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Smoked Grilled Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

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Smoked Grilled Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Pulled chicken sandwiches are a tasty treat that is easy to make and full of flavor. With this recipe we brine our chicken overnight to add moisture and flavor. Then we smoke it low and slow for several hours and finish it on grill for a kiss of fire. And of course you can build your sandwiches any way you like or you can follow our quick and easy sandwich recipe.

Ingredients

  • 2 whole chicken
  • 4 cups apple juice
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 4 tablespoons plowboys yardbird
  • 12 burger buns
  • 1 jar sliced dill pickels
  • 1 package sliced baby Swiss

First thing to do is to cut out the backbone of the chickens and snip the breast plate so that the chicken will lay flat. This will allow for the chicken to cook evenly so that you are not drying out the breast meat while waiting on the thigh meat to reach proper temperature. Next you should brine your chickens overnight so that they stay moist during the smoking process. For this brine we will place each chicken in a gallon zip seal bag, then add 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, dried thyme, and dried rosemary. Finally add 2 cups of apple juice to the bags, seal em up and put them in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Every few hours you should flip the chicken bags over to allow each side to soak in the brine.

After your chicken is brined, wash off the brine and herbs then place the chickens on a cooling rack. Next you want to cut the skin down the center so that you can pull the skin back and season the exposed meat. Heavily season the breast, thigh and drum meat. Flip the chickens over and season the back side. Flip the chickens back then pull the skin back in place to cover the meat. The skin will keep the meat from drying out, and because this is pulled chicken, we really don’t need to worry about keeping the skin all pretty for slicing into. So season the skin and these chickens are ready for the smoker.

Get your smoker running between 240 and 260 Fahrenheit using pecan wood. You can also use hickory or mesquite but avoid using apple if you decided to brine with apple juice. That’s just too much of the same and you should try and layer the flavor instead. Place the chickens on the smoker and let them go for several hours until the temperature in the breast reaches 150 F. At this point get your grill fired up and transfer the chicken to the grill. Place the chicken skin side down and close the lid. Cook for at least 10 minutes keeping an eye on the grill for flare ups. Flip the chickens to back side down then cook until you reach 165 F in the breast and 175 F in the thighs. At this point remove the chickens and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.

When the chickens have rested, put on some heat gloves and start to hand shred the chicken. When it comes to heat gloves, we are talking about a liner glove with a nitrate outer glove. These offer the best movement and touch while blocking heat from your skin. Pull the chicken being very careful not to include any bones or cartilage. When you are done, make a second pass looking for bones. It is very easy to overlook bones when pulling chicken meat. And when it comes to skin, this is up to you, but it will add a nice flavor to shred up and include the skin.

Okay sandwich its time! This is a simple sandwich we are making, it’s just a burger bun with a slice of baby Swiss. Then we add the pulled chicken, some dill pickle chips and some BBQ sauce. Of course you can make whatever sandwich you like, but we hope you give this one a try and let us know what you think.

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Rotisserie Grilled Chicken

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Rotisserie Grilled Chicken

Supermarket rotisserie chicken is pretty tasty but you can’t beat home cooking. At home you can use whatever flavors you want and save a few coins in the process. So if you have a rotisserie or are thinking about buying one for your gas grill, check out this butter herb chicken recipe. Combine this with some smoke from a pellet tube and you have juicy smokey butter delicious chicken dinner on the way. Winner Winner!

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 sticks butter
  • 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

First, melt half a stick of butter in one cup or small container. Next, usa a mortar and grind ½ teaspoon of herbes de Provence until a fine powder builds up. Place a sieve over the cup of melted butter then pour the contents into the cup. This will remove the big chunks of herbs and make everything play nice with your injector. Stir this mixture well then inject the butter herb mixture everywhere into the chicken. Inject the breast meat, thighs, legs and even the wings.

Next, allow one stick of butter to soften on the countertop or warm it on low in the microwave. When the butter softens, combine it with a ½ teaspoon of herbes de Provence. Using your hand, loosen the chicken skin over the breast and thigh meat. Use a spoon and deliver the butter herb mixture under the chicken skin. Use your fingers to hold the butter mixture under the skin as you slowly pull the spoon back out. Use the remaining butter herb mixture to coat the outer skin of the chicken. If needed, make a second batch of softened butter herb mixture.

