The classic Southern US barbecue: a whole chicken dry-brined, seasoned with paprika, and cooked slowly over indirect heat in wood smoke until the skin turns mahogany brown and the juicy meat pulls cleanly from the bone.
Ingredients
- 2 pieces whole free-range chickens, ready to cook
- 42 g fine salt
- 30 g light brown sugar
- 24 g mild smoked paprika
- 12 g sweet paprika
- 12 g garlic powder
- 12 g onion powder
- 8 g ground black pepper
- 2 g ground cayenne pepper
- 60 g American yellow mustard
- 45 ml canola oil
- 120 ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 l water
- 600 g applewood chunks for smoking
- 300 g oak chunks for smoking
- 250 g classic barbecue sauce
Method
- If possible, the day before, remove the chickens from their packaging, discard any giblets, and pat the skin thoroughly dry with paper towels. The skin should feel dry to the touch: this is the first sign of good coloring in the smoker.
- Mix the fine salt, brown sugar, both paprikas, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Gently lift the skin over the breasts and thighs without tearing it, then distribute the seasoning over the skin, beneath the skin, and inside the cavity.
- Place the chickens on a rack, breast-side up, and refrigerate them uncovered for 8 to 24 hours. The surface should become slightly matte and tacky; this pellicle helps the smoke adhere.
- Take the chickens out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before cooking. Brush them with a thin layer of American yellow mustard, then with canola oil. The layer should be even and very thin: it serves as glue, not sauce.
- Prepare a covered grill or smoker for indirect cooking between 110 °C and 125 °C. Place the coals or fire on one side, put a water pan beneath the cool zone, then add applewood and oak in small amounts. The smoke should be light and bluish, never white and acrid.
- Place the chickens breast-side up in the indirect zone, away from the coals. Close the lid, position the top vent above the chickens so the smoke passes over the meat, and stabilize the temperature before starting to count the cooking time.
- Smoke slowly without opening the lid unnecessarily. After about 1 hour, check the color: the skin should begin to turn golden and then mahogany, with a clean wood-fire aroma and no black marks.
- Mix the apple cider vinegar with a little hot water from the water pan to make a light mop. Brush the chickens very quickly about every 45 minutes, just enough to moisten the surface. If the skin looks soft or pale, space out the mopping and leave the lid closed longer.
- Continue cooking until the thickest part of the breasts reaches 72 °C and the thighs reach 82 °C internally. The probe should enter the thigh without resistance, the juices that bead up should run clear, and the leg joint should move easily.
- If the skin is still too soft at the end of cooking, open the air intake slightly or briefly move the chickens closer to the hotter indirect heat, with the lid closed. Watch carefully: the skin should tighten and darken without burning the paprika.
- Transfer the chickens to a board, cover them loosely with aluminum foil, and let them rest for 20 minutes. The rest is successful when the juices no longer run heavily when carving and remain in the meat.
- Carve each chicken into drumsticks, thighs, wings, and breasts. Serve the classic barbecue sauce warm on the side to respect the flavor of the smoked chicken rather than covering it heavily.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 173.5 kcal
- Protein
- 5.37 g
- Carbohydrate
- 19.83 g
- Fat
- 8.59 g
- Fibre
- 2.21 g
- Calcium
- 43.34 mg
- Iron
- 2.17 mg
- Magnesium
- 24.52 mg
