Smoking Chicken
We had a huge taste of summer this weekend with some record-breaking temperatures. Sunday we hit the low 90's, which is extremely unusual this early in the year. There was no humidity, so even though it was hot it wasn't that hard to take. Especially since I have been completely OVER winter for some time now and I enjoy the warm months so much more.
We spent a lot of time outside with the kids running around and even turned on the sprinkler to keep them cool. The super soakers were the favorite on Sunday though. Imagine that! Since we enjoyed the time outside so much we ate as many meals outside as possible. Saturday we grilled some burgers for lunch, then made grilled chicken which we shared with My Husband's parents who came up to visit for the day. It was all very relaxed and a nice visit.
Sunday we had a few things going on later in the day, so while I was out grocery shopping My Husband called me and asked me to pick up another whole chicken. He was ready to try using the smoker again. Last year, we tried it and our results were a bit unusual. If you missed that post, go check it out HERE. We never did get to the bottom of what caused the chicken to turn that odd color.
This time, we decided it would be better to cut the chicken into pieces for a couple of reasons. One is that we figured that would reduce the smoking/cooking time. Two is because he's gotten really good at taking apart a chicken and seems to enjoy doing it. Who am I to disagree with that reason? After he put the chicken on the grill, he sprinkled it with the O & Co. salt and herb blend for meat.
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| From Family, Friends and Food |
Looks pretty nice, doesn't it? The flavor was incredible and the seasoning really added just the right amount of flavor and worked well with the smokiness of the chicken. It took about 4 hours, and that was largely due to the fact that I had to purchase a chicken that was still partially frozen. Not my first choice, but there seemed to have been a run on chicken at the grocery store this weekend.
Next time, I'd like to try smoking fish and some other types of meats. I think we are finally starting to figure this contraption out!
Comments
I normally brine my chickens overnight, rub under the skin before they hit the smoke, and smoke at about 225. To crisp up the skin I put them under a high broiler or throw them on a grate directly above the charcoal. My old smoker was awesome because it had a firebox with a grate so I could grill while smoking.
Minion method is the best way to start charcoal to keep a constant temp. Logs are great but chunks do burn more evenly in my experience. Plus unless you have a massive firebox you could have temp spike issues if log burns near the main chamber.
Another great intro meat to smoke is Boston Butt because it is very forgiving of temperature spikes. Brisket is still my favorite meat to smoke.
As far as the black to much smoke. When my smoker is running I barely want to see smoke coming out of it.
Also, if you can find fruit wood get that too. I like to use about 2/3 hickory to 1/3 fruit wood and the fruit wood imparts a nice flavor to the meat.
Enjoy the next two days, I hear Wed. we're back in the 60's.
Deb
joke... this sounds yummy :)