Hot-Smoked Chicken in a Smokehouse at Home

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Prepare the chicken carcasses. A farm bird will, of course, give a much tastier, better result than a store-bought one. Pluck the bird, gut it, singe off any remaining down and small feathers, then wash it thoroughly in clean water.

2. Step 2:

   

   Remove the fat from the belly and neck, and cut off the tail. Why is this recommended? When smoking, the chicken cooks at over 100°C, and the fat can drip onto the coals, which can flare up into flames.

3. Step 3:

   

   Prepare everything for the marinade. Peel the garlic and rinse it along with the bay leaf.

4. Step 4:

   

   Pour cold water into a pot, add the salt and sugar, and set it on the stove.

5. Step 5:

   

   Once it comes to a boil, add the garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, and juniper berries. You can leave out any of these to suit your taste. Turn the heat to its lowest setting and simmer the brine for 3 to 5 minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   Take the pot off the heat and add a bunch of fresh thyme or a pinch of dried thyme to the marinade. Leave the brine to cool to room temperature.

7. Step 7:

   

   Wash the lemon and parsley.

8. Step 8:

   

   Cut half the lemon into rounds.

9. Step 9:

   

   Put the carcasses in a deep, large bowl or pot and pour the marinade over them.

10. Step 10:

    

    Squeeze the remaining half of the lemon over the top, then add parsley crushed by hand and the citrus slices. You can cut the whole lemon into slices and add them to the marinade, or, if you prefer, squeeze the juice from a whole lemon (whichever is easier for you). Set a weight on top so the meat is fully submerged in the brine. Cover the pot and put the bird in the refrigerator to marinate for one to two days (I usually go two days).

11. Step 11:

    

    Take the marinated chickens out of the marinade, pat them dry with paper towels, and leave them to air out in a draft for 3–4 hours. A special fish-drying net works very well; if you don't have one, you can hang the chickens by cords, wrapping the carcasses in cheesecloth (to keep out dust and insects).

12. Step 12:

    

    Soak the wood chips in cold water. For smoking, it's best to use alder chips or chips from any fruit tree (I used cherry this time).

13. Step 13:

    

    Line the bottom of the smokehouse with foil. Build the fire and wait until you have a good bed of coals.

14. Step 14:

    

    So the smoke evenly penetrates the meat of the whole carcasses, prop the cavities open with sticks (as in the photo — you can use wooden skewers).

15. Step 15:

    

    Squeeze out the wood chips.

16. Step 16:

    

    Spread them over the coals.

17. Step 17:

    

    Place the chickens on the rack in the smokehouse and close the lid. Smoke the chickens at 100–120°C for one and a half to two hours.

18. Step 18:

    

    This is how the chickens looked after 30 minutes of smoking.

19. Step 19:

    

    After an hour, the carcasses were already more golden.

20. Step 20:

    

    And this is how the bird looked at the end of cooking.

21. Step 21:

    

    Cool the finished chicken and put it in the refrigerator for a few hours, preferably overnight. The meat will become even more fragrant and delicious.