Photo: Tuscan Rosemary-Smoked Whole Chickens Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup clover honey
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 8 large sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 4 cups ice cubes
- One 4-pound chicken, excess fat trimmed
- Canola oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Special equipment: Pecan wood chips and 8 sprigs fresh rosemary, soaked in water for 2 hours
Directions
For the brine, bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the broth, salt, honey, sugar, peppercorns, rosemary and garlic, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and add the ice cubes to cool quickly to room temperature. Place the chicken in the bucket, breast-side down, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse well with cold water. Pat dry, place on a baking rack and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. This will allow the skin to dry out which will produce a crisper skin while cooking.
Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F and up to 325 degrees F if your smoker can do it. Add the soaked wood chips and rosemary sprigs.
Brush the entire chicken with canola oil and sprinkle with pepper. Put the chicken in the smoker and place a drip pan underneath. Smoke until the breast temperature reaches 160 degrees F and the thigh reaches 170 degrees F, depending on the size of the chicken, 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
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By mrpat
Front Royal, VA
on April 15, 2013
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Don't change a thing. I used a mild smoke with pecan chips and full water pan in my smoker. My wife is not a fan of smoked meats but really liked this one. I lifted the skin so the brine could get to the meat easier.
By Momnchef
Olympia, WA
on February 04, 2013
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Wow! We did this chicken for our Super Bowl party, and I've never had so many guests so willing to take leftovers home. I brined it for about 17 hours (if you don't have a good bucket to use, Glad makes 2.5 gallon zipper bags that work perfectly, and smoked the 5 1/2 lb. chickens for 2 1/2 hours. I didn't have pecan chips so I used maple. I also brined a bunch of thighs and drumsticks and added those to the smoker for the last 75 minutes. This chicken was so tender and juicy, and the flavor was incredible. This is my new go-to smoked chicken recipe!
By jerry403
Miami,, FL
on September 24, 2012
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Got to admit. It was very good. My wife wouldn't stop raving. Saying it was the best chicken she has had. I liked it. I liked the Rosemary especially. The chicken came out very moist and flavorful. I would rate it 5 stars. Simple and tasty. I used a Brinkmann side door charcoal smoker. The lump charcoal definitely made a difference in burn time and heat quality. Try it you won't be disappointed. I was going to do a Myron Mixon recipe but chose this one instead.
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