12/07/2023
SAUCY BOURBON GLAZED SMOKED CHICKEN
Nothing is better than slow smoked chicken and this recipe nails that. These smoky, juicy chicken quarters are slow-smoked and then basted in a saucy bourbon glaze.
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 mins / Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins / Total Time: 2 hr 45 mins
Ingredients
1 Chicken Quarters (legs, wings, thighs, and breast)
Water
Salt
Olive Oil
Bourbon Glaze
1 ½ cups bourbon whiskey (I used Maker’s Mark)
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 cup apple or peach preserves
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 ½ Tablespoons honey mustard
2 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Kick Ass Jalapeno Hot Sauce)
¼ cup cold butter cubed into small pieces
salt to taste
Instructions
Soak chicken quarter in a salt water bath for a minimum of 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F. Apple, cherry, pecan, or maple wood would all work well with this recipe.
Remove chicken quarters from salt water bath. Remove skin and trim any excess pieces of fat, gristle, or overhanging meat from the chicken quarters. Wipe dry of water and drizzle with olive oil.
Place the chicken quarters on the smoker and close the lid. Smoke until the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F. This can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of your chicken quarters.
Make the glaze. While the chicken quarters smoke, prepare your glaze. Put the whisky in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and simmer until the whiskey is reduced by half (about 5 minutes). NOTE: DO NOT ADD WHISKEY TO A HOT PAN. Add all other glaze ingredients, except the butter, to the pan and whisk often, and reduce it until it reached your desired thickness. The glaze should be slightly thicker than syrup, but thinner than BBQ sauce.
Add the butter. Pour the glaze into a blender and begin blending on slow until smooth. Divide the glaze so you've got about 1 cup for basting and the rest for serving alongside your chicken.
Finish smoking. Baste your chicken quarters in the saucy bourbon glaze and continue smoking until the chicken reaches 175 degrees F.
Serve and ENJOY!
