A tale of two (smoked) chickens.........
I've mentioned it before but the weather here in Missouri has been downright COLD!!!! Another 1-3 inches of snow blanked our area over night and the family is just now coming out of tussle with a pretty serious virus (I'll spare you the details on that!)
Presidents Day weekend is great for our household. Usually means a three day break and the running of, 'The Great American Race," a.k.a. the Daytona 500. I remember watching my first 500 as a kid..... in 1998. That was the year that Dale Earnhardt won his first one in his 20th try. I can still remember Mike Joy's call..... ah.... enough on that, this is a blog about smokin'!
Whole fryer chickens were on sale this week for a $1.19 a pound so I grabbed two on Thursday. I LOVE buffalo style chicken while my wife prefers a simple BBQ chicken. I figured, "why not do both?"
Click here to check our our turkey breast from last weekend!
Saturday was a cold 19 degrees so I spent the afternoon prepping my seasonings and brining the chickens. I opted for a "dry brine" for a change. To dry brine, get your chicken out of the packaging and on a plate. Pat it dry with paper towels and then get a TON of salt (yes, it's hard to over do it) and rub it in all over the bird. For mine, I smoked some pink salt last weekend and used it here. Once you're done salting, put the bird on the plate in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Rule of thumb: longer the better as the salt will pull the moisture out of the skin (i.e. the desired effect.)
When I was ready to get going, I fired up the bullet with some Royal Oak briquettes and got to work.I also used Apple wood for the flavoring with just a few hickory chips tossed in. I injected both; the buffalo chicken received Franks Red Hot Buffalo sauce with some local honey mixed in while the BBQ chicken received a paleo BBQ sauce my wife whipped up. Just a few shots here and there will do and really adds to the tenderness!
For the rubs-
Buffalo style rub:
The seasonings formed a good bark on the skins.
1 T. chili powder
1 T. smoked paprika
1 T. cumin
1 t. cayenne
2 T. garlic powder
1 T. mustard powder
2 T. salt
1 T. black pepper
BBQ style rub
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 T smoked paprika
2 T garlic powder
2 T onion powder
2 T sea salt
1 t dry mustard
1 T dry basil (crushed)
2 t cayenne pepper
1 t black pepper
BBQ sauce:
1/2 cup mustard
1.5 T Apple cider vinegar
1.5 T white vinegar
2 t coconut aminos
1/4 cup Franks Red Hot sauce
1 T tomato paste
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2t tumeric
1/2 paprika
1/4 ginger
1 T coconut sugar
Apply yellow mustard as a binder and then season each with a healthy amount. If the smoker is up to temp, lay on the birds and leave it covered for two hours. At the two hour mark, start to check on the bird and use a sheet of tin foil to tent if the skin has reached the desired brownish color (it'll look golden.) Cook to an internal temp of 165 in the breast and 175 in the legs.
Remove from the smoker, place on the cutting board and let it sit for 10-15 minutes for a rest. Then, slice/ shred as you please.
I started out cooking at 300 but the wind kicked up and wreaked havoc with my little pit so these birds had to finish up in the oven.
The verdict?
AWESOME! We prefer the zesty style of Carolina BBQ sauce (you can use a sweeter one if you want) so the BBQ chicken was EXCEPTIONAL. both birds were very tender and were a big hit with the family. We backed the salt down in the sauce for the BBQ because we detected that it was a hint too salty (I adjusted it in the recipe for you all.)
What awesome pieces of meat to have for the Daytona 500. We paired these with some basked brussel sprouts and beets and had a feast! We're huge racing fans in our house and are certainly glad that the season is back under way.
Really hoping the weather gets around to being nicer as we're tied of the cold. I'm thinking it might be time to do another brisket or ribs ............ over the coals this time.
Presidents Day weekend is great for our household. Usually means a three day break and the running of, 'The Great American Race," a.k.a. the Daytona 500. I remember watching my first 500 as a kid..... in 1998. That was the year that Dale Earnhardt won his first one in his 20th try. I can still remember Mike Joy's call..... ah.... enough on that, this is a blog about smokin'!
Whole fryer chickens were on sale this week for a $1.19 a pound so I grabbed two on Thursday. I LOVE buffalo style chicken while my wife prefers a simple BBQ chicken. I figured, "why not do both?"
 |
| Dry brined and ready for the wait in fridge. |
Click here to check our our turkey breast from last weekend!
Saturday was a cold 19 degrees so I spent the afternoon prepping my seasonings and brining the chickens. I opted for a "dry brine" for a change. To dry brine, get your chicken out of the packaging and on a plate. Pat it dry with paper towels and then get a TON of salt (yes, it's hard to over do it) and rub it in all over the bird. For mine, I smoked some pink salt last weekend and used it here. Once you're done salting, put the bird on the plate in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Rule of thumb: longer the better as the salt will pull the moisture out of the skin (i.e. the desired effect.)
When I was ready to get going, I fired up the bullet with some Royal Oak briquettes and got to work.I also used Apple wood for the flavoring with just a few hickory chips tossed in. I injected both; the buffalo chicken received Franks Red Hot Buffalo sauce with some local honey mixed in while the BBQ chicken received a paleo BBQ sauce my wife whipped up. Just a few shots here and there will do and really adds to the tenderness!
For the rubs-
Buffalo style rub:
 |
| The rubs led to a great looking bark. |
The seasonings formed a good bark on the skins.
1 T. chili powder
1 T. smoked paprika
1 T. cumin
1 t. cayenne
2 T. garlic powder
1 T. mustard powder
2 T. salt
1 T. black pepper
BBQ style rub
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 T smoked paprika
2 T garlic powder
2 T onion powder
2 T sea salt
1 t dry mustard
1 T dry basil (crushed)
2 t cayenne pepper
1 t black pepper
BBQ sauce:
 |
| Wind caused the stove to come into action for the finish. |
1/2 cup mustard
1.5 T Apple cider vinegar
1.5 T white vinegar
2 t coconut aminos
1/4 cup Franks Red Hot sauce
1 T tomato paste
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2t tumeric
1/2 paprika
1/4 ginger
1 T coconut sugar
Apply yellow mustard as a binder and then season each with a healthy amount. If the smoker is up to temp, lay on the birds and leave it covered for two hours. At the two hour mark, start to check on the bird and use a sheet of tin foil to tent if the skin has reached the desired brownish color (it'll look golden.) Cook to an internal temp of 165 in the breast and 175 in the legs.
Remove from the smoker, place on the cutting board and let it sit for 10-15 minutes for a rest. Then, slice/ shred as you please.
I started out cooking at 300 but the wind kicked up and wreaked havoc with my little pit so these birds had to finish up in the oven.
The verdict?
 |
| Still plenty of sauce inside the bird when slicing. |
What awesome pieces of meat to have for the Daytona 500. We paired these with some basked brussel sprouts and beets and had a feast! We're huge racing fans in our house and are certainly glad that the season is back under way.
Really hoping the weather gets around to being nicer as we're tied of the cold. I'm thinking it might be time to do another brisket or ribs ............ over the coals this time.
BBQ style -
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