Smoked Chicken

Last summer I purchased a Brinkmann smoker.

It is my favorite gadget!  I love putting some meat in the smoker and walking away.  Letting the meat cook slowly, on a low heat, produces some of the juiciest, most flavorful meat I've ever tasted.  My absolute favorite meat to smoke is chicken!

It is so easy to make!  First thing you must do is start a charcoal fire in the bottom chamber of the smoker.

Determine what type of wood you want to put on top of the fire.  I like to use apple wood, mesquite or hickory.  Soak whatever wood you want to use in water.

In the smoker, there is a pan for water.  I like to put onions, lemons and other herbs and spices in this pan to give the meat some extra flavor and aroma.

What makes smoked so flavorful is the spice rub you put on the meat before putting it in the smoker.  I used the following for the chicken:
 
1 teaspoon zesty pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika

Combine the spices and rub all over the chicken.

Put the chicken on the smoker, put the lid on and walk away! 

The chicken will need to stay in the smoker for 6-8 hours, or until the chicken registers 180 degrees, using a meat thermometer.

My smoker has a gauge that I can use to make sure I keep it at ideal temperature (around 220 degrees).  Every few hours I add a few charcoal briquettes and some wet wood to keep the smoke going.

The skin on the chicken is crispy and the meat is extra juicy!  It is one of my favorite meals to cook!

Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon

At the beginning of the summer I bought a smoker.  I've experimented with it and smoked all kinds of meats:  ribs, chicken (my favorite), and pork.  The only thing I haven't tried is fish. 

I love salmon and I thought what would be better than smoking a salmon!

The first thing I did was prepare the smoker.  In the bottom of the smoker I started a charcoal fire.

The next step is to add a layer of flavor.  My smoker has a bowl to put water in.  To this bowl I added garlic, onion, ginger, lemon, and some fresh parsley.

Next, I seasoned the salmon with some spices.  I had a bottle of Boston seafood seasoning.  I sprinkled that on the fish.  I put the salmon on a cedar plank.

The next step is to close the lid and add some wet fruit wood on top of the charcoal fire.  I used cherry wood.

The salmon smoked for 4 hours.  When it was finished I served it on top of pearl couscous.

If you don't have a smoker, get one!  It is such an awesome addition to your kitchen repertoire.!