Last weekend, I had a taste for some smoked pulled chicken. This is one of our favorite ways to eat chicken anymore. Hope will even eat dark meat from a bird that has been brined and slow smoked. So, here is how we did it...
First, make yourself a batch of Poultry Brine and cool it down:
BOS's Chicken Brine:
1 gallon Water
¾ cup Kosher Salt
¾ cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Granulated Garlic
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
¼ cup Orange Juice
⅛ cup Worcestershire Sauce
Two roasters, into the pool for an overnight swim:
After the overnight brine, I pulled the birds out of the pool and let them drip dry. Don't rinse. Then, I pulled the skin back on the breasts and seasoned with Weber Montreal Chicken Seasoning and put the skin back in place. Then, the body cavity got a healthy dose of seasoning as well...
Then, I fired up the Baby and brought her to 250 F and put some apricot wood in the ash pan for smoke. I placed the birds on the third rack down on a four rack Baby...
Two hours into the cook...
The birds were done after three hours of cooking time. I pulled them off and covered with foil and let them rest for an hour...
After resting, Hope pulled them apart and we split into 3 equal portions...
Then, we made pulled chicken, three different ways...
On the left, we just drizzled some Pipers Pit BBQ sauce. Nice and simple. Good, smoky BBQ flavor.
In the middle, I made the Curried Chicken Salad that I saw on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives... The basic dressing for that is 1 cup of plain yogurt, 1/3 cup of mayo, and 1 tsp of curry powder. I also added 1.5 ribs of celery and 1/2 of a small red onion. Loved the curry flavor with the smokiness of the chicken. Good stuff.
Finally, on the right, I made a traditional chicken salad with 1.5 ribs of celery and 1/2 of a small red onion. I also used the yogurt/mayo mix. This stuff puts deli chicken salad in second place for sure.
We will definitely be making any of these again. The smoky flavor was great with all three salads. Just be sure to use a mild wood such as apricot or peach. I think hickory would overpower these salads.
Thanks for stopping by...
Bill
First, make yourself a batch of Poultry Brine and cool it down:
BOS's Chicken Brine:
Ingredients:
Two roasters, into the pool for an overnight swim:
After the overnight brine, I pulled the birds out of the pool and let them drip dry. Don't rinse. Then, I pulled the skin back on the breasts and seasoned with Weber Montreal Chicken Seasoning and put the skin back in place. Then, the body cavity got a healthy dose of seasoning as well...
Then, I fired up the Baby and brought her to 250 F and put some apricot wood in the ash pan for smoke. I placed the birds on the third rack down on a four rack Baby...
Two hours into the cook...
The birds were done after three hours of cooking time. I pulled them off and covered with foil and let them rest for an hour...
After resting, Hope pulled them apart and we split into 3 equal portions...
Then, we made pulled chicken, three different ways...
On the left, we just drizzled some Pipers Pit BBQ sauce. Nice and simple. Good, smoky BBQ flavor.
In the middle, I made the Curried Chicken Salad that I saw on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives... The basic dressing for that is 1 cup of plain yogurt, 1/3 cup of mayo, and 1 tsp of curry powder. I also added 1.5 ribs of celery and 1/2 of a small red onion. Loved the curry flavor with the smokiness of the chicken. Good stuff.
Finally, on the right, I made a traditional chicken salad with 1.5 ribs of celery and 1/2 of a small red onion. I also used the yogurt/mayo mix. This stuff puts deli chicken salad in second place for sure.
We will definitely be making any of these again. The smoky flavor was great with all three salads. Just be sure to use a mild wood such as apricot or peach. I think hickory would overpower these salads.
Thanks for stopping by...
Bill
