Smoked Whole Chicken

 

So this is something that I have wanted to try for a long time! I love smoked meat of all kinds and for the past few years I have wanted a smoker. Well, this summer I joined one of those Facebook online garage sale feeds to get rid of a few things from my past life- an huge area rug I have no use for, some golf clubs that never inspired me to actually play and a few pieces of clothing that were brand new and too big (Yes!!!)  I needed to purge and as most of you know when that feeling hits, you gotta do it! So I had a pretty successful run of getting rid of my crap and making a little extra money. The thing is when you join these sites, you also get front row seating and first dibs on other people's no-longer prized possessions. (I think you are beginning to see how this ends.)  As most of you know, these garage sale sites get quite a bit of attention and if you do not have a knee jerk reaction to an item you lose! So this smoker popped up and I quickly typed, "I want it."  I then pressed send and held my breath!  I was first in queue!! Whoohooo! After much negotiation of where to meet, when to meet and which gas station had an outdoor electrical outlet so I could see it work, I was the proud parent of a new electric smoker. And the best part is, I paid seventy-five percent off the retail price. Cha-ching!!

So now my adventures in smoking have begun. Yes, I know BBQ and smoking purists, I did say it is electric! And you can argue that this is not the "pure" smoker's technique, but this first timer is having a ball learning the basics. Perhaps next year, I will be cruising Facebook garage sale ads and find one of those huge pull behind, (a dually truck, of course) full pig smokers!!! Then you better watch out!! I might take this blog on the road!!

Smoked Whole Chicken

This was my first attempt at smoking and I do have to say that it was very successful. I can't wait to move on to some ribs and salmon. So good!

Smoked ChickenSeasoning

1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Cumin
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne

1 Whole Chicken 4-5 lbs
2 Cups of Apple Juice
1 Cup Apple Wood Chips

Rinse the chicken, removing any parts inside.  Pat dry.

In a small bowl, add each of the seasoning ingredients and stir to evenly combine. Evenly coat the entire bird with the seasoning mixture; rubbing in to make sure there is good coverage.

Heat the electric smoker to 250 degrees, and once the temperature is met, add the wood chips. Pour the apple juice into the drippings pan, put it in it's designated area and then place the bird on the rack above it. You only want to open the smoker once, so have the bird and drippings pan ready to go.

Smoke the bird for 1 hour for every pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees- about 4 hours.  Remove the bird to a cutting board and let rest for 6-10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. Enjoy!


Recipe adapted from Oh Sweet Basil