Smoked Whole Chicken
Smoked Whole Chicken
My favorite way to prepare chicken is to leave it whole. Brining and smoking it adds a ton of flavor and gives it a nice golden brown color. A 4lb. chicken will take 4 hours to brine and about 3 hours to smoke. Chicken is something that takes on whatever flavor you introduce to it, so I used a combination of hickory and oak wood chips for smoking. You can really use whatever type of wood chips that you like. You will want to take the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh, not the breast; despite how many recipes out there that tell you the opposite. The reason why is that the breast will get done first before the thigh. The thigh needs to temp at 180 degrees, unlike the breast at 165. The thigh at 165 degrees is still too tough. It needs that extra 15 degrees to tenderize and render out the fat. When finished, let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 lbs whole chicken
Brine
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Wood Chips
- hickory wood chips
- oak wood chips
Instructions
- Mix together the brining ingredients.
- Brine the chicken for 4 hours in a gallon sized storage bag.
- Place the chicken on a rack. Pat dry with paper towels. Allow to rest at room temp for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Smoke the chicken until the internal temperature reads 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh; about 3 hours.
- Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.
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