Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sweet Bacon Wrapped Chicken!!

Arr, Bacon and Chicken! Two of me Favorites, Together!!

I was plunderin on the net and sailed upon this idea for bacon wrapped chicken pieces and thought WOW what a Great Combination!

Now, I have taken the liberty to adjust the one I read to my own liking and added me personal touches to it. Ye can feel free to do the same....

 I marinaded the chicken in Stubbs Chicken Marinade overnight in the fridge. Then gave them a good dusting of rub. You can use any of your favorite rubs or use one in a previous post here that I've shared.

 Let the rub settle into the meat while you get the smoker going. I'm using the oak lump charcoal and apple wood for the smoke. We like a lot of flavor so I'll use the apple wood through out the smoke. For this cook I'll use the Brinkmann Gourmet Smoker.


What you will need:

2 lbs chicken thighs
2 lbs chicken breast boneless / skinless
1 cup of dark brown sugar
Rub of your choice
2 cups of cinnamon apple sauce
1 lb sliced bacon
2 cups of orange juice for the water pan
6 cups of water for the water pan
apple wood chunks
toothpicks

If you are using frozen chicken parts make sure to thaw in the refrigerator a couple of days prior to smoking. The thighs can be trimmed and boned to allow for easier eating when done. Try not to remove all of the fat as it will render down during the cooking process and add flavor too. Remove from the marinade and pat dry.

Take a slice of bacon and wrap each piece of chicken and secure with a toothpick. You may use as many strips of bacon to cover the entire piece as needed.



When wrapped then give each a generous coating of apple sauce and sprinkle generously with the brown sugar.

 Place into the smoker on the top shelf and add orange juice and water to the water pan then add the apple wood chunks to the fire and you are all set. Smoke for about three hours or until the temp gets to an internal temp of 165 degrees.






The finished product will be out of this world!!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

How to Get a Chicken Drunk!

Who doesn't like a good smoked chicken? Last week I made a drunk chicken on the smoker. This is one of the easiest recipes one can do in the smoker and not make a mistake.

You take a medium to large whole chicken, the rub of your choice and a small amount of alcohol (drinkable) that you prefer and you're ready.

Make sure that the chicken is thawed and has been cleaned inside and out. Coat the chicken with your favorite rub and let sit for about an hour for the rub to settle in and add a lot of flavor to the chicken.

I use a post for the liquid and to hold the chicken upright. When the fire is ready take the chicken and place on the post. I used a combination of Amaretto and Blackberry Brandy and Italian spices for flavor and filled the post prior to placing the chicken on it.

Build your fire and get your wood chunks for smoke ready. I used an oak lump charcoal and hickory wood chunks for this cook. I tend to like a heavy smoke flavor and use the wood chunks throughout the cook. You can use a light smoke for the first hour and then not add any more wood chunks for a milder flavor.

Place the chicken on the center of the smoker rack and maintain a temp of 250 degrees for about 3 hours. Once the chicken reached an internal temp of 165 degrees I removed the chicken from the smoker and wrapped in heavy foil to rest.

The combination of the liqueurs and smoke added a real nice flavor to the chicken and brought in a nice juicy meal.

Give it a try and let me know how you did.