If it’s summer time, it means that I am smoking meats on my rusty old grill. My old grill is akin to an AK-47, you can cover it in mud, throw it down a flight of stairs, or run it over, it’ll still basically do the job. *I’m not a gun expert, but I have heard that the AK-47 is very durable*
Smoking meats on your grill is a great way to make boring things taste great.
What’s more boring than chicken? Most of the times it’s dry or if you grill it you under cook it because it’s too thick and you end up spending the day with your porcelain mistress. My favorite way to prepare chicken on the grill is by cooking it using indirect heat, this is the best way by far to ensure the meat cooks through properly while remaining juicy.
I’ve posted about smoked chicken before, but I just can’t top writing about how much I love this damn dish. You can marinate it so many different ways and the chicken always comes out perfect and delicious.
The key to making smoked chicken is not a smoker (a bonus if you have one) it’s the indirect heat and cutting the chicken in half so it can cook evenly. When there’s a lot of bones in the way, it insulates the meat, preventing it from cooking all the way through (unless you cook it for a long long time, which if you have that time, go for it).
This time for the chicken I used a wet rub and based it more on the marinade I used for my Peruvian chicken legs.
Smoking your meat varies from meat to meat, use this awesome link to help guide you.
You will not be disappointed with this dish.
Recipe – Smoked Whole Chicken
Ingredients
1 Whole Chicken (3lb to 5lb Bird)
1 Cup cilantro
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/8 Cup Lime Juice
4 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 Cup Diced Onions
2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Black Pepper
Method
Step 1- Blend all of the ingredients other than the chicken to a smooth paste.
Step 2- Rub all over the bird and allow to marinate for a few hours.
Step 3- Create an indirect fire on your grill and wet a 2 or 3 cups worth of hickory wood chips.
Step 4- Once your fire is going, add your first cup of wet chips to the fire (be sure to drain the water from the cup), by laying them on the coals you’ll create a large amount of smoke.
Step 5- Lay the chicken on the top rack if you can or at least on the cold side of the grill. Close the lid and all the vents. Smoke for 2 to 3 hours. Check the temp, if it gets too cool add some more charcoal to the fire. At each hour add some more wet chips to keep the smoke level high.
Step 6- Remove from the grill and serve!
