Vinnie’s Slow-Smoked Chicken

This recipe requires a slow smoker. Traeger Pro 22 smoker was used to cook this dish.
American
Main Dishes
Poultry
Summer Picnic
PREP TIME:
30

SERVES:

6

TOTAL COOKING TIME:

90 minutes
Image
INGREDIENTS
  • 2 x 3-3.5 lbs whole chickens or 8 pieces of chicken quarter
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
  • Tuckaway House Marinade (Raymond, NH) or your favorite chicken smoke BBQ rub
  • 1 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS

  1. 1.
    Whole Chicken: To split whole chickens into halves, place the chicken on a large cutting board. Pat down the outside with a paper towel to dry excess moisture. Rotate the chicken so the backbone is facing up. Start at the tail end and work upwards, snipping through the rib bones as you go using a kitchen shear. Remove the backbone and flip the chicken over so the inside is facing down. Spread the chicken out carefully and push firmly in the middle of the breast – you should hear a snap, which is the breastbone. Take a cleaver and cut the chicken in half, pushing the blade down the center of the chicken where the breastbone is. You should now have two halves.
  2. 2.
    Chicken quarters: remove excess fat and rinse chicken under cold water.
  3. 3.
    Brine chicken overnight according to instruction below.
  4. 4.
    When ready to smoke chicken, rinse chicken under cold water to remove any excess salt. Place chicken on a large baking sheet. Pat dry on both sides with paper towels.
  5. 5.
    Mix the seasonings together with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, chicken bouillon powder. Sprinkle the seasoning evenly coating all sides of chicken.
  6. 6.
    Brush chicken all over with olive oil. Sprinkle dry rub (Tuckaway House Marinade or rub of choice) all over the chicken.
  7. 7.
    Set smoker to cook at 375 degrees F with apple wood pellets. Preheat smoker for 10 minutes.
  8. 8.
    Place chicken with skin side up inside smoker. Cook with cover on for 1 hour undisturbed.
  9. 9.
    Use a spatula to transfer remaining seasoning mix from cookie sheet into a bowl. Set aside in refrigerator.
  10. 10.
    After 1 hour, paste both sides of chicken with saved seasoning mix. Flip chicken and cook with skin side down for another 20 minutes or when chicken register 165 degrees F.
  11. 11.
    Optional: for additional saucing, lightly brush chicken skin to glaze with your favorite BBQ sauce or apple cider vinegar sauce (see below).
Brining Chicken
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 tbsp Kosher salt
  • 12 cups of cold water
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (dark or light)

DIRECTIONS

  1. 1.
    Using a large pot with cover, dissolve salt and brown sugar in water.
  2. 2.
    Place chicken submerge in brine mixture. Cover pot and store it in refrigerator overnight.
Apple Cider Vinegar Sauce
INGREDIENTS
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar (dark or light)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

  1. 1.
    Baste chicken generously with apple cider vinegar sauce prior to serving.