Smoked Chicken with White Barbecue Sauce
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup barbecue smoking wood chips or pellets
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup lemon butter garlic seasoning
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 (3½- to 4-pound) whole chickens, patted dry
- 2 (12-ounce) cans lemon-lime soda, half-full
- White Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows)
- Garnish: smoked green onion (see kitchen tip)
Instructions
- Preheat grill to low heat (275° to 300°).
- On a 6-inch square of foil, place wood chips or pellets. Top with another 6-inch square of foil, and crimp edges to seal. Poke several holes through top piece of foil.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, lemon butter garlic seasoning, paprika, and oil.
- Gently loosen skin from chicken, keeping skin intact. Rub sugar mixture under skin and over chicken. Place soda cans inside chickens so cans stand straight up.
- Place foil packet on one side of grill. Add chicken, standing up, to grill. Grill, covered with grill lid, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion of breast and thigh registers 165°, about 3 hours. (Check grill periodically to make sure the temperature stays between 275° and 300°.) Remove chicken from grill, and let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Discard soda. Cut chickens in half lengthwise, removing backbone. Serve with White Barbecue Sauce, and garnish with smoked green onion, if desired.
Kitchen Tip: For smoked green onions, add 1 bunch green onions to grill rack after chicken finishes cooking. Cook, covered with grill lid, until tender, about 8 minutes.
White Barbecue Sauce
MAKES 1¼ CUPS
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise*
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon horseradish sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, vinegar, 2 teaspoons water, Worcestershire, and all remaining ingredients until combined. Refrigerate in a glass jar with a lid for up to 1 week.
*We used Blue Plate Mayonnaise.