Next, using a knife, stick the lemon several times creating slices to release juices. Slide the lemon over the rotisserie spit and place it in the center. Next, slide the rotisserie stick through the chicken cavity and out the neck hole until the lemon is inside the chicken cavity. Use the fork ends of the rotisserie to pin in the legs and wings to hold them in place. You will need to pierce both the drumsticks and wing tips for the best hold. Next, sprinkle kosher salt and more herbes de Provence on the chicken.

Preheat your grill on medium, then turn the burners down to low. Shut off the center burner, if you have one. This will prevent fire flare ups that will happen due to the melting butter and chicken fat. Install the rotisserie spit onto the grill but do not install the motor. Let the spit rotate freely so that the heavy part of the chicken is facing down. Now simply pull your balance counterweight upward and tighten it in place. This will now balance the rotisserie spit and help prevent motor burnout. Now install the motor, and insert the spit into the motor. Power the motor on and start cooking!

If you have a tube pellet smoker, load it up with enough pecan pellets for an hour and half of cook time.

Every 20 minutes brush on melted butter. The chicken will cook for at least 1 hour before reaching proper temperatures. The chicken will be ready when the breast meat reaches 165 F and the thighs reach 175 F.

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Jalapeno Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

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Jalapeno Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Need to spice up your mashed potato side dish? Yes you do! Mashed potatoes are great as is but variety is the spice of life. By adding jalapeños and fresh grated Parmesan cheese, you can take your mashed potatoes to the next level. You can always reduce the jalapeños from 3 to 1 if you are sensitive to heat. But by removing the seeds, the heat is already greatly reduced.

Ingredients

  • 6 large russet potatoes
  • 3 jalapeño pepers
  • 2 cups fresh grated parmesan cheese
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1 tablespoon salt

First, remove the potato skins then cut them into 2 inch blocks. Place the potatoes in a large pot, then add 1 tablespoon of salt, and submerge them with cold water. Next, bring everything to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to medium maintaining a rolling boil. Cook the potatoes for 30 to 40 minutes until the potatoes fall apart when sliced with a knife.

Remove the seeds from the jalapenos and dice them. Add the jalapenos to a medium saucepan with 2 tablespoons of butter. Sautee the jalapenos on a medium heat until they start to turn slightly brown. Add remaining butter and half and half then reduce the burner heat to low. Continue to cook this mixture until all the butter melts, then remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.

When the potatoes are tender, remove them from the heat and drain off the water. Mash the potatoes, then and shredded parmesan cheese and stir for 1 minute. Next add the jalapeno butter and cream mixture, and stir for 1 minute. Salt and pepper to taste.

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Pellet Smoked Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

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Pellet Smoked Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños

Smoked bacon wrapped jalapeños reign supreme in the world of ways to cook bacon wrapped jalapeños. The smoke brings another layer of flavor that makes these treats disappear quickly. For this recipe we partially pre-cook the bacon before wrapping it on the jalapeños. The reason for this is to get the bacon fully cooked without creating a reduced wilted away jalapeño. You can skip this method, but if you have never tried it this way then do it cause YOLO!

Ingredients

  • 13 medium sized jalapeño peppers
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 12 oz shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 pounds bacon

First, slice each jalapeño in half including cutting the stem in half to create a handle on each half. Remove the seeds and wash away any loose seeds. Next fill each jalapeño half with shredded cheese. Following this, spread a good amount of cream cheese over the shredded cheese packing it in.

Next, preheat your smoker to 250 F using hickory or apple wood pellets. Lay out the bacon strips on a cooling rack on top of a foil covered sheet pan. If you do not have cooling racks, just use a foil covered sheet pan. Place the bacon on the smoker when it reaches temp, and smoke the bacon for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the bacon and allow it to cool for 10 – 15 minutes before handling it. Next, wrap one bacon slice completely around one jalapeño half, then place it on a cooling rack. Continue until all jalapeños are wrapped in bacon. Load the jalapeños into the smoker and cook at 250 F for at least 1 hour. You can cook them up to 2 hours depending on your preferred level of doneness.

When the jalapeños are done cooking, remove them from the smoker and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes. The cheese will be very hot so have patience and enjoy!