Preparing a smoked chicken can be daunting for many, but anyone can become a guru with the help of this guideline. Once you get the hang of smoking a whole chicken, you can go ahead and challenge yourself with brines and rubs.
Fowls can be intimidating since undercooked chicken is dangerous to consume; nevertheless, you do not want to overcook it. According to experts, the fear people have when smoking chicken is overcooking it. Hence, they should always go for 165 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature, as this is the temperature to have your chicken moist.
However, you may want to embrace a higher temperature than traditionally utilized. Experts suggest cooking your chicken above 325 degrees to prevent the skin from being rubbery.
Apart from the traditional way of doing things, there is a much-advanced technique of smoking your chicken. The advanced course is utilizing an electric smoker. One can prepare a chicken, which is bursting with a sweet aroma, by following a simple recipe given in this article.
The quality of chicken prepared using an electric smoker is superior to other forms of cooked chicken. A whole smoked chicken is what you need today because it is moist, juicy, and smoky. Cooking in an electric smoker captures all the smoky tastes of a traditional barbecue fowl while retaining the moisture required for quality tastes and the food’s aroma for a wholesome plate of smoked fowl.
How to Select a Chicken for Smoking
Mouthwatering barbecue starts with good meat, making sure that your chicken is fresh and healthy and influences the outcome. Naturally, in utopia, you would get the fowl fresh and healthy from the farm, but you can get quality chicken meat at your butchery if you know what you seek. Below, we have listed things that you should look out for when buying chicken meat from the local butchery, including;
- The skin of the chicken has to have a white and milky appearance. The white and milky appearance signifies that the bird was raised on good grains and comfortable surroundings. If the skin is discolored, it can be interpreted to mean that the meat is not fresh, was not raised in a healthy environment, or was not packed appropriately.
- If the bird has blood spots, that is a bad sign. This means that the bird was subjected to lots of stress; hence, the meat will be tough.
- Check out for a bird, which has not been marinated or injected to give it a white and milky appearance. You should be the one marinating the meat to provide it with your desired taste. In addition, you will know what constituents will end up at your dinner table.
How to Prepare a Chicken for Smoking
The process on how to smoke a whole chicken in an electric smoker takes about an hour if you follow the four basic steps indicated below;
- Clean the meat
- Prepare the meat depending on your desired technique
- Season it
- Smoke it
Below, we have listed a few chicken preparation techniques, including;
Split opening and grilling a chicken
Taking out the backbone of a bird and laying it flat on a pan or grill is called spatchcocking. Meat that has been spatchcocked cooks more evenly and faster. Hence, grilling gurus recommend spatchcocking as the most fantastic route of smoking a whole chicken.
The primary procedure involves utilizing a vast knife to cut on any side of the backbone via ribs, then dumping it. Upon getting rid of the spine, you divide the breastbone into two, enabling you to spread the chicken flat.
Beer Can Chicken Method
The beer can chicken technique is something that every grilling guru should try. The method gives a very tender bird. The beer evaporation keeps the chicken from drying.
A dry rub enhances the taste and appearance of the chicken. Numerous rubs involve salt that enhances the taste. A colorful constituent such as chili powder, cumin, or paprika makes the white chicken skin look more mouthwatering when it crisps up.
Electric Smoker Whole Chicken
Smoke whole chicken the simple way using an electric smoker recipe. Prepared using wet brine and herb barbecue dry rub, this chicken is overflowing with excellent barbecue taste.
Recipe
Preparation Time – 30 minutes
Cooking Time – 4 hours
Total Time Consumed – 5 hours
Equipment
- Smoking wood chips
Tools used in this recipe
- Electric smoker
Ingredients
- Three tablespoons of olive oil
- One whole chicken
Barbecue Dry Rub
- I tablespoon of thyme
- Two tablespoons of chili powder
- Two tablespoons of cayenne pepper
- One tablespoon of garlic powder
- One tablespoon of onion powder
- One tablespoon of table salt
- Two tablespoons of black pepper
Instructions
- Cover the meat with olive oil. Blend all the ingredients used for dry rubbing in a bowl. Apply dry rub to chicken.
- Casually pull the breast skin from the chicken and cover the place with the rub. This will help get the taste inside the meat.
- Turn on the electric cooker and adjust temperatures to 225°F. Put wood chips in the tray drawer.
- Put the meat in the smoker—smoke for 240 minutes, or until internal temperatures reach 165°F. Check the chicken every hour.
Nutrition
- Calories: 409kcal
- Protein: 35g
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Cholesterol: 142mg
- Sodium: 133mg
- Potassium: 359mg
- Vitamin A: 265IU
- Vitamin C: 3.1mg
- Calcium: 21mg
- Iron: 1.7mg
How to Smoke a Whole Chicken
Globally, chicken is undoubtedly the most smoked meat, followed by pork ribs. Smoked chicken is loved by many because it is superior to rotisserie chicken, which you can buy at the butchery. The bird is always moist, juicy, and accompanied by an excellent smoky taste.
The other thing we love about smoked chicken is that it is suitable for surplus. You always have to make a surplus for whole smoked chicken as it will end up in sandwiches, pizza, and wraps. Utilize the carcass to prepare some delicious soup with a great taste. Below is a recipe for smoked chicken chowder soup. Ensure that you rub the meat with a good barbecue spice rub before putting it in the electric smoker.
Primary Barbecue Rub
Here is the preferred rub, which is excellent with numerous things.
