BBQ Tower
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings
- Total: 9 hr 45 min (includes marinating time)
- Active: 30 min
Ingredients
4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 ounces your favorite BBQ rub seasoning
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds fresh kielbasa (“white” kielbasa) links or fresh sausage links
Meat Tower:
Your favorite BBQ sides, such as BBQ sauce, corn on the cob, sweet rolls, pickles, coleslaw, potato salad, chips and pretzels
Directions
Special equipment:
2 medium metal binder clips; 2 cups cherry wood chips; a 16-inch-long, 1/4-inch-thick wooden dowel- In a large baking dish, arrange the chicken in a single layer and sprinkle with the BBQ seasoning. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
- When ready to cook, position the oven racks in the top and bottom levels. Clip 2 medium metal binder clips 12 to 14 inches apart in the center of the top rack of the oven, positioning them so that the clips are facing each other and the handles of the binder clips are hanging downwards. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Heat a small cast-iron skillet on the stove until searing hot. Add 2 cups dry cherry wood chips to the skillet and let the chips start to smolder and smoke.
- Remove the baking dish with the chicken from the refrigerator and drizzle the stock and olive oil over the chicken.
- Leaving the kielbasa connected in links, lightly prick each link with a skewer or the tip of a sharp knife. Drape the kielbasa links over a 16-inch-long, 1/4-inch-thick wooden dowel.
- Place the baking dish in the center of the bottom rack of the oven, directly underneath the binder clips. On the top rack, carefully slide the ends of the dowel through the handles of the binder clips so that the sausages are hanging above the baking dish. Note: You can also lay the sausages directly on the top oven rack, in the center.
- Place the skillet with the smoking wood chips on the bottom rack next to the baking dish.
- Bake until the chicken is very tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the sausage and the chicken from the oven. Use two forks to shred the chicken, and taste for seasoning. Transfer to a large bowl and drizzle with the remaining juices in the baking dish. Slice the kielbasa on the bias into 1-inch-thick pieces and transfer to a bowl.
- Build the meat tower with the chicken, kielbasa, BBQ sauce, corn, sweet rolls, pickles and your other favorite BBQ sides.