that will take around 3 1/2 hours for the average chicken.

Enjoy! The chicken goes great with a good barbecue sauce too but mayonese can also be great...

Comment below recipes you want me to tell about and you can also send your famous recipe at jahuja06@gmail.com if you want to make your recipe even more popular and want me to share your very own recipe here..:-)