Lately, my better half has been requesting that I grill chicken. For the first time in a LONG time, I decided to cook it whole (non-spatchcocked, vertical grilling). For reference, the last time I cooked a bird like that was back when I used to make beer can chicken. I've since learned that perhaps the beer can method is...less than ideal. Won't extrapolate beyond that in case it happens to be a hot-button issue around here or something. :laugh:
Anyhow, I've previously brined birds with some success but this time I tried dry-brining it. I was super worried about over salting it, but ended up reading some article that said undersalting is much more common when prepping chicken for some reason. I gave it a whirl, and man, this was the best bird I've ever made and we absolutely devoured it. The skin was crispy, and the seasoning/smoke seemed to penetrate the entire bird, even the thickest part of the breast. For anyone curious, here is what I did.
The rub/dry brine:
Kosher salt
Fiesta Brand Chicken Rub
SuckleBusters Clucker Dust
(as far as proportions go...I kinda eyeballed it. Maybe 20% salt and then equal parts of the two rubs)
The prep:
Clean and rinse chicken, remove giblets and snip off the neck
Pat dry with paper towels
Rub entire bird with a little olive oil, including under the skin
Sprinkle rub generously all over the bird, make sure to get under skin
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours
The cook:
Place bird on beer can rack (sans beer can :grin
Indirect grill on the Old Smokey for approx 1.5 hours
Mesquite chunks with apple wood chips (throw on a new chunk(s) every 30 minutes or so)
Every 15 minutes, rotate the bird 90 degrees and baste with a mixture of melted butter, garlic powder, Fiesta Chicken Rub and paprika
Anyhow, I've previously brined birds with some success but this time I tried dry-brining it. I was super worried about over salting it, but ended up reading some article that said undersalting is much more common when prepping chicken for some reason. I gave it a whirl, and man, this was the best bird I've ever made and we absolutely devoured it. The skin was crispy, and the seasoning/smoke seemed to penetrate the entire bird, even the thickest part of the breast. For anyone curious, here is what I did.
The rub/dry brine:
Kosher salt
Fiesta Brand Chicken Rub
SuckleBusters Clucker Dust
(as far as proportions go...I kinda eyeballed it. Maybe 20% salt and then equal parts of the two rubs)
The prep:
Clean and rinse chicken, remove giblets and snip off the neck
Pat dry with paper towels
Rub entire bird with a little olive oil, including under the skin
Sprinkle rub generously all over the bird, make sure to get under skin
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours
The cook:
Place bird on beer can rack (sans beer can :grin
Indirect grill on the Old Smokey for approx 1.5 hours
Mesquite chunks with apple wood chips (throw on a new chunk(s) every 30 minutes or so)
Every 15 minutes, rotate the bird 90 degrees and baste with a mixture of melted butter, garlic powder, Fiesta Chicken Rub and paprika
