Although typically chickens are smoked whole, it is also possible to cut the bird in half. Just brine, season, and smoke this chicken over mesquite hardwood for a recipe you'll keep coming back to over and over. We have beer can chicken smoked, grilled, or oven roasted often. It won't take long to cook this tasty meal you and your family will crazily enjoy! from our store, Patio Provisions, we’ll happily ship it straight to your door!. Let’s say I am going to brine 4 lbs of chicken breasts. I have also become a BIG fan of brining all my chicken and pork before cooking. The smoked chicken brine is a simple combination of kosher salt and water, and you pour it over the chicken in a zip-top bag. Then, rub the chicken inside and out with the BBQ rub. There are a couple of things you want to make sure you do when smoking a whole chicken. For small cuts of chicken, the times will vary. Smoked Whole Chicken Rub. The chicken is extremely moist and the flavor combo from the dry rub and the mesquite is superb. I have an incredible recipe for smoked whole chicken below, but first some important information about smoking chicken. If you REALLY want to up the flavor of your bird, brine it before you butterfly it out. How to Smoke a Whole Chicken . Set the temperature to 165°F, which is the ideal cooking temperature of a whole chicken. The enhanced flavor profile from the wood sends smoked chicken to a whole other level. Traeger Pellet Grills, LLC Some recipes can go … I am along the lines with of JimmyC. With that in mind, I will dry brine my chicken breasts by rubbing them with exactly 4 heaping teaspoons of kosher salt. The only surefire method to get a good, bite-through skin is to cook the chicken at a higher temperature for part of the cooking time. My definition of perfectly salted meat is 6 grams (1 heaping teaspoon) of kosher or sea salt per pound of meat. I am absolutely sure you will love this READ MORE HERE.. Carve and serve. Smoke chickens until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 4 hours, brushing chickens with olive oil every 2 hours. This way the chicken meat will never get over-salted. The longer you brine, the stronger the seasoning, the more robust the flavor, and more tender and juicy the meat will become. Whole chicken, especially the breast meat, is exceptionally awesome when cooked in the Big Green Egg. I absolutely love a whole smoked chicken with a good sweet rub. The Cut . I usually try to go 24hrs but definitely over night. Traeger wood pellet grills make roasting and smoking whole chickens easy thanks to convection heat. The one cup of salt to water and beer looked like too much, and I was brining in a one gallon vacuum bag. I never brine the dark meat. Being 2-2.5% I never have to worry about it sitting for too long or getting too salty it will be perfect no matter what. I cut the salt to about a quarter cup, added the rub, and filled with the water and beer. Spatchcock the chicken gives you a better chance for both the white and dark meat to finish at the same time. This will reduce the smoking time a little bit, but not as much as you might think. Do it into the cavity and along the back/spine of the bird. For whole chicken brine you’ll need to brine anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. Chicken without bones like chicken breasts will need less time in the brine. That usually must be ordered unless you have a local market making its own smoked sausages Watch as Chef Jeff Hyatt shows you step by step how to brine and roast a whole chicken. Chicken breasts will need atleast 2 hours in the brine. When you cook it right and have moist delicious meat, it becomes an amazing flavor experience. It is quite easier than smoking brisket, ribs and the likes. https://www.traegergrills.com/.../dennis-the-prescott-whole-smoked-chicken To split the chicken in half, cut it lengthwise in between the two breasts. Cold water is ideal for rinsing. Thin cuts of meat such as pork chops and chicken pieces may need only about 30 minutes to an hour of brine time, while a whole turkey can brine for 6 to 12 hours. My brine is a simple salt and water brine at like a 2-2.5% salt. You can set the timer to about 3-4 hours. For chicken brine: mix all of the ingredients together in a container large enough to fit the chicken. Remove from the smoker and let rest for 10 minutes. Using a meat tenderizer, perforate the skin of chicken. This can be accomplished by bringing up the smoker temperature to 350 F/175 C for at least an hour for a