Smoked chicken was a joint effort, as is anything cooked in the smoker or grill at our house. I mix the spices, make the sauce, hand over the bird and have a glass of wine – gotta love delegating! You’ll notice that the photos are of grilled chicken, well…that’s because while sipping wine I forgot to take photos of the chicken going in the smoker. The second time we made it, we cooked on the grill. The first step is the rub…..
The recipe doesn’t make a large amount of rub, but after cooking two chickens each time – it seems to be enough. Next is the mop….
The mop requires a little bit of beer…my assistant chef was happy to finish the rest…..
The chicken is grilled on a medium heat until close to being done. If you’re using a smoker, you cook the chicken until about 10 minutes shy of complete, transfer it to a grill and cook the remaining 10 minutes.
And then comes the sauce….
tangy, citrus, with a little kick – yum!
Sometimes I want it a little more blackened, however, you then risk getting the chicken too dry – this was perfect….
I made the Dijon Potatoes and Sugar Snap Peas with Mint (a variation of the Cucumber with Mint Salad) for the sides…..
- For the spice rub:
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- For the mop sauce:
- ½ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup beer
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
- For the barbecue sauce:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- sweet onion, minced (about ½ cup)
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
- ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 c ketsup
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the chicken:
- 2 3-1/2- to 4-lb. chickens
- ¼ cup vegetable oil; more for the grill
- Make the spice rub:
- In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients with a fork.
- Make the mop sauce:
- In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients.
- Make the barbecue sauce:
- Melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients, increase the heat to medium, and simmer gently, whisking often, until the sauce has thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Prepare the wood chips and chicken:
- Put 1-1/2 cups of wood chips (preferably oak) in a large bowl and cover with water. Let soak for 30 minutes, then drain.
- Put each chicken breast side down on a cutting board. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut the chicken into halves through the breast bone, removing the back bone and discarding. Pat the chicken halves dry with paper towels. Using your hands, rub 1 Tbs. oil over the skin of each chicken half, then rub each half with a quarter of the spice rub. Let stand at room temperature while preparing the smoker.
- Smoker:Each smoker or grill used for smoking has directions - follow your manufacturers instructions, remember to subtract 10-15 min of cooking time for the final grilling step.
- Grill: Transfer the chicken to the grill and brush with the barbecue sauce. Grill on medium heat for 10-15 min, basting frequently until done.
- Transfer the chicken halves to a platter and let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.