Smoked chicken quarters coated with my new mayo glaze and then cooked on a pellet smoker at 275°F for chicken skin with a perfect bite through.
Course Entree
Cuisine Hot Smoking
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour45 minutesminutes
Servings 4-6
Author Jeff Phillips
Ingredients
Chicken quarters1 or more per person
Brining solutionbelow
Jeff's original rub
Mayo Glazerecipe below
Instructions
Step 1: Brine the Chicken
Add 1 cup of coarse kosher salt to 1 gallon of cold water. Stir until water returns to clear and salt is dissolved.
Add ¾ cup brown sugar and stir until dissolved into brine.
Place chicken pieces into zip top bag and pour brine solution over chicken to cover.
Seal bag or cover brining container and put into the fridge for about 4 hours.
Remove brined chicken from fridge and rinse well under cold water to remove residual salt.
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel
For better skin, place the chicken back into the fridge on a cooling rack, bradley rack, etc. over a baking sheet (to catch drips) for about 4 hours to dry and tighten the skin before applying glaze.
Step 2: Make the Mayo Glaze
Make the glaze while the chicken is brining
Into a small mixing bowl combine ½ cup of real mayonnaise, 2 TBS of Jeff's original rub, 1 TBS minced garlic and 2 TBS chopped chives
Step 3: Apply the Glaze to the Chicken
Place a heaping TBS of the mayo glaze onto each chicken quarter.
Use your hands to massage the glaze all over the chicken getting it under the skin wherever possible.
Chicken is now ready for the smoker.
Step 4: Into the Smoker
Set up the smoker for cooking at 275°F using pecan or other smoking wood.
Once the smoker is ready, place the chicken directly on the smoker grate.
Let the chicken cook for 1 to 1.5 hours or until it reaches 165°F in the thickest part.
For extra good chicken skin, remove the chicken before it is completely done (about 145-150°F) and place it on a very hot grill or under the oven broiler for a few minutes.
Be sure it reaches a final temperature of 165°F before calling it done.