Last week I bought a whole chicken on sale for $1/lb. I love chicken, but I'm always disappointed in my attempts. I was going to cook this Friday. I cut out the backbone and snipped the wishbone. I loosened the skin and worked rub underneath, rubbed the outside with mayo and added more rub. I went outside and started the MES -- then the phone rang. It was a client who was starting another home flip and wanted my opinion on the remodel (I'm a Realtor). So off went the smoker and the chicken, already on the grate, was put back in the fridge.
The next day I started over again, only I was worried that the chicken might have dried out from sitting in the fridge -- I had only tented it with foil. So, I decided to inject. Didn't have any broth or juice, so I decided I'd inject with my mopping fluid. I usually use a mixture of bourbon and honey, but I was out of both, so I start rummaging in the cupboards. I found some low calorie pancake syrup and some maple flavoring, so they got mixed together. To thin it the only thing I could find was some finishing sauce I'd made the last time I did a butt -- some meat drippings, spices, lots of papporica and bourbon (are you seeing a theme here?). It tasted wonderfully so I injected and put in in the smoker with maple pellets. Every 45 minutes so so it got basted. About 3 hours later the breast was a 161 & the thigh was at 170, so out of the smoker onto the hot grill it went to crips the top side.
It was delicious! Moist and flavorful with a hint of maple flavor throughout! I'll never cook a chicken any other way.
The next day I started over again, only I was worried that the chicken might have dried out from sitting in the fridge -- I had only tented it with foil. So, I decided to inject. Didn't have any broth or juice, so I decided I'd inject with my mopping fluid. I usually use a mixture of bourbon and honey, but I was out of both, so I start rummaging in the cupboards. I found some low calorie pancake syrup and some maple flavoring, so they got mixed together. To thin it the only thing I could find was some finishing sauce I'd made the last time I did a butt -- some meat drippings, spices, lots of papporica and bourbon (are you seeing a theme here?). It tasted wonderfully so I injected and put in in the smoker with maple pellets. Every 45 minutes so so it got basted. About 3 hours later the breast was a 161 & the thigh was at 170, so out of the smoker onto the hot grill it went to crips the top side.
It was delicious! Moist and flavorful with a hint of maple flavor throughout! I'll never cook a chicken any other way.
