What you need to know about smoking chicken at home

Fragrant smoked chicken is suitable for both everyday meals and lavish holiday feasts. You can buy it in almost any supermarket, but home-cooked poultry always seems tastier and healthier. We'll tell you which marinades will perfectly complement chicken meat, what you'll need for home smoking, and how much time you'll have to spend in the kitchen.

What is the best way to marinate and smoke chicken?

Poultry meat is smoked in two ways. The choice depends on the taste you want to achieve and the time available. With the first, the meat is processed tens of times longer, but in terms of taste it often wins.

1. The cold method is low-temperature and takes up to 5 days. It also doesn’t taste much like traditional fried chicken, more like a natural ham with a mild smoky flavor. You can eat it cold or hot, and it’s convenient to put it on sandwiches instead of sausages.
2. Hot processing is relatively fast. The meat is exposed to smoke at a temperature of 100-150°C. The fibers are preserved with this cooking method. The bird is similar to a regular baked one, but the meat is much softer and has a pronounced smoked aroma.

As for marinades, you should be guided only by your preferences. But we also have a set of universal marinades for any type of meat:

“How to make the right marinade for smoking”

Poultry meat is initially tender and does not require destruction of the structure and many hours of soaking. The main thing is to salt the carcass and saturate it with spices. To do this, it is coated with spicy mixtures and pastes or briefly put into solution.

Smoked chicken with vinegar

Due to the versatility and ease of preparing vinegar-based marinade, this method has become quite popular. Now the chicken is cooked in this marinade in the oven, on the grill and in a frying pan. You should be careful when using vinegar, because the component contains acid, which can dry out the meat, making it rough and hard in taste.

To prepare you need to take:

• chicken;
• 2 tbsp. l. vinegar 9%;
• 5 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• 5 cloves of garlic;
• salt and red pepper.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a glass bowl.
2. Pour brine over the carcass for 2-4 hours.
3. Add grated garlic.
4. Smoking meat in a convenient way.

Smoked chicken recipe (hot smoked)

Everyone has their own recipe for hot smoked chicken. But there are universal tips that are described in this video:

Since the high temperature processing process is simple and fast, people change it in their own way depending on the products and equipment available. If you are cooking for the first time, you will need approximately:

• poultry carcass or parts;
• pan or bag for marinating;
• paper towels;
• a brine or grating paste of at least salt;
• a suitable smokehouse;
• sawdust – optimally alder, oak or cherry.

The cooking process includes preliminary preparation, marinating and smoking. With this type of processing, it is recommended to remove the skin from the finished carcass, as it absorbs the bitterness from the smoke.

The recipe for cold smoked chicken includes exactly the same ingredients and steps. The only difference is that the meat is both salted and soaked, and it takes longer to cook.

We recommend: How to smoke squid

But not as long as in the case of smoking duck.

Marinating stage

When preparation is complete, the leg, back or carcass can be marinated. This stage is mandatory, as it not only makes the product more fragrant and tasty. This procedure allows you to remove excess moisture from the fibers and get rid of pathogens.

Universal option

There are several methods of marinating. But there is also a universal option. After such marinating, smoked chicken meat will turn out to be very tasty. You can also use hot or semi-hot smoking. The method is also suitable for cold-type smokehouses.

Takes for salting:

• 3 liters of water;
• 3 garlic cloves;
• 150 g salt;
• spices.

On a note! For spices, it is recommended to take cilantro, cumin, dried dill, allspice and parsley. Each option ½ tsp.

All components of the recipe must be mixed, after chopping the garlic. Boil the marinade and cool. When the brine is cool, pour it over the chicken. In this form it is left for ½ day or overnight.

Recipe with ketchup and mustard

Smoked chicken meat turns out very tasty if you marinate it according to this recipe. Smoked meat will have a piquant taste with a slight spiciness.

For the marinade you need:

• olive oil;
• ketchup;
• honey;
• mustard powder;
• wine.

All components can be taken in arbitrary parts. Rub the resulting mixture onto the bird and leave for 6 hours.

Recipe with kefir

To make the smoked meat more tender and soft, the raw materials can first be marinated in a kefir-based mixture.

