Brining a whole chicken before you cook it on a smoker helps the meat retain moisture, and we think it’ll be evident when you taste this pulled chicken sandwich! With a hint of smokiness, and a whole lot of sweet and spice, it won’t last long on your dinner table, so take a moment to savor the taste.
YIELD: 4–6 SERVINGS • COOK TIME: 3 HOURS
1 gal (4 L) water, divided
1 cup (288 g) kosher salt
½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
¼ cup (56 g) your favorite barbecue rub, divided (we like our Uncle Dick’s Sweet & Spicy BBQ Rub)
1 (3–4-lb [1–2-kg]) whole chicken
½ cup (120 ml) your favorite barbecue sauce, divided (we like our Original Sweet BBQ Sauce)
2 tbsp (30 ml) buffalo-style hot sauce
4–6 buns
Coleslaw, for serving
Bring ½ gallon (2 L) of the water, salt, brown sugar and 2 tablespoons (28 g) of the BBQ rub to a boil, stirring until completely dissolved. Remove from the heat, cover and allow it to cool completely. Add the remaining ½ gallon (2 L) water and transfer it to your brining container. Add the chicken to the brine, cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse well with cold water. Pat it dry, and then place it on a baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon (14 g) of your barbecue rub.
Slow smoke the whole chicken at 250°F (121°C) until the breast temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) and the thigh reaches 175°F (79°C), about 2 to 3 hours. Remove the chicken and raise the temperature of your smoker to 375°F (190°C).
Remove the skin from the smoked chicken and place it on the baking sheet. Sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon (5 g) of barbecue rub and bake it at 375°F (190°C) for 5 to 7 minutes, or until crispy.
While the skin is crisping, pull all the chicken meat from the bone and place it in a bowl.
Add the crisped chicken skin, 2 teaspoons (9 g) of barbecue rub, ¼ cup (60 ml) of barbecue sauce and the buffalo sauce to a food processor and pulse until the skin and sauces are well blended.
Add the skin mixture and the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) of barbecue sauce to the pulled chicken and toss until completely coated. Serve on a bun with your favorite slaw.
OPERATION BBQ RELIEF IN ACTION
OBR has a special place in my heart, as I got involved after my parents’ house and neighborhood were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. The locals needed help, and along came OBR. What started as a few of us setting up in a parking lot trying to feed a few hundred people quickly turned into 50+ volunteers feeding thousands a day in the town where I grew up. This continued for what felt like months, as most of the infrastructure in the area was destroyed. It really hit home when a father/son tandem showed up from Maryland saying they “had heard about OBR and wanted to help in any way they could.” They had not been affected by the storm, but they spent four days in the bitter cold, sleeping on the floor and doing whatever they could to help. In the beginning, when the entire area was still a disaster, people like David Marks stepped up and led the group in the right direction. The true dedication of everyone involved left a lasting impression for those who were fed a hot meal during such a difficult time. Here we are five years after the storm, still waiting for things to be “normal” again, but I will never forget the smiles we brought to the people’s faces that had just lost everything. The lessons learned during Sandy have translated into making OBR a stronger and all-around better organization that can now deploy more efficiently when faced with natural disasters. I will forever be in debt to OBR and look forward to helping in future deployments.
—STEVE RAAB, Local Smoke BBQ