- 1 whole roasting chicken
- 1 c. Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce of your choice
- 1/4 c. salt
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- Water - varies
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1-2 T. canola oil, divided
- 1 T. seasoning salt of your choice
The night before you want to smoke your chicken, place the chicken, hot sauce, salt, and brown sugar in a pot large enough to hold the chicken. Add enough water to cover the chicken and cover the pot with a lid. Store in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, prepare your smoker using the basic guidelines outlined here. You can use a wide variety of liquids in the drip pan, but I recommend opting to use some/all of the brining liquid from the chicken.
While your coals are getting ready for smoking, prepare your chicken. Remove it from the brine and reserve the brine for the drip pan. Stuff the chicken with the sweet onion (chop it coarsely and coat lightly with some of the canola oil before stuffing). Rub the outside of the chicken with the remaining canola oil and sprinkle it liberally with your seasoned salt.
Set the chicken on the smoker rack and allow to smoke for 3-5 hours, depending on the size of your chicken and the temperature of your smoker. I like to carefully press my thumb on the leg of the chicken to check for doneness. When it feels like I'm pressing into the fleshy part of your palm near your thumb and gently moving the leg is easy, your chicken is done. Allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes before tearing it apart and serving it.
- Yields: 5-7 servings
- Preparation Time: Several hours / varying