Ingredients

The following ingredients have 5 Servings
  • 2 quarts (8 cups) Cold Water, divided
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Morton Kosher Salt
  • 1 whole Chicken, approximately 6 pounds
  • 2/3 cup Homemade BBQ Chicken Rub

Instruction

  • Bring 1 cup cold water to boil. I usually do this in a 2 quart glass measuring cup in the microwave, however you can do this stovetop in a saucepan if you prefer.
  • Add the 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of Morton Kosher Salt (not table salt!) to the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Stir in the remaining 7 cups of cold water so that you have 8 cups of water total.
  • Place the whole chicken, giblets removed and discarded, in a gallon sized freezer zip top bag.
  • Place the bag inside a large bowl.
  • Transfer the salt water to the bag containing the chicken. Zip the bag to seal.
  • Place the bowl with the chicken and brine filled bag in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours.
  • Remove the chicken from the brine.
  • Discard the salt water. Rinse the chicken inside and out.
  • Place the chicken on a large baking sheet and pat dry.
  • Rub the chicken inside and out with the Homemade BBQ Chicken Rub. I like to carefully separate the skin over the breasts from the meat so that I can put some of the rub under the skin.
  • Let the chicken sit while you prepare the smoker.
  • Prepare your smoker to a low heat setting.
  • On our Traeger, we use the "smoke" setting (around 150-160 degrees F) and we either use Oak Pellets or the Gourmet Blend Pellets for our wood. Hickory or pecan would also work well for chicken.
  • Transfer the chicken from the baking sheet and place it on the smoker, insert the probe of a digital meat thermometer that is safe for BBQing into the thickest part of the breast, and smoke on 150-160 degrees F according to manufacturer instructions at 160 for about 3 hours.
  • Increase the temperature to 225 degrees F and continue to cook until the the meat thermometer registered 165 degrees F.
  • Remove the chicken from the smoker and let rest, loosely tented with foil, on a baking sheet for 20 minutes before slicing.