- Set the smoker to anywhere between 250˚F and 275˚F as some smokers work best within a temperature range. The chicken cooks well with distinct wood selections. Some of the wood utilized are oak, maple, and pecan. You can also utilize the Whiskey Oak wood briquettes as they tend to give a pleasant taste to your meat.
- Smoke the fowl till the temperatures within rising to 165˚ F.
- It should be noted that some electric smokers do not crisp up the skin.
- The flavor of the meat is excellent, but the skin can be rubbery. If you love the crispiness, it is mandatory to take the chicken to your oven for the last half hour. The transfer to the oven works wonders for the skin, making it crispy. Note that you can only remove the chicken when the temperature is about 145 to 150˚ F, and place it in an oven where the temperatures are 375˚ F and cook till the temperatures drop to 165˚ F.
- Let the bird rest for a quarter an hour before carving. Resting will ensure that all the juices get back into the smoked chicken.
How Long to Smoke a Whole Chicken?
The cooking time for the smoke bird relies on how the preparation, the temperature set, and the outcome you seek. A few techniques can give you a smoky taste but may not bring forth a crispy skin if not cooked at a higher temperature.
- Split Open and Grilled Chicken: 400˚ F for roughly 40 minutes, or until the bird’s internal temperature rises to 165˚ F.
- Beer Can Chicken 350˚ F for about an hour or so, or until the internal temperatures of the bird hit the 165˚F mark.
- Whole Chicken: 375˚ F for roughly an hour, or until the internal temperatures of the bird hit the 165˚ F mark.
To get the bird’s internal temperature, put a digital thermometer into the significant part of the breast. Take the bird off the grill when its internal temperature rises to 165˚ F. However, the cooking time for a whole bird is reliant on multiple factors. First, the bigger the chicken, the longer it will take to smoke. Second, the temperature of electric smokers is not always perfectly steady; hence, if the smoker’s temperature drops a little, you could be gazing at a longer smoking time. Regularly keep a reliable thermometer close by and watch the bird’s internal temperature and not the Time when preparing the bird.
Do you smoke a whole chicken breast up or breast down?
The chicken can be put in a smoker breast side down and then sprinkled with barbecue sauce. Once the bird has been in the smoker for sixty minutes, turn it breast side up so that you do not overcook it.
How Often Should You Add Wood Chips To An Electric Smoker?
The kind of wood which you embrace to smoke a whole chicken is totally up to you. But when adding wood chips to your electric smoker, the rule is always to add them once the heating light is out. An electric smoker only requires wood chip feeding within the first quarter of the hour, and they will last for roughly sixty minutes. The bird will continue cooking and holding the taste. If you add the chips often, it will end up ruining your perfectly smoked bird with a strong taste of wood flavor.
How Do You Reheat A Smoked Whole Chicken?
We prepare too much smoked whole chicken, and we end up with a surplus, which is entirely normal. Whenever you have surplus smoked chicken, which you would like to reheat, you can utilize the oven. Put the smoked whole chicken in an already heated oven where the temperatures are 325˚F and with an aluminum foil lacing it. Ensure that your sprinkle about a tablespoon of water on the foil and let the smoked bird reheat within the oven till the temperatures are 165F. Let the reheated smoked bird rest before serving it.
When you want to save some surplus of the smoked whole chicken, it is good to seal it completely within an airtight vessel and put it in the fridge for 3 or 4 days or in a freezer for up to 90 days, relying on how well you have sealed the surplus smoked bird.
Leftover Smoked Chicken Recipes
The taste of smoked whole chicken is peculiar, and the surplus makes a mouthwatering topping for salads, sandwiches, pizza, and more. On the other hand, you can opt to give the leftover smoked whole chicken a new twist with these delicious recipes.
White Chicken Chili Recipe
The White Chicken Chili recipe is a cozy alternative for surplus chicken, which is incredibly easy to implement. Add chicken broth, remnant chicken, white beans, garlic, onion, and pepper to taste. Then bake in your oven for four hours.
Smoked Chicken Salad Sandwich
The Spicy Chicken Salad Recipe demands bringing before smoking chicken, but you can utilize your remnants instead of preparing a new dish.
Cut the chicken into small pieces and add chopped pepper, scallions, and pickled jalapeno peppers. Then go ahead and make a dressing by blending lime juice, cumin, mayonnaise, and salt. Stir the mixture together with the sauce. You can prepare it ahead and chill it for roughly 72 hours.
Loaded Grilled Chicken Tacos
Substitute the grilled chicken with loaded grilled chicken tacos recipe with the smoked whole chicken remnants.
FAQ
How long does it take to smoke a whole chicken in an electric smoker?
Smoking a whole bird takes about three-quarters of an hour per pound at 225°F. That is why the process takes about two to four hours in total. On the other hand, you can work with the internal temperature of a bird. If the internal temperature of the bird rises up to 165° F, then the bird is ready.
How long does it take to smoke a whole chicken at 225°F?
To smoke a whole bird will take about 2 to 4 hours in total. However, the bird’s readiness is dependent on when the internal temperature of a bird reaches 165°F.
How long does a whole chicken take in a smoker?
A whole chicken takes about 2.5 to 3 hours for a smoker.
How do you smoke a whole chicken in a Masterbuilt electric smoker?
Preheat the Masterbuilt electric smoker to 212°F and add about one inch of water to the bowl. Lightly oil the rack. When the temperature of the electric smoker gets to 212°F, place the chicken laid out as flat as possible on the frame. Cook for about 180 minutes or till the internal temperature of the chicken is 175°F.
