Smoking chicken
I've done this a few times this summer and it's become one of my favorite things to smoke. It's cheap, easy, healthier than pork/beef, and the leftovers go a long way. I just get a couple of whole chickens around 3 or 4 lbs. (at Sams or Costco they're about 8 or 9 dollars for two).
I brine the chickens overnight in a salt water mixture. I usually add some molasses or brown sugar and a little garlic. Take the chickens out the next morning and empty the brine. Let them sit for a few minutes and then apply the rub (I use Famous Daves Country Style Chicken). I try to get under the skin and inside the cavity. Throw the chickens on the smoker for about four hours at 220. I use hickory laced with cherry or apple, but mesquite would also work pretty well. After they're done, sit them for about a half hour or so to let it cool down and then shred by hand. The chicken works very well for a number of different meals. You can make sandwiches, topped with bbq sauce and cole slaw. You can make burritos, nachos, quesadillas, pizza, or right on top of rice. You'll have a ton leftover so you can be creative. I think I'll try a small turkey in the fall. |
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We love smoked chicken quesadillas with the fresh flour tortillas from Costco and mango salsa. |
For the non-smoker.....how much attention needs to be given to smoking apparatus? If it is smoking for 2-5 hours, do you need to be checking on it all the time? It sounds delicious, but what if you don't have 5 hours to go back and forth to the backyard?
I would really like to get a smoker and I know there was a great discussion on smokers here a while ago. But it sounds really time consuming. Maybe I am missing the boat, though? It is more "set it and forget it" or are you checking it out every 15 minutes? |
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Smoked chicken quesadillas are great. Unfortunately Costco out here doesn't carry the raw tortillas. I do like the idea of pairing it with mango salsa. Do you use a rub? |
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This is the one I have. http://www.amazon.com/Brinkmann-810-.../dp/B0009WG6RA |
Set it, and Forget it!
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http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Outd...436872&sr=1-32 a while back but I don't like it. It tend to dry out the meat. My brother bought this one at Cabelas and he loves it: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...oker&noImage=0 It has a thermostat and the door seals in the moisture. Set the temp and forget it. |
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Their big mistake was putting it on their countertop but underneath cabinets. They learned the hard way one Sunday afternoon. They tossed in some sort of turkey or chicken and then went to Church, similar to crock pot cooking. They figured they could set it and forget it while awy for 3 hours. When they returned home, part of their kitchen was damaged. That oven generates so much heat that it wound up melting the overhead light strip on the cabinet. Also, the wood started to char on the bottom....who knows how much longer until it simply burst into flames. I am surprised that some tort attorney somewhere did not argue that by encouraging the mantra of "set it and forget it," the manufacturer could have reasonably forseen these types of accidents. |
an electric smoker really is "set it and forget it."
Mine didn't come with lava rocks, nor do I use them. I wonder if I should. |
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