For this you need:

• 5 g granulated sugar;
• 150 ml kefir;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 2 tbsp. l. poultry seasonings;
• 50 ml olive oil.

Note! You also need salt and other spices. They are added to taste.

You need to add butter and other ingredients to kefir. Rub the resulting mixture thoroughly onto the chicken on all sides and refrigerate for 10 hours. The attractiveness of this method is that this marinade is suitable for meat in the oven and on a fire in the country.

Preparing chicken for smoking

The process that will allow you to prepare chicken for smoking is simple, quick and familiar to every housewife. Poultry goes through almost the same stages during other types of heat treatment.

To begin with, the carcass must be completely defrosted, cleaned of remaining feathers, gutted and the head and paws separated from it. Then the meat is washed, excess moisture is removed with paper towels and divided into portions. If you do not want to cook the legs, wings and breast separately, it is still recommended to cut the bird in half along the ridge.

After this, the future smoked chicken is placed between two cutting boards and lightly beaten or pressed down. Manipulation is needed to make the joints softer. You don't need to put in a lot of effort at this stage. If you overdo it, the bones will crumble and eating the finished dish will be problematic.

The next step in cooking the chicken is to prepare the marinade. The carcass is coated or poured with a spicy solution, maintaining the time required by the recipe, and then pulled out. The semi-finished product is ready for smoking; all that remains is to place it on the smokehouse grate or tie it and hang it.

Preparing and cutting the carcass

Before smoking chicken, it must be gutted and cut up. Preparation at home is carried out according to the following plan:

1. If the carcass is frozen, it should be defrosted in natural conditions. Without resorting to intensive methods.
2. If the individual is whole, the head and paws are cut off.
3. Excess fat is cut off, since it quickly melts and negatively affects the smoking procedure.
4. The carcass is thoroughly washed with running water inside and out, then dried with a paper towel.
5. Butcher the individual. It is possible to smoke the whole chicken in a smoker, but this may result in uneven cooking. More often the carcass is cut along the chest and unfolded. This promotes complete salting and high-quality smoke processing. You can also cut the carcass along the ridge, cutting out the spine and smoking two identical pieces.
6. Cut off the outermost part of the wings to avoid burning during hot smoking and drying out during cold smoking.
7. Place the workpieces between two cutting boards and press or beat them down, which will soften the bones and joints.

A carcass that has been stored for a long time has the following characteristics:

• bluish or grayish skin;
• flabby muscles;
• putrid odor;
• sticky surface.

If you discover one of the listed signs, it is better to refuse the purchase.

To make smoked chicken at home tasty and aromatic, you should marinate it. This will also destroy pathogens and remove excess moisture.

Universal marinade recipe

This brine option is suitable for both types of preparation. The smoked chicken is juicy and tender, without a strong hint of spice. Ideal for those who cannot tolerate too spicy food.

In 3 liters of hot water you need to add:

• 5 tablespoons of salt;
• 5 crushed cloves of garlic;
• half a teaspoon each of allspice, cumin and dried herbs - dill, parsley, cilantro.

Leave the brine to cool, during which time the spices will have time to open up. Then immerse the carcass in it, press it down and put it in the refrigerator overnight. Then take it out, dry it with paper towels and start smoking.

Using liquid smoke

There are ways to smoke chicken at home without special equipment. The carcass can be cooked on the grill or in the oven. In this case, liquid smoke is used.

Ingredients:

• chicken;
• 1 tbsp. l. olive oil;
• 1 tbsp. l. liquid smoke;
• mayonnaise;
• salt;
• 0.5 lemon;
• ground black pepper.

Cooking method:

1. Wash the carcass under running water.
2. Mix all ingredients and marinate the meat. Leave to infuse in the refrigerator for 1 day.
3. Set the temperature to 200 degrees.
4. Cook the bird in the oven for an hour.

Important! Liquid smoke should not be used frequently and is not an essential ingredient for daily cooking.

How to marinate chicken for hot smoking

Almost all brine recipes for white meat are suitable for this type; it is quite acceptable to use even regular mayonnaise or other sauces. If you like spices or want something not quite ordinary, take note of the spicy chicken marinade, which is used only for hot smoking.

