Ingredients
Target Internal Temp: 155ºF
Coal Placement: Direct
1 Chicken (1-3 pounds)
Buxton Hall Barbecue Chicken Rub
Red Barbecue Sauce
Equipment:
A clean towel
A smoker
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Preparation
- Pat the chicken dry and then generously apply Buxton Hall Chicken Rub, making sure to coat the chicken well.
- Before you place the chicken on the smoker, either spatchcock it or break it in half. I actually think halves work better. They're easier to move. Don't go any further than this -- a quartered chicken will lose moisture and cook less evenly.
- Place it on the smoker bone side down, skin side up. If you're smoking a lot of meat in one day, it's fine to lay the chickens around a pig or alongside other meat.
- Cook the chicken 2 to 3 hours with the pit at 200ºF to 220ºF.
- About halfway through cooking, dunk the chicken in the red sauce and from that point forward baste it a few times as it finishes cooking.
- While the food and safety guidelines say 165ºF, I recommend taking the chicken off the smoker once it hits 155ºF. It will continue to cook after you take it off the smoker, and I don't know that I've ever had chicken cooked to 165ºF that wasn't dry. There might be pink on the bone, but I've been eating chicken that way for a long time. And when I'm cooking out, I would rather have one person think they're not eating something that's safe than serve everyone dried chicken! That said if you get busy, chicken can hang out a little longer on the smoker without getting too dry.
- At serving time, it's great if the skin is a little crispy. You may need to throw it on a gas or charcoal grill or flip it over on the smoker above some fresh coals to crisp it up. You can also broil it before serving.
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Thanks for the question, Anh! We’d say for the average 3lb chicken you’d want about 1/2 cup of rub. Just make sure you’re sprinkling enough to get the entire outside evenly coated. Let us know how it turns out!
How much seasoning per pound of chicken? A guideline would help.