By Dylan Clay
Great smoked chicken has crispy skin and moist, tender meat.
Let’s see how to achieve these qualities.
Whole roaster chickens will have an excess amount of skin and fat located near the chicken thighs at the rear of the bird.
Simply take a sharp knife and remove it.
This excess fat won’t render and will do absolutely nothing for the cooking process.
Pat dry the exterior of the chicken skin.
Apply roughly 1 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal Kosher salt to the exterior of the bird. Ensure all parts of the chicken skin have been salted.
Once salted, place on a baking sheet and place on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator overnight.
Apply this rub to the exterior of the chicken the next day:
*The cornstarch is being used to help with crisping the exterior of the skin.
With your butcher twine, wrap around the breast and the wings and wrap it so the twine is held down near the cavity.
Here’s a visual to see what I mean:
Then tie a knot.
With the drumsticks, take another piece of twine and overlap the drumsticks so that they’re crisscrossed; Then take your twine and figure-8 the twine around the exposed bone.
Here’s a visual:
Then tie a knot.
Once the bird is tied up, take your temperature probe and insert it into the thickest part of the breast meat.
Get your Weber to 325F in a 2-zone fire.
Place the whole chicken on the grill with the drumsticks pointed at the fire.
For hardwood, my preference is maple wood as it’s a super light smoke flavor.
If you don’t have maple then apple or peach or any other fruit wood are good alternatives.
The reason for pulling at 157F is because it ensures the breast won’t dry out.
We also know from the USDA that chicken held above 157F for 30 seconds is safe to eat.
Take the chicken off to rest for 5 minutes.
Once rested, you can separate the drumsticks and wings, and then slice from the breast meat; Then enjoy!
Your chicken should be moist, tender, and have crispy skin.