The JUICIEST Way to Smoke Barbecue Chicken…

barbecue sauce

🥗Healthier: homemade barbecue sauce

💰Cheaper: ketchup + vinegar

Homemade sauce can reduce sugar and additives.

whole chicken

🥗Healthier: skinless chicken breasts

💰Cheaper: chicken thighs

Thighs are often less expensive and juicier.

Soak whole chickens in a brine made of hot sauce, barbecue rub, and water for at least six hours.

Remove the backbone of the chicken using kitchen scissors and split them down the middle with a chef's knife.

Clip off the wing tips.

Season the bone side of the chicken with barbecue rub, then season the skin side.

Prepare the smoker with Royal Oak lump charcoal and hickory wood, maintaining a temperature of 275°F.

Place the chicken halves skin-side up on the smoker and close the lid.

After about an hour, wrap the chicken halves in foil with butter to braise them.

Return the wrapped chicken to the smoker for about an hour and a half.

Check the internal temperature of the chicken, ensuring it reaches at least 165°F.

Unwrap the chicken and apply more barbecue rub to fill in any cracks in the skin.

Drizzle barbecue sauce over the chicken and return it to the smoker for 15-20 minutes to glaze.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: