Smoked Whole Chicken
This Texas-style smoked whole chicken is made by rubbing whole chickens with an ancho and piloncillo spice rub and then slowly smoking them on your grill or smoker until tender and juicy. Easy and perfect for entertaining a crowd. Here's how.
Ingredients
- 4 oak, hickory, or pecan wood chunks, or more as desired, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
- 1 cup firmly packed pounded piloncillo* from one 8-ounce or 227-gram cone (or substitute dark brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoons ancho chile powder, or more, if desired
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- Four (3 3/4-to 4-pound) whole chickens
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- In a small bowl, combine the piloncillo, ancho chile powder, salt, and pepper and mix well.
- Arrange the chickens on a couple large rimmed baking sheets, breast side up. Rub each chicken with some of the piloncillo mixture, dividing it equally among the hens. Let them rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Prep your grill or smoker
- While the chickens rest, set up your grill or smoker. Place a drip pan filled with 1/2 inch water in between the hot coals or burners set up for indirect heat on your grill or place the water pan in the smoker and add water to the fill line. Bring the temperature of the grill or smoker to 225° to 250°F (107° to 120°C) and maintain the temperature for 15 to 20 minutes.
- When the grill or smoker is ready, drain the wood chunks and place them on the prepared coals or in the smoker box.
Smoke the chicken
- Spoon any juices that accumulated on the baking sheet over the chickens.
- Place the chickens, breast side up, on the grate and close the grill or smoker. Smoke until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of the thighs registers 165°F (74°C), 3 to 4 hours. If you prefer a smokier flavor, toss in a few more wood chunks towards the middle of the cooking time. Occasionally check the temperature gauge.
- Remove the chickens from the smoker and let them rest for at least 20 minutes.
- Carve, serve, and watch it disappear.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion, about 12 ounces | Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 477mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g