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4.60 from 5 votes

Dry Brine Smoked Chicken with a Carolina Glaze

How to dry brine a chicken for amazing flavor. The chicken starts with a dry brine, and is then smoked slow and finished with a Carolina style BBQ sauce as a glaze.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: BBQ, Barbecue, Chicken, smoked chicken
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Mary Cressler
Cost: $15

Ingredients

  • 1 roaster or fryer chicken halved (about 4 - 5 pounds)
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cracked pepper
  • 1 cup glaze (below)

For the Glaze:

  • 2 cups Carolina style BBQ sauce (see notes for our recipe)
  • ⅔ cup agave nectar (or honey)
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • (Mix ingredients together in a bowl)

Instructions

  • Prep Chicken: Assuming you bought a chicken already halved, pat dry the pieces, then place them on a baking sheet that will fit in your fridge. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place into the fridge for up to 6 hours. This is important to get the full flavor and moisture.
  • Preheat Smoker: Set the smoker to 225 degrees using your favorite cooking wood (we use apple). Remove the chicken from the fridge. You'll likely notice that the skin has pulled back some from the salting and dehydration in the fridge and the color may be darker. That is normal.
  • Smoke Chicken: Place chicken on the smoker. Cook until the internal temperature (IT) is 150 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit. When it hits the IT of 150 - 155 take the glaze and brush all sides of the chicken with it. Then continue cooking.
    Pull the chicken from the smoker when it reaches between 160-165 degrees F, and then glaze once more. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve with your favorite sides.

Notes

For the glaze: We used 2 cups of the Carolina-style sauce from this recipe. Then, mix in about 3/4 cup of agave nectar (or honey) and a couple of tablespoons of Dijon mustard for some kick.
Cooking time: The average cooking time will vary based on several factors, but plan on roughly 2 hours for the total cook.

Nutrition

Calories: 904kcal | Carbohydrates: 118g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 5915mg | Potassium: 911mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 96g | Vitamin A: 769IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 4mg
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