Ingredients you will need:

• 2 liters of water;
• half a glass of apple cider vinegar, wine vinegar or dry wine;
• 4 tablespoons salt;
• a teaspoon of sugar;
• 1-2 bay leaves;
• 1/3 teaspoon of ginger;
• 1 teaspoon of Provençal herbs;
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon;
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic;
• optionally - a small sprig or a couple of juniper berries.

We recommend: Simple and delicious smoked goose

The water must be brought to a boil, pour in vinegar or wine and boil for another minute. Remove from heat, add remaining ingredients. The bird is placed in the cooled liquid. They are kept under pressure for 12-15 hours, and then sent to the smokehouse.

Recipes for salting and marinades

In order to properly marinate chicken for smoking, you need to choose a marinade or brine recipe that suits you. The first option will be prepared using table vinegar. Take 1 tablespoon (70%) and pour it into cooled boiled water (2 liters). There we also send several chopped garlic cloves, a couple of teaspoons of sugar, a few peas of allspice and bay leaves. The poultry carcass is poured with this brine and infused in it for 24 hours before being ready for smoking.

A good dry salt for cold smoking chicken is prepared as follows:

1. Mix a few juniper berries and a few mashed cloves of garlic in a deep plate.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and a mixture of several types of peppers, as well as a small pinch of citric acid.
3. Mix everything thoroughly and rub the bird carcass with the finished mixture.
4. It is put in the refrigerator and salted for 2 days.
5. We take out the chicken, ventilate and smoke for 48 hours, then ventilate again.

The universal kefir marinade has proven itself well, with which meat retains its juiciness. First, grate 1 onion and a few cloves of garlic on a fine grater. Transfer to a plate and add 1 tablespoon curry seasoning and 2 teaspoons mustard. Pour in 300 ml of low-fat kefir, salt and pepper to your taste. Carefully dip the chicken in the marinade by immersing it in it, then cover the dish with cling film. The meat is marinated in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Cold smoked chicken

The cold processing method involves exposing the bird to low temperatures from smoldering wood. The carcass is cooked at approximately 30-35°C, doused with smoke for several days. Smoked chicken turns out dense, the usual crumbling fibers are not typical for it.

If you are still deciding how to smoke chicken, consider one more advantage of low-temperature cooking. The dish is stored longer than with the hot processing method. Smoking chicken in a smokehouse overnight will provide your family with healthy breakfasts and snacks for several days.

Smoking methods

The smoking recipe depends on the chosen method. It is possible to prepare an exquisite delicacy with a smoky aroma in a specialized, home-made installation or without a smokehouse. Cold and hot methods are considered the most common in the country, but you can cook smoked chicken at home in a slow cooker or oven.

Cold way

It will take 24 to 72 hours to cook smoked chicken in a cold smoker.
Smoking time depends on the amount of meat, the size of the pieces and the temperature. During this period, the meat is dried, saturated with smoke, and pathogenic microorganisms are destroyed. Smoking is carried out at a temperature of 25-35°C, but not more than 40°C, since at this temperature the product will be baked. For cold smoking, special smokehouses are used, homemade units with a hearth, cabinet and long chimney. It is also possible to use a smoke generator that is connected to a container built on your own.

With liquid smoke

It is correct to smoke meat without additives.
This is a guarantee of the safety of the finished product. The use of additives can saturate meat with carcinogens, making it dangerous for the body. But using a small amount of liquid smoke when smoking will give the chicken a richer taste. To smoke with flavor you will need:

• mayonnaise;
• lemon juice;
• liquid smoke;
• salt;
• olive oil;
• favorite seasonings.

From the listed components, a mixture is prepared in which the carcass is marinated for 24 hours. After this, smoked chicken is cooked in a slow cooker, oven or grill.

Semi-hot smoking

Semi-hot smoking combines both cooking methods.

The meat is smoked at a temperature of 50-60°C. This will reduce the cooking time to 4 hours. At the same time, the chicken acquires a golden crust, but is not overcooked. Check the smoking result by piercing the carcass. If the juice released is clear, the product is ready to eat.

