Homemade Low and Slow Smoked Roast Chicken over Applewood. This garden favorite recipe is made with a simple moist brine and BBQ seasoning to ensure every bite is packed with flavor.
This Smoked Roast Chicken recipe features some of the best roast chicken we’ve ever tried. With a good sea and constant movement of the skewer, the meat stays juicy while the skin browns and crisps.
The end result is a delicious caramelized whole chicken that produces tender, juicy meat with the best skin a bird has ever had.
While many people are familiar with the roast chickens sold off supermarket counters, with just a little prep, YOU can make your own BBQ Smoked Roast Chicken that will blow the competition away!
From proper meat preparation to smoking temperatures, find out how to smoke roast chicken today.
Benefits of Smoked Fried Chicken
Grilling offers a unique blend of grilling, smoking and basting that manages to deliver the benefits of grilling without the risk of dry or burnt meat. This allows us to develop incredibly crispy surfaces without charring and deliciously tender meat.
The twisting motion of the skewer helps the meat baste itself inside and seal in the juices as it cooks. This creates an amazing combination of a moist, juicy interior and a crispy exterior. To top it off, we grill it so we can infuse our chicken with nice smoke and wood flavors.
The method also allows for more even heat coverage, which is especially helpful if you have a gas grill that’s prone to hot spots.
The biggest draw, however, comes with the fried chicken’s caramelized brown skin. Because the meat is directly exposed to our heat source, the skin develops a crispy texture and incredible caramel flavor.
Luckily, grilling accessories are more popular than ever. This has paved the way for the big brands to launch their own range of rotisserie grills , offering high performance grills(usually propane fueled) with a built in rotisserie.
Sun
The key to a great roast chicken is preparing the chicken on time. You should start this process at least a day before you plan to cook the chicken.
The first step is to grab your sole. A wet brine is a salt water solution that may contain herbs and spices. The brine adds extra moisture and flavor to your chicken and prevents it from drying out on the grill.
Your brine should consist of water, salt, and sugar. Some people like to add other herbs and spices, like black peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, fresh thyme, and rosemary. For our fried chicken, we keep things simple with a basic solution of salt, sugar, and water.
Mix the brine in a clear container to ensure all of the salt has dissolved in the water. Shaking lasts up to two minutes.
Before adding your whole chicken to the brine, remove the giblets and place the chicken in your bowl or bucket of brine. Next, add the brine to the brine tank. The chicken should be completely submerged in the liquid. Cover the container and brine for at least 12 hours and preferably overnight.
Tie
To ensure more even cooking, we need to tie the chicken. This step involves tying the wings and legs together with butcher twine so they cook at the same speed as thicker cuts of chicken, such as ribs. B. the chest.
You will need about a meter of string for an average sized chicken. It’s better to have too much than too little, and you can always cut the thread last.
Lay the chicken breasts side up and legs toward you. Place the string just below the tailbone with equal amount of string on each side of the chicken. Take the string and loop it around each chicken leg. This should form an “x” above the tailbone. Pull the string until the legs meet.
Pull the string to the other side of the chicken and wrap it tightly around the bird’s neck. The wings should be well tucked in and under the cord. Cross the cord and tie a tight knot so it’s not too loose. The wings and legs should be pressed against the chicken’s body. Trim off any excess twine and your chicken is now ready to grill.
Smoking wood
Woods made from soft fruits like apple, cherry or pecan are among the favorites of grill lovers as they are the best woods for smoking chicken. If you’re using a gas grill you can skip the wood, but if you’re cooking with charcoal I recommend throwing in a few pieces of applewood.
Quick tips
- As with any smoked meat, we rely on the temperature of the meat, not time to estimate when it’s done. However, the rotating rotisserie of the rotisserie renders wired thermometers useless. Instead, I recommend a wireless meat thermometer(like the MEATER Plus ) if you want to track your chicken’s progress as it cooks.
- Instead of waiting for the thermometer to read 165°F, once the chicken has reached 160°F, remove it and let it rest. The chicken will rise to the desired temperature while it rests. You should let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before carving it up.
How to smoke fried chicken
Before heating up your grill, make sure the grilling accessories are installed and ready to use. There’s nothing worse than trying to grill on a hot grill, and it’s an easy way to burn yourself. Once the rotisserie accessory is installed, turn on your grill.
Pass the rotisserie through the chicken cavity. Be careful not to take the armor into account. The chicken should be as close to the center of the perch as possible. Next, grab and lay out the chicken and take it to the smoker.
Connect the skewer to the grill and insert the meat thermometer into the brisket. Turn on the rotisserie and make sure it spins freely and the meat thermometer cord is not tangled. When you are sure the grill is working as intended, close the smoker lid.
To add flavor to your roast chicken, begin basting the chicken with butter during the last 30 to 45 minutes of cooking. You need to melt ½ stick of butter every 10 minutes and base the chicken. If you want the skin to be extra crispy, increase the heat during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Subtract
If you’re lucky enough to have leftover chicken, the good news is that leftover fried chicken is just as good the next day. Check out our guide to the best leftover fried chicken recipes for inspiration.
Store leftovers by allowing to cool completely before placing in an airtight container or wrapping tightly in aluminum foil. You can freeze them, but thawing the chicken will ruin the texture of the shredded meat, so I wouldn’t do this unless absolutely necessary. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
The best way to reheat roast chicken is to heat it in a preheated oven at 180°C(350°F). Place the shredded chicken in an ovenproof casserole dish, add 1 cup chicken broth and cover with foil. Heat for about 20 minutes.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