whole chicken. It’s great just to slice and serve, make sandwiches, soups, casseroles and more. Smoked Spatchcock Chicken. This recipe cuts to the chase and intensified the flavor and moisture. I brine all whole Chickens and breast cuts. I like to go 1 step further and brine my birds in a CURING solution, like curing a ham or bacon; makes them flavorful like a ham. I have never been a whole chicken fan, but my family certainly is. You will need 24 hours to soak the birds in the brine, the next night to air-dry the chickens in the fridge, and finally, 3 hours prior to smoking to flavor the bird with the dry rub. Time – a general rule of thumb is to brine 1 hour per pound of meat. Once the chicken has finished brining, you should rinse it off and pat it dry. If you want to buy some pre-made Signature Sweet Rub (available in both small and large bottles!) An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). In order to keep the meat juicy, you should brine it beforehand. Slow smoked, at a low temperature, the skin can become tough and rubbery. It's all about chicken this week. Whole chickens are brined and then injected with our simple apple cider marinade before smoking with hickory for the most tender, juicy and flavorful chicken that you can make at home. Cover and cook the chickens for about 1 hour at 250°, rotating them a few times, until the skin is crisp. 12 hours is enough! Lay the pre-smoked chicken flat, wash and rinse it thoroughly, ensuring that it is dry. What chicken does is provide a blank canvass for flavor. The recipe we have given you is convenient for big families or if you have visitors coming over. Smoking a whole chicken is a great way to start off your carrier if this is where you like to be. Adding this step to making brine takes more time, but it definitely makes a difference. Place the chicken in a glass or plastic container and pour the brine over the chicken to cover. I use, per 1 gallon of plain water, ½ cup non-iodized table salt, ½ cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, and 1 tbsp. Slide the whole chicken into your electric smoker and insert the thermostat probe into the thickest portion of the chicken. Check out this simple chicken brine recipe that delivers great results every time. Add the chicken and allow to brine for 24 hours. Place the container into the fridge for 4-6 hours while the chicken brines. https://howtobbqright.com/2013/07/03/whole-smoked-chicken-recipe And one of our favorite secrets to punch massive flavor into chicken are a dry brine + smoke + glaze. This particular recipe requires chicken wings to be soaked in brine first, for about 1.5 hours, then smoked over indirect heat for about 1.5 to 2 hours. pink salt (curing salt). But there are exceptions to the rule. As mentioned before, for whole chickens, classic wet brines can be left on for a minimum of 12 hours and up to 2 days. Dry brines can be as short as a few hours, but ideally at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Once the brining process is finished, remove the chicken from the brine, rinse it under cold water and pat it dry with a paper towel. I'll show you extra tips on how to perfect this amazing recipe using simple ingredients. How to Brine Chicken. By doing this, the brine will give your smoked chicken a much richer flavor. Our recipe for whole smoked chicken will be the juiciest, most flavorful you've ever tried. It is important to place the half chickens ‘skin side up’ on the smoker racks. Prepare your smoker to a low heat setting. Have you ever smoked a whole chicken on your pellet grill? Submerge the chicken in brine mixture for 3-4 hours. Smoked chicken is one of our go-to recipes on the grill to meal prep for the week. Crave this delicious smoked whole chicken recipe with simple step by step tutorial. Arrange the chickens, skin side down, on the grill over the drip pan. One option is to get a whole roaster chicken, and butcher it yourself. Smoked chicken wings can be made a number of different ways, and how you make them really depends on how much time you have, and what kind of flavor and texture you are looking for. Once you’re ready to cook the chicken, get your smoker set up for indirect heat and set the temp at 300 degrees. You can brine it for 24 hours if you want, but do not go beyond that. Your chicken will start getting overly salty. My Best Sweet Rub is a favorite on this site, and super easy to make at home. But remember, it is not the cooking time, but the ideal temperature that matters.