David's Smoked Chicken - Hey! Cook Something!

David’s Pinshi Pollo – The Best Smoked Whole Chicken

Share This Recipe

This smoked chicken dish is just one of several chicken dishes that I’ve put together. This one is done once a year as a replacement for turkey during Thanksgiving. It takes much less time than turkey, and, in my opinion, it’s way better than most Turkeys. 

Smoking a turkey doesn’t require a smoker, however it is easiest to have a grill that uses charcoal and the ability to cook indirectly. I’m not going to get into all the strategy behind BBQ here, but I’ll show you the basics for making this dish delicious. 

Start by taking a stick of butter, or margarine, out of fridge and let it soften on the counter for about an hour. Don’t melt it. Soften it. 

Add about 2 tablespoons of cajun seasoning to the butter in a bowl. There are all types of cajun seasoning out there so pick one you like. I grabbed this one from the dollar store for $1. Well… $1.25 since nothing is a dollar anymore. Mix thoroughly with spoon, or your hands if you’re a creep. 

Spread on a piece of parchment paper, wax paper, or plastic wrap. Roll into a tubular shape and put it in the freezer. This will set it in the freezer while you prep your chickens. You can do this well beforehand. The longer the it sits in the freezer the better it will set up. 

Butter in a Bowl with Cajun Seasoning - Hey! Cook Something!
Mmm Butter
Cajun Seasoning - Hey! Cook Something!
Spices
Cajun Butter Roll - Hey! Cook Something!
Roll 'O Budda

Now that your butter has hit the thigh master in the freezer to firm up, it’s on to prepping chickens. I was cooking for a crew here so I did three chickens. This is intended for Thanksgiving, folks. 

I didn’t take pictures of the disgusting job of unpacking the chickens, cleaning and drying them, but you know what to do. Once the chickens are cleaned up, you’ll want to stuff each chicken with a sliced lemon and large sprig of rosemary. Tie up the legs with kitchen twine to keep everything inside the bird, and to ensure the legs don’t burn. I’ve done this recipe with oranges and sage before and it also comes out delicious. I honestly think any citrus and Thanksgiving-ish herb will work here.

Take your cajun butter out of the freezer and cut it into 1cm slices. I used 3 slices per bird so if you are only cooking 1 bird, congratulations. You have left over cajun butter to rub all over your body or to just save it for later. 

Stuff a slice of butter under the skin of each chicken breast. Cut the remaining slice in half and place each half under the skin near the legs. 

Liberally coat the bird with cajun seasoning. I like to get a aggressive with it. Now your birds are prepped and ready for the smoker. 

Stuffed Chicken Ingredients - Hey! Cook Something!
Stuff to Stuff
Prepped Chicken for Smoking - Hey! Cook Something!
Stuffed Buuurrd
Chicken on a Smoker - Hey! Cook Something!
Smoke dem Birds

Now it’s time to prep your grill / smoker. You probably should have started this before prepping your birds but I’m too far into writing this to start over. 

Use whatever type of charcoal you are familiar with for keeping a consistent temperature. Make a pile, not too large, on one side of the grill. Again, every grill and smoker is different so you’ll need to have a general idea of how much charcoal you need to keep a low and slow cook going. 

Get the grill up to 250 – 275 and adjust your vents based on the wind, or lack there of, to keep the temp consistent. 

Put your birds on the opposite side of the grill and start smoking. 

Grab a bowl and put a few hand fulls of wood chips in it. I like Mesquite and Hickory but there are many other options to choose from like Apple, Pecan and Cherry to name a few. Fill the bowl with water and let the chips soak. Every 20 minutes or so throw a handful of chips on the fire. This will give you the smokey flavor we are going for. 

After 2 – 2 1/2 hours the birds should be done. I place a prob in different sections of the breast to check for an internal temp of 165. Make sure you don’t touch the bones or internal cavity as that will throw your temperature reading way off. 

Remove from the grill and let rest for at least 20 minutes. 

  • Carve
  • Serve
  • Eat

Hey! You just cooked something! 

Smoked Chickens
El Fin
Smoked Chickens

David’s Pinshi Pollo – The Best Smoked Whole Chicken

This whole chicken recipe creates mouth watering chicken. Compound cajun butter and stuffed with lemons and rosemary. It's pinshi good pollo.
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients
  

Cajun Compound Butter

  • 1 Stick Butter
  • 2 Tb Cajun Seasoning
  • 3 Cloves Garlic Minced

Chicken

  • 3 Whole Chickens
  • 3 Lemons Quartered
  • 3 Sprigs Rosemary
  • Cajun Seasoning

Instructions
 

  • Place butter on counter for about an hour to soften.
  • Combine cajun seasoning, garlic and butter in a bowl. Place on plastic wrap and form into a log. Place in freezer to firm.
  • Preheat smoker / grill with charcoal to 250.
  • Rinse and dry the chickens. Cut lemons into quarters. Stuff lemon slices and rosemary inside the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
  • Cut butter into 1/4" slices. Use 3 slices per chicken. Place 1 slice under the skin on top of both breasts. Take the remaining slice, cut in half and place under the skin near the legs.
  • Generously coat chickens with cajun seasoning.
  • Place on grill opposite of coals.
  • Add wood chips every 20 - 30 minutes to keep a consistent smoke.
  • Cook until the breast temperature reaches 165.
  • Remove from grill and let rest for 20 minutes
  • Carve. Serve. Eat.

Share This Recipe

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating