A Weber grill is great for barbecuing all sorts of meat, but where I find slow BBQ really shine is elevating cheap cuts of meat into something truly fantastic.
Pork shoulders are one of my favourite things to slow roast. The same long and slow heat that works well for hunks of meat also has an amazing effect on whole chickens. The protein and cartilage becomes fall-off-the-bone tender. It’s tender in a way that I have never been able to replicate in an oven.
Here’s a chicken that I’ve done under two hours. The chicken is so incredibly tender, I tugged the drumsticks right off the chicken. This is what I'd done on my first ever try, and there's no reason why you couldn't get similar success on your first attempt either.
Essentially, I just seasoned my chickens with salt and pepper, left the chickens uncovered in the fridge for a few hours to dry the skin out, then tossed them over the grill for an hour (untouched!) until they were cooked thoroughly. There's nothing more than that. It's easy.
True, there's a million more little things that you can do that will bring incremental benefits. A whole chicken from the fridge has a hollow cold interior that's difficult to heat up evenly. The thigh meat also needs more time to cook thoroughly while the breast meat is prone to drying out at such cook time. Spatchcocking the chickens, i.e. cutting out the backbone and 'unfolding' the chicken before roasting is a way to turn the hollow structure into a flat structure, is one way to ensure more even cooking. But then again, it's a lot more work, and my cook-outs showed that even with my minimal effort, the chickens still turn out great. And honestly, I prefer the aesthetics of a whole chicken.
I’ve also kept the seasonings simple with just salt and pepper, because let's not complicate this. Try for yourself to see how easy roasting chicken on a grill can be, and how terrific the chickens become, with the smoke fragrance front and center with nothing else but salt and pepper.
Chickens have the mildest, most neutral flavours out of all the meats, and soaks up the smoke fragrance like nothing else. it’s the perfect canvas for beginners.
Smoked Whole Chicken
I don't use the Snake Method for chickens, which is the only thing to watch out for, mainly because the low temperature dries out the chicken skin without crisping it, which makes it a bit rubbery. A two-zone fire works far better for chicken, and I now smoke two chickens at a go, it seems almost wasteful to just smoke a chicken when there's so much space on the grill. If your grill fits two chickens (and why shouldn't it!), you should do the same.
INGREDIENTS
Equal amounts (by weight, not volume) of salt and black pepper
STEPS
1. Combine the dry rub in a small bowl, and then rub it over the chicken. Place the chicken on a rack over a baking tray, then refrigerate uncovered for a few hours, or ideally the night before.
2. When ready to grill: Light a full chimney of charcoal, and wait for about 20-30 minutes until half of the charcoal is ashed over. Pour the lit charcoal onto one-side of the grill. Add 1 chunk of smoking wood on the charcoal, if using. Set a disposable aluminum tray on the other side of the grill, under where the chicken will be, to collect the dripping from the chicken to avoid gunking up the ash. If you have potatoes to cook, you can add the potatoes to the tray. Set the grilling rack over the grill and oil lightly.
3. Insert a thermometer probe into the chicken thigh, if using. Place the chicken breast-side up on the cooler end of the grill. The chicken thighs should be oriented closer to the burning charcoal and breasts further away, as the thighs can be cooked to a higher temperature without drying out. Cover the grill. Let the chicken thigh gently cook to an internal temperature of 170F, which would take about an hour. The final target internal temperature for chicken is 174F.
Equal amounts (by weight, not volume) of salt and black pepper
STEPS
1. Combine the dry rub in a small bowl, and then rub it over the chicken. Place the chicken on a rack over a baking tray, then refrigerate uncovered for a few hours, or ideally the night before.
2. When ready to grill: Light a full chimney of charcoal, and wait for about 20-30 minutes until half of the charcoal is ashed over. Pour the lit charcoal onto one-side of the grill. Add 1 chunk of smoking wood on the charcoal, if using. Set a disposable aluminum tray on the other side of the grill, under where the chicken will be, to collect the dripping from the chicken to avoid gunking up the ash. If you have potatoes to cook, you can add the potatoes to the tray. Set the grilling rack over the grill and oil lightly.
3. Insert a thermometer probe into the chicken thigh, if using. Place the chicken breast-side up on the cooler end of the grill. The chicken thighs should be oriented closer to the burning charcoal and breasts further away, as the thighs can be cooked to a higher temperature without drying out. Cover the grill. Let the chicken thigh gently cook to an internal temperature of 170F, which would take about an hour. The final target internal temperature for chicken is 174F.
4. When the internal temperature of the chicken is near 170F, place the chicken on the hotter side side of grill directly over the charcoals. Grill over high heat for a few minutes, until the skin crisps up. Remove from grill, rest for a few minutes, and carve.
Protip for beginners: If you had misjudged the amount of charcoal needed and used too little to finish the chicken, just transfer it to an oven to finish cooking. Honestly, we've all been there. The bulk of the smoking would have been completed by the first hour, so there's little harm done (except to your ego). Ditto if you're cooking potatoes under the chicken and they're still underdone.
