My wife & I are hosting a church dinner in a couple weeks. Before we meet these folks I’d like to do something that most omnivores enjoy, i.e., chicken. I want to smoke it on my Traeger for convenience.
Please share your favorite crowd pleaser smoked chicken recipes.
I use my own rub, and smoke it on beer can chicken holder without the beer can. Holding it upright helps cut down the cooking time and vertical roasting just seems to taste better. I don't have any science to back up why it tastes better, it just seems that way to me. Presentation wise it's hard to go wrong with a nicely browned whole bird.
You can get a good replica of my rub over at Chef Heart. I believe we have a discount code for there as well.
Cookers:
Stump's Baby
MGrills M1 SS
Weber Spirit propane
Vintage PK Grill
Gozney Roccbox propane/wood pizza oven
Frontgate portable infrared grill
Propane Lobster/Corn cooker
Magma Marine Kettle 2 Grill and Stove Party Size (boat)
Kenyon City Grill (boat)
Gadgets:
Looftlighter (original and wireless)
Weber charcoal chimney
Chimney of Insanity
BBQ Dragon
BBQ Guru Party Q
Flame Boss 500
iGrill2 and iGrill mini
Backlit Thermapen
Infrared Thermometer
Stainless smokebox for gas grill
sawdust "maze" for cold smoking
I marinate chicken thighs (skin and bone included) in Italian dressing (usually Ken's) overnight, then smoke til done. I wrap and let it rest before pulling. Add a little chicken broth to keep it moist, but otherwise served in a big foil pan. Reheats well and sized up or down depending on the number of folks.
Pit Barrel Cooker
Weber Master-Touch
Blackstone Omnivore 4 Burner Griddle
Thermoworks: Signals, Billows, Thermopens, Thermopops, Nodes, bunch of silicone stuff, and more!
OnlyFire Rotisserie w/ Basket attachment for the Weber
Vortex for the Weber
Both of Meathead's books!
Way too many BBQ related accessories, tools, and doo-dads!
I’ve been dry brining my chicken (but not this weekend) and using Simon and Garfunkel rub. This recipe seems to be fine for almost whatever sauce I’ve used with it.
Smokin-It 3D
Weber Kettle with an SNS
Masterbuilt kettle that I call the $30 wonder grill
Bullet by Bull Grills gasser
Anova WiFi sous vide machine
Thermoworks Thermapen and Chef Alarm
Dry brine over night if you can, then cook it hot, 325 at least so you can get that good crispy skin! As for rub, it all works, what makes smoked chicken good is edible skin.
but, I’ll ask because you don’t mention it - are you cooking a whole chicken or chicken parts? And if chicken parts, bone in/skin on, or different?
Final Tweaks on my PBC Smoked Chicken White Bean Chili.
Inspiration for this dish was from Matt Pittman at Meat Church bbq.
Smoked White Chicken Chili - Meat Church BBQ
The recipe that I used is listed below.
8 oz. smoked diced chicken
1/3 cup diced onion
2 tsps. minced garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ancho
2 tsps. cilantro
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 (14.5 oz.) can whole (not smashed) Great Northern Beans, with liquid
2 slices Pepper Jack cheese (fold in at the end of the cook)
1/2 cup sour cream (fold in at the end of the cook)
Add chicken broth, as needed for desired consistency
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
I’ll throw in my advice that chicken is best done hot and fast - 325 or so - and not smoked low and slow. It just renders better at 325-375, and you get crispy skin. I always dry brine, and serve with a dipping sauce or bbq sauce if some kind.
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Grilla Grills Pellet Pizza Oven
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
> Thermoworks Square DOT
> Thermoworks IR-GUN-S
> Joule Turbo Sous Vide Circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
I’ve had great results lately using the following method on my Grilla OG (should work just fine on any good pellet smoker):
0-225-400 Method: Smoked Chicken Thighs, Legs,
or Wings
INGREDIENTS
Chicken Thighs, Legs, or Wings; skin on, bone-in :----------------: For the Rub (choose one):
Simon & Garfunkel Spice Rub for Poultry
Meathead's Memphis Dust (MMD)
... or any other favorite (preferably one that is salt-free). :----------------:
Kosher Salt, for dry brining
DIRECTIONS
Dry brine the chicken, uncovered, overnight in the fridge. NOTE: If your rub contains salt, use it for brining instead of kosher salt.
Season liberally with the rub. NOTE: Skip if the rub contains salt and was used for brining. :----------------: Step 0:
Place chicken in the pellet smoker BEFORE igniting. :----------------: Step 225:
Set the target smoker temperature to 225ºF (PRO mode)
Start the smoker; close the lid as soon as ignition is verified.
When the smoker reaches 225ºF, smoke for 30-60 minutes ... then, :----------------: Step 400:
Set the target smoker temperature to 400ºF (PRO or PID ... it doesn't matter)
Monitor the IT and remove as soon as the chicken reaches 165º for white meat and/or 175ºF for dark meat. :----------------:
NOTE: As a starting point, assume it will take at least 1 hour for bone-in thighs to reach 175ºF
Smoked chicken and andouille sausage gumbo - take your standard recipe but smoke the chicken for 1-2 hours before adding to your gumbo.
Pulled chicken with a mustard bbq sauce - I like to smoke them bone in/skin on and then after they are smoked, discard the skin (or remove and fry it up) and shred. Mix it with a South Carolina style mustard based bbq sauce (much preferred for chicken over a typical bbq type sauce)
Pit Barrel Cooker
Weber Master-Touch
Blackstone Omnivore 4 Burner Griddle
Thermoworks: Signals, Billows, Thermopens, Thermopops, Nodes, bunch of silicone stuff, and more!
OnlyFire Rotisserie w/ Basket attachment for the Weber
Vortex for the Weber
Both of Meathead's books!
Way too many BBQ related accessories, tools, and doo-dads!
Lang 48 inch Deluxe Patio Model (burns hickory splits)
PK 360 (burns premium lump charcoal with wood chunks)
28 inch Blackstone Griddle (propane)
Rubs I love:
Yardbird by Plow Boys
Killer Hogs by Malcom Reed
AP Rub by Malcom Reed
Meat Church (any)
Three Little Pigs Memphis Style for ribs
Would love to try Meathead's commercial rub
Sauces I love:
Gates'
Joe's
Pa & Ma's
Killer Hogs Vinegar Sauce
Disposable Equipment I use:
Disposable cutting boards
Tumbleweed chimney starters
Aluminum foil
Aluminum pans (half and full)
Latex gloves
Diamond Kosher Salt
Vice-President of BBQ Security, Roy
He's a pure-bred North American Brown Dog
He loves rawhide chewies
My wife calls me "Teddy" and I call her "Princess" and that's where "mrteddyprincess" comes from.
Might be too complicated for a crowd, my favorite is dry brined chicken thighs, rubbed with AP rub after. Smoked 350-375 F for about 45 min to internal 180ish, then dunked in wet sauce and put back on for a five minute sauce set. Might not be possible for a lot of people, though.
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