How to Use a Char-Broil Electric Smoker for Chicken
Char-Broil electric smokers are compact, fast-heating appliances for smoking meats and poultry just like their larger cousins that are fueled by charcoal or propane gas. Wood chips for creating smoke are placed over the electrical heating element in the bottom chamber of the smoker. A porcelain water pan keeps food moist and prevents flare-ups from dripping fat. Smoking chicken on the Char-Broil electric smoker is a fun way to enjoy cooking outdoors with less of the vigilance required for smoking larger cuts of food such as beef brisket and pork shoulders. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Char-Broil electric smoker
- Grill brush
- Chicken
- Wood chips
- Water
- Meat thermometer
Instructions
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1
Clean the cooking grate underneath the dome lid using a grill brush to remove burnt-on food from the last time the Char-Broil smoker was used.
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2
Soak three cups of wood chips for at least an hour in water before ready to smoke the chicken. Mesquite is popular for smoking poultry with a sharp, Southwestern flavor. Apple and alder produce a more mellow smoke.
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3
Fill the porcelain water pan with water, then replace the cooking grid.
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4
Plug in the thermostat control and set the temperature control knob to 200 Fahrenheit. Let the smoker pre-heat for 10 minutes.
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5
Open the side door to the firebox and add a cup of drained wood chips. The wet wood will begin smoking in a few minutes.
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6
Place chicken on the cooking grate and set the dome lid on the smoker, adjusting the vents to allow smoke circulation around the poultry.
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7
Check chicken parts every 30 minutes, rotating on the cooking grate. Turn a whole bird once an hour.
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8
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of a whole bird or a chicken breast if smoking individual pieces. The poultry is done when it reads an internal temperature of 165 Fahrenheit. It may not be safe to consume chicken that is cooked below this internal temperature.
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