Making the perfect Applewood-Smoked Chicken should only take approximately 3 hr . It’s considered an Intermediate level recipe. Below are the ingredients and directions for you to easily follow. The Applewood-Smoked Chicken recipe can feed your family for 2 to 4 servings.
There are many different ways to make this Applewood-Smoked Chicken recipe. Once you’re familiar with our recommended ingredients and directions, you can add your own twist to this recipe to make it your own! We’ve also listed potential Cookware items below that might be necessary for this Applewood-Smoked Chicken recipe.
Applewood-Smoked Chicken Popular Ingredients
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 3 1/2-pound whole chicken
- 3 tablespoons sweet-smoky dry rub (such as Trim Tabb’s Pig Powder)
- 1 to 2 cups applewood chips
Steps for making Applewood-Smoked Chicken
- Make the brine: Whisk 2 cups water, the apple cider, vinegar, brown sugar, salt and honey in a medium saucepan until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a large glass bowl or other heatproof container and refrigerate until cooled, 1 to 2 hours.
- Add the chicken to the brine, making sure it is completely submerged. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Preheat a grill to medium low and prepare for indirect cooking: On a gas grill, preheat the grill, then turn off half the burners. On a charcoal grill, light the coals, then bank to one side; put a disposable aluminum drip pan under the grates on the unlit side of the grill. Meanwhile, soak the applewood chips in water, 30 minutes; drain.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and generously sprinkle all over with the dry rub.
- When the grill registers 275˚ F, add the wood chips: On a gas grill, fill a smoker box with the chips and use according to the manufacturer’s instructions; on a charcoal grill, sprinkle the chips over the coals. Place the chicken breast-side down on the cooler side of the grill. Cover the grill and smoke the chicken until the meat is no longer pink around the bone and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thighs registers 175˚ F, about 2 hours (if using charcoal, adjust the air vents and add more coals as needed so the temperature stays around 275˚ F).
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest at least 15 minutes before carving.
- Photograph Ralph Smith
Popular Categories for this Recipe
- Barbecue Restaurants
- Main Dish
- Summer – Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or around the summer solstice (about 3 days before Midsummer Day), the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice. The date of the beginning of summer varies according to climate, tradition, and culture. When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.
- Barbecuing – Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK and US, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods which use live fire and smoke to cook the food. The term is also generally applied to the devices associated with those methods, the broader cuisines that these methods produce, and the meals or gatherings at which this style of food is cooked and served. The cooking methods associated with barbecuing vary significantly but most involve outdoor cooking.The various regional variations of barbecue can be broadly categorized into those methods which use direct and those which use indirect heating. Indirect barbecues are associated with North American cuisine, in which meat is heated by roasting or smoking over wood or charcoal. These methods of barbecue involve cooking using smoke at low temperatures and long cooking times (several hours). Elsewhere, barbecuing more commonly refers to the more direct application of heat, grilling of food over hot coals or gas. This technique is usually done over direct, dry heat or a hot fire for a few minutes. Within these broader categorizations are further national and regional differences.
You might need the following Cookware
In this section we’ve listed Cookware items that might be helpful to make this Applewood-Smoked Chicken recipe (or similar recipes). If certain tools or utensils are not applicable, then ignore and choose relevant items.
- Cooking pots
- Frying pan
- Steamers
- Colander
- Skillet
- Knives
- Cutting board
- Grater
- Saucepan
- Stockpot
- Spatula
- Tongs
- Measuring cups
- Wooden Spoon
