BBQ season is here, and Manu Feildel has provided ‘how to’ for cooking smoky chicken on a smoker, tips for barbecuing the best bird, and two recipes: Smoker BBQ Peri Peri Chicken (check out the video https://youtu.be/Bo0jM_qrxvg?si=HIo_sO9F2Dh_8Zjp) and BBQ’d Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Salsa.
How to cook chicken on a smoker from Manu
“When it comes to smoking chicken, you have a few options: whole chickens, chicken breasts, thighs, or wings. Each has its own cooking time and flavour profile. Whole chickens are ideal for a classic smoke, while parts like thighs and wings are quicker and very flavourful due to their higher fat content,” says Manu.
- Clean, Trim, Brine & Season the Chicken: Rinse chicken under cold water, pat dry with paper towel, remove excess fat. Optional: brining for 2 hours adds extra moisture and flavour. Pat dry then season all over including under the skin and inside cavity (try Manu’s Smoker BBQ Peri Peri recipe!)
- Choose smoker wood & preheat smoker: for chicken, choose mild woods like apple, cherry or pecan. Set smoker to 107°C to 121°C. For a charcoal smoker, light coals and add wood chips. For electric or pellet smokers, add wood pellets according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Smoke the Chicken: position chicken on smoker rack, breast side up, ensuring enough space around for smoke to circulate evenly. A whole chicken usually takes 3 to 4 hours, based on size of bird and temperature consistency. Use a meat thermometer – it’s done when internal temp is 74°C in thickest part of the thigh.
- Optional Glaze: For a tasty twist, brush chicken with glaze during the last <1 hour of smoking (Peri Peri?!)
- Rest and Serve: Once the chicken reaches 74°C, remove from smoker and rest for 15 minutes, this allows juices to redistribute, resulting in a juicier bite. Carve the chicken and serve it with your favourite sides. Smoker chicken pairs beautifully with coleslaw, corn, or a fresh garden salad.
For more detailed smoker tips from Manu and Manu’s full BBQ Chicken Peri Peri recipe (which can be cooked on a Smoker or standard BBQ), check out: https://inghams.com.au/how-to-cook-smoky-chicken-using-a-smoker-manus-smoker-bbq-peri-peri-chicken-recipe/
BBQing Chicken Tips from Manu
“Chicken is an excellent option for a standard barbecue too. To get the most succulent, tasty result, here are my three top tips,” says minutes, but ideally overnight. Manu:
- Marinade your chicken for at least 30 minutes but ideally overnight. This infuses the flavour and helps ensure succulent chicken.
- BBQ the skin side of the chicken first for 5 minutes to crispen it, then flip over, cover and cook through.
- Cook time will depend on the cut and size – about 20 minutes for a chicken breast, 25 minutes for a leg or thigh. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature – when it reaches 74°C it done. Always rest chicken before serving, this helps the juicy to redistribute.
BBQ Recipes from Manu
Manu’s Smoker BBQ Peri Peri Chicken recipe
Cook on a smoker, or on a standard BBQ.
Serves: 4-6. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 3 hours in smoker, or 1 hour on BBQ.
INGREDIENTS
1.8kg chicken, butterflied
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon salt flakes
1 lemon, halved
Peri Peri sauce
¹⁄3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
8 birds eye chilies, chopped
METHOD
1. Butterfly the chicken by cutting out and removing the backbone.
2. Heat a smoker at 120°C or if using a barbecue preheat to medium heat (about 200°C for a barbeque with a lid). Preferably with indirect heat (only outer ring of flames).
3. For the dry spice mix, combine dried oregano, smoked paprika and salt flakes into a small bowl. Rub spice mix all over chicken.
4. Place chicken skin side up onto the smoker and cook for 3 hours or until cooked and charred. If using a bbq, cook for 1 hour until charred.
5. For the Peri Peri sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened, then add the garlic, chili and cook for another minute. Add the paprika, oregano, salt flakes and cook for another minute. Add the remaining ingredients then stir and cook for 6–8 minutes until liquid has reduced slightly. Cool slightly then place in a food processor and whiz until a smooth sauce. Season to taste.
6. In the last hour of cooking, spoon the Peri Peri sauce over the chicken and continue to cook for the full amount of time.
7. Add the lemon halves to the smoker or barbeque cut side down too. If you want to make sure the chicken is cooked through, make a small incision with a knife at the leg joint – if the juices run clear then the chicken is cooked through.
8. Remove chicken from the smoker with the lemons and rest, lightly covered with foil for 10 minutes. This is an important step, don’t skip it. Cut up the chicken and serve with remaining Peri Peri, drizzled with roasted lemon and any resting juices and coriander.
Serve with a tomato, cucumber garden salad and charred corn.
Manu’s BBQ’d Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
Serves: 4. Prep: 25 minutes. Cook: 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
1.8kg fresh whole chicken
Lime wedges, to serve
Fresh mint leaves, to garnish
Marinade
1 small brown onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2cm piece ginger, peeled, chopped
1 long red chili, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¹⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper
Pineapple salsa
¹⁄2 large pineapple, peeled, finely chopped
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tablespoons thinly shredded fresh mint
2 tablespoons lime juice
METHOD
1. Cut whole fresh chicken into portions – drumsticks, wings, thighs, breasts – and cut each breast in half on an angle.
2. Make marinade: place onion, garlic, ginger and chili in a small food processor. Process until chopped. Add remaining marinade ingredients and process until combined.
3. Coat chicken pieces in marinade in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
4. Heat barbecue to high. Add chicken, skin side down and cook for 5 minutes or until charred. Turn over. Cover with lid and reduce heat to low. Cook for a further 25 minutes, removing chicken breast pieces after 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
5. Make pineapple salsa: combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Serve chicken with pineapple salsa and lime wedges. Garnish with mint leaves.
Download Manu’s recipes for Smoker BBQ Peri Peri Chicken, and BBQ’d Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Salsa, plus nine other recipes from Manu Feildel in the free ‘Farm to Fork with Manu’ recipe e-book: https://inghams.com.au/farm-to-fork-download-recipe-e-book/
