Smoke is the most ephemeral of all food flavorings. It's not an herb, a spice or a mineral, but it still brings a distinctive flavor and appearance to meat, fish, poultry and other food items. Serious enthusiasts invest heavily in smoker/cookers of various types, from charcoal-fired patio varieties to gas or electric units with sophisticated electronic controls. However, if your ambitions or your budget are less exalted, you can smoke small items, such as chickens, without elaborate equipment.
Gas Grill Method
Step 1
Prepare your chicken by patting it dry with clean paper towels and seasoning it inside and out with salt and pepper. Leave the bird uncovered in your refrigerator for 2 hours, or as long as overnight, so the skin can dry. This helps it accept smoke more readily.
Step 2
Tear off 3 to 4 feet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. At one end, make a small mound with 1/2 cup of small hardwood chips, or four or five larger pieces. Fold the foil over the wood, and then roll it twice. Fold the ends into the middle, to seal in the hardwood, then roll up the package in the remainder of the foil.
Step 3
Poke four or five holes in the foil package with a pencil or knife tip. Lift the grate from your gas grill, and preheat it to 300 F.
Step 4
Place the foil package of hardwood chips on one side of your gas grill. Replace the grate, and turn off the side that doesn't have the wood chips on it. Place the chicken on the side without wood chips, so it can cook by indirect heat. Close your grill's lid to trap the smoke.
Step 5
Smoke-roast the chicken until a meat thermometer in its thigh reads 165 F, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the chicken. Let the bird cook for at least 45 minutes before opening the top to get the maximum benefit from the smoke.
Step 6
Remove the chicken from your grill once it reaches 165 F, and cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving and serving.
Foil Pans Method
Step 1
Crumple sheets of aluminum foil to make four balls, approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place these in the corners of a rectangular foil-roasting pan.
Step 2
Scatter a 1/2 to 1 cup of hardwood chips across the bottom of the pan, depending on the strength of flavor you want. Use less chips from pungent woods such as hickory or mesquite, and more from milder woods such as apple or alder.
Step 3
Set a wire rack on the four balls of foil, making a platform above the wood chips. Place your chicken on the wire rack. Cover with a second foil-roasting pan.
Step 4
Place the assembled roasting pans on a heat source such as a stovetop, camp stove or electric hot plate. Heat it at a medium-high temperature until it begins to smoke, then reduce the temperature to medium.
Step 5
Cook the chicken in your improvised smoker until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 165 F. Uncover and remove the chicken, and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes under a loose cover of aluminum foil before carving and serving.
Tips and Warnings
- The foil pans method generates a lot of smoke; you should do it outdoors whenever possible. If you have a good range hood that vents to the outdoors, you can use this method in your kitchen. Do it on a warm day, when you can open the doors and windows to minimize the smoke in your house. Some cooks find that the two-pans method creates a slightly harsh, bitter smoke flavor. One way to prevent this is to smoke the chicken in the foil pans for 20 to 30 minutes, then finish roasting normally in your oven instead of smoke-roasting it.
Things You'll Need
- Paper towels
- Salt and pepper
- Aluminum foil
- Hardwood chips
- Pencil or knife
- Gas grill
- Meat thermometer
- 2 disposable foil roasting pans
- Wire rack
- Stove, camp stove or electric hot plate
References
- "Professional Cooking": Wayne Gisslen
- "Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen"; Culinary Institute of America
