Ingredients
- 1 C Kosher salt
- 1 C brown sugar
- 1 qt. water
- 1 whole chicken (about 2-4 lbs)
- ½ lemon, cut into large chunks
- ½ cooking onion, peeled & cut into large chunks
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 T of poultry rub (choose one with low salt content)
Preparation
- Combine brine ingredients and stir to dissolve the salt & sugar
- Place the chicken in an extra-large, food-safe Ziploc type bag and pour the brine over the chicken, making sure it is completely covered.
- Put the bag containing the chicken into a large bowl (in case of leakage) and place in the fridge for at least two hours (or overnight).
- Chop the fresh thyme coarsely and toss with the lemon and onion chunks.
- Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse it inside and out and pat the chicken dry. Stuff the chicken cavity with the lemon/onion/thyme mixture.
- Brush the outside with olive oil and sprinkle on the rub. We recommend using a low sodium rub because the chicken is already brined.
- Put the chicken directly onto the bottom rack of the Memphis Pellet Grill.
- Place the temperature probe in the thigh area making sure to avoid the bone. Set the probe temperature to 170 degree F and close the lid.
- Now set the Intelligent Temperature Control (ITC) to 225 degrees and smoke the chicken until the probe reaches its programed temperature. This will take anywhere from 4 – 6 hours depending on the size of your chicken.