Hot smoking chicken

Hot smoking chicken takes from 2 to 6 hours. How much to smoke is determined taking into account the size of the carcasses, their quantity, and temperature conditions. On average, the temperature of the hot processing method is 100-150°C. The wood chips are poured into the bottom of the smokehouse. A tray is fixed on top to collect grease so that the draining liquid does not extinguish the sawdust. The carcasses are hung or laid out on racks so that there is at least 1 cm between them. This will allow the smoke to envelop the meat without obstruction. At the end of cooking, the chicken is cooled along with the installation, and then hung for ventilation.

How to marinate chicken for cold smoking

We marinate the chicken chosen for cold smoking with the addition of an acidic component - citrus or tomato juice, various types of vinegar, dry wine, and sometimes ascorbic acid. The meat is rubbed with spices and soaked, which means the preparation alone will take 12-14 hours.

One of the most popular recipes involves:

• 2 cups coarse salt;
• 3 tablespoons sugar;
• glasses of dry wine;
• a tablespoon of black peppercorns;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 2-3 bay leaves;
• 5 liters of water.

Mix half a glass of salt and a spoonful of sugar, grind together with garlic, crushed pepper and pieces of bay leaf. Rub the carcass with this paste and put it in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours. Then the bird is washed and transferred to brine, in which the remaining ingredients are mixed. The meat should lie in the liquid for at least 12 hours, then it is taken out, dried, and left to rest in the refrigerator for another 5 hours. Only after this comes the stage of tying and smoking.

How to select and prepare a chicken carcass

Regardless of the chosen cooking method, you need to know how to choose a chicken carcass and choose it correctly. It can be smoked either whole or disassembled in parts. In all cases, the meat must be taken fresh, but not after defrosting. Otherwise, it will look flabby and may even crumble during heat treatment.

Now we take the carcass in our hands and cut it lengthwise along the breast line. This will help the meat smoke better. We rinse it under running water, dry it and transfer it to a deep saucepan or basin. Boil 2-3 liters of water and let cool slightly. Add ground garlic, dry coriander, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf into the water to taste. If the chicken turns out to be too spicy, you can always soak it in plain clean water.

The prepared marinade is poured over the carcasses so that they are completely covered with liquid. After this, the container is put in a cool place for at least several hours. An alternative to this method is dry brining, which does not require liquid at all. To do this, the carcass is thoroughly rubbed with a mixture of salt and various seasonings. As in the first option, it goes into the refrigerator for a long time. Then it is washed and hung to dry.

How to quickly marinate chicken for smoking

When you need to properly marinate chicken for smoking, but there is no time, it is most useful to cut the carcass into small pieces. The smaller the piece, the faster it will be salted: the wings will be ready for heat treatment in 1.5 hours, but a large bird will require 12 hours. It is better to create a mixture for express pickling from sparkling water and a large amount of spices. The first will make the meat soft and juicy, and the high concentration of seasonings will speed up the process.

Mix into a simple brine for smoking:

• 3 liters of highly or medium carbonated mineral water;
• 1 glass of salt;
• 2-3 bay leaves;
• optional coriander, cumin, pinch of nutmeg;
• 6-7 peas of crushed allspice;
• 5 cloves of garlic, crushed.

The prepared bird must be completely immersed in the solution, with a weight placed on top so that it does not float up. Leave at room temperature for 2-3 hours. After the time has passed, the semi-finished product is taken out, the excess liquid is allowed to drain and sent to the smokehouse. It is better to cook meat in a hot way; cold salting may not be sufficient.

We recommend: Mackerel smoked with liquid smoke.

Another popular pre-heat quick marinating mixture is made using soy sauce and honey. The ingredients give the dish an additional sweet-savory taste and notes of Asian cuisine. For this recipe you will need:

• half a glass of liquid honey, soy sauce and vegetable oil;
• 5 cloves of garlic;
• juice of 1 lemon, or better yet, lime;
• a teaspoon of ground black pepper or a mixture of peppers;
• a tablespoon of salt;
• seasonings to taste, you can use a little Provençal herbs or curry.

