Buzz
While pork butts and briskets often steal the spotlight in smoked meats discussions, smoked chicken is an undiscovered treasure. The slow, fragrant heat makes the chicken incredibly tender and juicy, packed with flavor and requiring very little effort. Just chicken, salt, fire, wood, and time are all that’s needed.
The time needed depends on your chicken’s size and the extent of preparation before grilling. Using a spatchcock method can quicken the process by flattening the bird, but even then, it will still take a couple of hours to smoke a five-pound chicken, provided the heat stays between 225℉ and 275℉.
Why it’s better to smoke chicken in pieces rather than whole
I’ll admit that there’s something satisfying about lifting the lid of my Weber Kettle to reveal a perfectly roasted whole chicken. The presentation of a whole animal feels deeply fulfilling, like something instinctual has been achieved. However, breaking down the chicken into pieces allows for quicker and more effective cooking.
During the last holiday weekend, I picked up a whole chicken and a few extra legs since I prefer dark meat and didn’t want to miss out. The legs (as expected) cooked much faster than the entire bird, outpacing it by over an hour. By the time the whole chicken was ready, my guests had happily filled up on the legs.
High-end grilling gadgets for the refined (gender-neutral) grilling enthusiasts:
A charcoal grill for effortless smoking: Weber Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill
A Slow ‘N Sear to maintain your charcoal’s consistency: Slow ‘N Sear Deluxe for 22" Charcoal Grill from SnS Grills
A charcoal chimney for blazing hot coals: Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter
Lighter cubes for a smooth ignition: Weber Lighter Cubes
An external digital thermometer to avoid overcooking your steak: ThermoPro TP829 Wireless Meat Thermometer
Despite crowding the coal-less side of the grill, the separated legs browned more evenly than the attached ones, since they weren’t obstructed by the body’s folds and crevices.
For those who prefer chicken breast, breaking the bird down is even more beneficial. Even when spatchcocked, with the breast turned away from the coals, the white and dark meats stayed within 10 degrees of each other. I like to cook my thighs to at least 170℉ to let the collagen turn into smooth gelatin, while I keep my breasts around 155℉ for juiciness. This didn’t quite happen with the spatchcocked bird (the breast meat you see above reached 165℉; it was good and not dry, but it wasn’t as moist as it could’ve been had I taken it off 10 degrees earlier). Plus, you don’t have to use a whole chicken at all—if your family loves thighs, just grab thighs. They’ll cook quickly and you won’t be stuck with leftover breast meat.
Break down your chicken entirely and remove each part when it reaches its ideal temperature. Use a digital thermometer to check each piece, and you may be surprised at how two seemingly identical legs cook at different rates due to their size, fat content, and proximity to the coals.
Serving individual pieces may not have the theatrical appeal of a whole bird presentation, but each piece will taste better when cooked to the temperature that suits it best, and that’s really the goal here. (Plus, you won’t have to carve a whole, piping hot chicken, making your hosting duties a little bit easier.)
Basic Smoked Chicken Pieces
Ingredients Needed:
5 pounds of chicken pieces, choose your preferred cuts (You can break down a whole bird yourself, or simply select the parts you want from the butcher’s counter.)
Coarse kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon per pound
A couple of large chunks of your favorite wood for smoking
Sprinkle salt on all sides of the chicken pieces and place them on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Set the baking sheet in the fridge and let the chicken sit for a minimum of 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.
A few hours before you plan to serve the chicken, fill a charcoal chimney with coals and place it over a couple of lit fuel cubes. Once the coals stop smoking and the top layer begins to ash over, dump them onto one side of the grill, packing them tightly together. (I finally used the Slow N’ Sear that was sent to me a few years ago, and it really does help make the charcoal pile more manageable.)
Close the lid of the charcoal grill and adjust the vents to lower the temperature. Open vents let in more oxygen for the coals, raising the grill temperature. For the most accurate readings, use an external probe thermometer instead of relying on the built-in dial. As the temperature nears 300℉, bring a kettle of water to a boil.
I typically open my grill once the temperature drops below 300℉, then add the wood to the coals and position the chicken. By the time I close the grill again, the heat that had built up inside escapes, bringing the temperature down to somewhere between 225℉ and 275℉, which is ideal. (Yes, opening the grill exposes the coals to more oxygen, but the brief exposure causes more heat loss than any gain from that exposure.)
Add the wood to the coals, then set a drip pan on the coal grate, directly under where the chicken pieces will go. Pour a kettle of boiling water into the pan, or if using the Slow ‘N Sear, add it to the water reservoir. Place the grill grate over the coal grate, insert a few probe thermometers into the chicken pieces, and arrange them on the coal-less side of the grill. Cover the grill, ensuring that the top vent is positioned opposite the coals so the smoke must travel across the chicken before escaping the grill.
Cook the chicken until the thickest part of the breasts reaches an internal temperature of 155℉, and the thickest part of the dark meat hits 175℉. This will take at least an hour and a half, but the actual time depends heavily on your grill’s temperature, so keep a close eye on it and adjust the vents as necessary. The longer the chicken is on the grill, the more it will absorb the smoke, so if you’re a fan of that smoky flavor, aim to keep the temperature around 225℉. If you prefer crispy skin, move the pieces to the coal side, skin-side down, when they’re about 10-15 degrees from your target temp. Serve hot with your preferred sauce, though smoked chicken is delicious on its own without any sauce.
