Which wood to smoke chicken

Soak the bird in a mixture of one gallon of water and one cup of kosher salt. Add fruit juices, wines and spices to the brine; the meat will absorb the flavors. Chicken is naturally a leaner meat, making it harder to smoke without compromising juiciness, tenderness and flavor. The key is brining the chicken before you smoke it. A spice rub applied to the chicken before you smoke it can impart a deep flavor into the meat. While your chicken is bound to taste great smoked with a simple brine, the right seasonings can add another level of flavor to your meal.

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Reset Your Password. Email Address. Cancel Submit. Get recipes, cooking tips and tricks and promotional offers delivered to your inbox each week. It has a nutty flavor that goes well with so many types of meat, and chicken is no different.

It might not be as strong as other earthy woods like mesquite, but it can still be overpowering if you use too much. This could mean a layer of bitter smoke caked onto your chicken. No thanks. If you undershoot the flavor then just add a little extra next time. These are available in both small and large bags, so you can start small or go large. For barbecue you need to ensure that your meat is exposed to the smoke for long enough to lock in the flavors and scents emanating from the wood.

This can be a challenge when smoking with charcoal, since the smoke from the coals can overpower the wood. The principles of low and slow are crucial for good barbecue.

As the name suggests, this entails cooking meat at low temperatures over the course of several hours in order to slowly bring it to the perfect temperature. The reason this is so important is that the slow rise in heat allows the fat in the meat to render and infuse it with juices and added flavor.

Recommended applewood: Weber Wood Apple Chips. Recommended cherry wood: Traeger Cherry Wood Chips. Recommended pecan wood: Weber Wood Pecan Chips. Recommended hickory wood: Weber Hickory Wood Chunks. Keep reading to discover more about our top picks. When you are smoking chicken, choose the wood that will taste great without overpowering the poultry. Apple, Maple, Cherry, Pecan, and Oak are the most popular types of wood for smoking chicken.

The different types of woods for smoking chicken range from pellets to logs, and sometimes even smaller! Pellets are as the name suggests.

Small wood pellets in your choice of wood. These are good for smaller grills and smokers and shorter smokes.

Wood chips are bigger than pellets and offer a longer burning time. They can be used in small grills and smokers as well. Next are wood chunks, which are larger than chips.

They can vary in size depending on brand, from around 2 inches long to fist sized chunks. Wood logs are large logs of wood used in bigger grills and smokers and to produce a longer smoking time.

Figure out what kind of wood is needed for your setup so you can decide on what you want your chicken to taste like. Stronger woods like hickory and mesquite can overpower the chicken and leave it tasting bitter, so you will want to avoid them. They are two of the more popular choices for smoking chicken.

Hickory wood is a popular type of wood for smoking meats, but it can overpower the chicken. Oak wood is an excellent choice for smoking chicken.

Oak is strong than apple and cherry, but not as harsh as hickory or mesquite. It gives you a bit of smoke without overpowering your bird. The chunks are good size, ready to be tossed into your smoker. The chunks are roughly fist size and since they are heat-treated, they will ignite quickly and burn hot! They are kiln dried to prevent rot and pests, so you only get good quality wood chips.

The chips are average size, but there may be some inconsistency between size pieces. Why take your whiskey on the rocks when you can infuse the whiskey flavor into your smoked chicken? You will not find dust or pellets in the bag, but the bag may contain less weight than advertised. As always, but especially with chicken, make sure to handle your raw meat with care and cook until the correct internal temperature.