Make many punctures around the perimeter of the entire carcass to make it easier for the marinade to penetrate deeper, or cut into small portions. If necessary, heat the honey a little, this will make it easier to combine it with other products. Chop the garlic very finely or pass through a garlic press. Mix all the ingredients of the paste. Place the marinade and chicken in a plastic bag, tie it and shake well, distributing the mixture. Leave for 3-5 hours. Afterwards, the meat is pulled out, washed, dried and sent to cook.

Cold smoked poultry at home

To preserve the aromas of fresh smoked meat for a long time, it is recommended to wrap the carcass in a thin layer of dry parchment.

Ingredients needed:

• chicken;
• 1 tbsp. l. salt;
• bay leaf, garlic, cinnamon, pepper to taste;
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar;
• 0.5 tsp. ascorbic acid.

Preparation:

1. Mix all ingredients in boiled water.
2. Marinate chicken in brine for 2 days.
3. When cold smoking, it is recommended to divide the carcass into 2 parts by cutting with a knife to the bone.
4. The marinated chicken should be air dried.
5. Place the meat in a cold smoker.
6. Leave to smoke for 1-3 days, periodically checking the readiness of the product.
7. Smoked chicken should be hung in a well-ventilated area to allow the meat to cook.

The use of ascorbic acid is used to obtain a rich shade of smoked product.

Smoking process

Hot smoked chicken spends from 40 minutes to 3 hours in the smokehouse. The chicken is tied with twine around the entire perimeter, hung with hooks, piercing the legs and wings, or placed on a wire rack. A tray is installed under the meat, which collects the dripping fat during the process. The lid of the device is hermetically sealed.

For the first 10 minutes, you need to smoke chicken in a smokehouse at the highest possible temperature, and then at medium temperature. If there is an open fire, after the specified time has passed, it must be extinguished and the dish should be finished cooking on intensely smoldering coals. How to correctly determine the degree of doneness of chicken? Try to separate the meat from the bones. With this method of heat treatment, the fibers come off easily; there should be no traces of raw blood.

The answer to the question “How long to cold smoke meat?” depends on the smokehouse and the size of the pieces. Sawdust is poured into the installation and allowed to smolder slightly so that the temperature inside does not exceed the previously mentioned range.

Smoke should be present throughout the entire process. In homemade smokehouses you will have to carefully monitor this and maintain smoldering day and night. Processing takes from a day to five, fully cooked meat will be light and dense, without pink areas and blood.

Selection of materials for smoking

It is important to choose the right materials for smoking. Chips and sawdust from juniper, alder, oak, ash, beech, willow, poplar, chestnut, maple, and twigs from fruit trees are ideal for poultry. For a specific aroma, almond shells, rosemary, and herbs are added.

To get a golden brown crust on the finished products, pour a tablespoon of granulated sugar onto the wood chips.

Advice! To properly smoke chicken in a smoker, use lightly moistened wood chips.

Useful tips

Experienced adherents of this method of preparing poultry have already compiled their list of tricks.

1. First of all, they advise choosing high-quality, chilled and young meat. Many dangerous microorganisms are resistant to smoking, especially low-temperature smoking. Prolonged defrosting or initial questionable quality can lead to poisoning.
2. If the meat needs to be marinated very quickly, brine injections are given to the carcass. The marinade is injected directly under the skin through a syringe, which reduces the salting period by 1.5-2 times.
3. Before smoking, you can also make small cuts on the carcass and insert slices of garlic or fresh rosemary into them.

Whatever type of smoking you choose, it is also best to avoid artificial flavor enhancers such as liquid smoke. Smoked chicken will acquire a characteristic aroma even without this additive, and natural meat will be much healthier and more palatable.

Selecting quality poultry

To select a quality bird, pay attention to the following points:

• chicken should be fresh or chilled, frozen is used less often;
• fresh poultry fat is pale yellow in color;
• the bird must be well-fed;
• the skin should be dry, the skin color should be white with a slightly yellowish tint;
• muscles should be well developed; muscles are elastic;
• chicken meat should have a faint smell of fresh meat.

Important! If you want to make delicious and healthy smoked chicken at home, beware of expired products. Do not buy meat of questionable freshness, the signs of which are sticky skin, putrid odor, and flabby muscles. In order to smoke chicken efficiently and correctly, do not take skinny meat, with bluish or gray skin, or underdeveloped muscles.