We have lucked out with a handful of nice days this summer in Sacramento, and when it’s 90 degrees or less during the summer – we spend time in our backyard! A couple months ago we got a new PitBoss smoker/grill and we’ve been making all kinds of good stuff on it. This was the first whole chicken that we did, and it turned out amazing. We have also learned a lot about BBQ/smoker techniques recently and got to test one with this recipe.Â
The last whole chicken we smoked did not get any sort of mop or sauce until it was done cooking. It wasn’t completely dried out, but we were definitely motivated for improvement. The apple cider vinegar’s magic ability to keep the chicken juicy and moist is some culinary science that we subscribe to now. You have to try it!
As we’ve mentioned before, we are suckers for a good deal on protein. We got this whole chicken, roughly 6 lbs, on sale for $5. We were pretty proud of ourselves that we were able to spend less than $10 (including the Kinder’s BBQ sauce we bought) on not only that night’s dinner but also the following night’s dinner protein and a few lunches during the work week. Who doesn’t love the bang for your buck?!
Check out our video of this recipe on TikTok below!
@thesaucedspoon Smoked a whole chicken on our @Pit Boss Grills, spatchcocked and seasoned with @howtobbqright BBQ Rub & Brisket Seasoning. Smoked for close to 3 hours and mopped with a BBQ sauce and apple cider vinegar blend every 45 minutes. 🔥🔥🔥 #smokedmeat #smokedchicken #cooking #cookingvideo #recipesoftiktok #fyp #fypシ ♬ Back In Black - AC/DC
BBQ Smoked Whole Chicken
Equipment
- Smoker
- BBQ Mop
- Temperature Probe
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken (5-6 lbs)
- 2 tbsp BBQ Rub
- 1 tbsp Course Salt & Pepper Blend
- 1 ½ cup BBQ Sauce
- ¾ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Spatchcock the chicken by laying breast-side down, locating the spine, and using kitchen sheers to cut the spine out.1 Whole Chicken (5-6 lbs)
- Clean out any internal organs left in chicken.
- Flip the chicken over so that it lays flat (or as flat as possible).
- Season the chicken evenly with the BBQ rub and salt/pepper blend.2 tbsp BBQ Rub, 1 tbsp Course Salt & Pepper Blend
- Set smoker to 225° and allow to pre-heat.
- Lay chicken on rack breast-side up, spread flat like it was during seasoning. Insert temperature probe into one of the breasts.
- Mix BBQ sauce and apple cider vinegar so that it is blended evenly in a bowl.1 ½ cup BBQ Sauce, ¾ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- After chicken has cooked for 30 minutes, use the BBQ mop to evenly coat the entire chicken with a thin layer of sauce. Do not use all of the sauce.
- Mop the chicken every 45 minutes until sauce is gone or chicken is finished cooking.
- Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165° (roughly 3 hours depending on the size of the chicken).
- Once 165° is reached, remove from smoker and cover with foil. Rest for 15 minutes.
- Slice and enjoy!