Carolina Smoked Chicken

Alex Guseman (@AlexGuseman)

Materials

General

Whole chicken (1)

Dry Rub

White sugar (5 tbsp)

Brown sugar (5 tbsp)

Paprika (2 tbsp)

Kosher salt (2 tbsp)

Fresh cracked pepper (1 tbsp)

Onion powder (1 tbsp)

Garlic powder (1 tbsp)

Brine

¼ of the rub mixture

Apple cider vinegar (1 gallon)

Equipment

• Temperature probes

• 1 smoker bbq set up (I use an offset smoker, my dad swears by his big green egg, and my PhD advisor swears by his weber, so whatever works best for you)

• Hardwood charcoal (either lump or briquettes)

• A source of fire to light the coals. DO NOT USE LIGHTER FLUID.

• Applewood wood chunks

• 1 large plastic Ziploc/bucket/stockpot large enough to fit a chicken rub, and cover it with apple cider vinegar

Procedure

1. Combine all rub ingredients in a small bowl. Take ~1/4 rub and mix with apple cider vinegar to make the brine (volume will depend on the vessel used to brine it sometimes it's only a couple hundred mL in a gallon-sized Ziplock sometimes it’s a whole gallon in a stockpot).

2. Add bird and brine overnight in the fridge.

3. Fire up the smoker and get to a steady temperature between 225-275 °F.

4. Use a mix of charcoal and water-soaked apple wood chunks to impart the delicious smokey flavor into the meat. While this is stabilizing prepare the bird.

5. To prepare the bird take it out of the brine and pat it dry with a paper towel. Place on a piece of foil, or disposable foil pan and apply generously the rest of the rub.

6. Place temperature probe into breast being careful not to push it too far and into the cavity.

7. Place the bird on the smoker, smoke 4-6 hours or until internal temperature reaches 165 °F. Note: It is essential to keep an eye on this process and keep the smoker sufficiently supplied with charcoal and wood chunks.

8. Once the temperature is reached, remove the bird from the smoker, rest for 30 minutes, and carefully butcher the chicken. It usually falls off the bone, but I like to slice the breast into 1-inch slices and shred the dark meat.

9. Enjoy with your favorite bbq sauce.

Figure 1. View of the finished recipe on the smoker.

Source

Own creation