smoker essentials: chicken with compound butter
If you have an electric smoker, this is an amazing recipe for smoking a whole chicken. The results are spicy, and oh so moist. I made three of these for my holiday houseguests that came in on Sunday, and the only thing left were the bones. Yummy. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.
yield
serving(s)
prep time
15 Min
cook time
3 Hr
method
Smoke
Ingredients For smoker essentials: chicken with compound butter
- PLAN/PURCHASE
- THE COMPOUND BUTTER
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4 Tbspsweet butter, unsalted, room temperature
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1 tspground cumin
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1 tspdried onions, crushed to a powder
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1 tspgarlic powder
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1 tsppaprika
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1/2 tspwhite pepper, freshly ground
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1/4 tspsalt, kosher variety, fine grind
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1/4 tspground sage
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1/4 tspground cloves
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1 pinchcayenne pepper
- THE CHICKEN
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3 - 4 lbwhole chicken
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1 cwhite grape juice
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1 cwood chips
How To Make smoker essentials: chicken with compound butter
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1PREP/PREPARE
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2If the only thing you have is salted butter, no worries. Use it, but leave out the 1/4 teaspoon salt, called for in the compound butter.
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3The traditional liquid to use for chicken or turkey is apple juice; however, I like the depth of flavor that white grape juice brings to this recipe. If you do not have any juice, just use water.
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4There has been a lot of discussion lately on whether you should wash a chicken or turkey before cooking. The talk goes something like this… The heat of the cooking process will kill any nasty bugs, and when you wash it, the water will splash all over the place contaminating your working area; bringing with it death, destruction, and the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Well, I suppose, if you are using a firehose to wash your bird, then I can understand why water is splashing all over the place. How about a gentle stream of water, washing the outside and the cavity? With that said, I wash my birds… I am such a rebel (without a cause).
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5A note on the cooking times. At the listed temperature, it should take about 1 hour per pound. So, a three-pounder should take about 3 hours. The thing I want to mention is that in smoking, time is a relative thing (Einstein said that), and in the words of one of my teachers… it will be done, when it is done. What does that mean… Well, I just smoked three chicken that were all the same weight. The span of time between the first one hitting the target temperature, and the last one was 20 minutes. It will be done when it is done. The worst thing you can do, is to start second-guessing yourself: OH, it is taking too long, I better crank up the heat. Or, OH, it is cooking too fast, I better turn down the heat. It will be done when it is done.
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6The chips I am using are applewood, most any type of chips will do; except mesquite. I like the sweetness that applewood brings to the mix.
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7Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
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8Preheat the smoker to 275f (135c).
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9COMPOUND BUTTER
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10Add the spices to the softened butter.
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11Mix together with a fork.
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12THE SMOKING
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13Add the white grape juice to a cooking pan, fitted with a V rack.
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14Chef’s Note: If you do not have a V rack, and you plan to put the chicken directly on the smoker grate, then have a pan under the chicken on a lower rack with the white grape juice.
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15Remove the neck, and any giblets, and reserve for some other project, then give the bird a gentle bath, and pat dry with a few paper towels (inside and out).
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16Using your fingers separate the skin of the chicken from the bird. Go under the breasts, and then break through the membrane separating the breast from the legs.
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17Put half the compound butter under the skin of the bird, then rub the rest on the outside.
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18Add the chicken to the preheated smoker and lower the temperature to 230f (110c). And do not forget to throw in about a cup of wood chips.
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19Cook for about 1 hour per pound, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the thigh registers 165f (75c).
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20Tent for about ten minutes before carving. And, if you are feeling ambitious, you can take the white grape juice with the drippings from the chicken, and make a nice, sweet gravy.
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21PLATE/PRESENT
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22Serve with your favorite sides. Enjoy.
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23Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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