Smoked chicken is the prefect picnic treat.
Nothing is more delicious than smoked chicken. If you are lucky enough to have a big backyard with a smoker, you are in for a real treat. Smoking meat is a long process that requires your attention, so plan to cook your chicken on a day when you can be at home for at least 5 hours to tend the smoker. The effort is worth it however; your chicken will have a rich, smoky flavor that can't be matched using other cooking methods. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Follow the instructions on your Hickory chips for soaking the chips. Soaking the chips allows them to burn more slowly. This must be done prior to beginning the cooking process.
2. Create a charcoal chimney by placing newspaper at the bottom and stacking the charcoal on top. Light the newspaper at the bottom. When the charcoal is ashy gray at the top, spread the coals around in the bottom of the fire basket of the smoker.
3. Close the lid and open the vent. Let the smoker sit for 30 minutes to warm up or until the smoker temperature reaches 225 degrees. When the temperature is at 225 degrees, add in 2 lbs of Hickory chips over the coals.
4. Trim the tips off the wings and throw them away or save them to use for stock. Coat the wings and legs with a dry rub, if you choose.
5. Smoke the wings for 4 to 5 hours. Keep an eye on the temperature of the smoker as it can fluctuate. If the temperature starts dropping, check to make sure that the coals have not gone out and relight them or add more coals if necessary.
6. Remove your wings from the grill and coat with sauce, if you are using sauce.
Tags: Hickory chips, newspaper bottom, your chicken