Restaurants›Bright Star Restaurant›Pit-smoked Chicken Recipe

Pit-smoked Chicken Recipe

Inspired by Bright Star Restaurant
Time3h 30m
Serves4

When you’re at the birthplace of Alabama white sauce, you get the pit-smoked chicken, which is cooked to a golden brown for precisely three-and-a-half hours and then dunked into a big pot of the legendary sauce before serving.

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Ingredients

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Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q

Method

Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q

1

Prep the chicken

Rinse the whole chicken, remove giblets, pat dry with paper towels, and tuck the wings behind the back. If desired, truss the legs.

2

Make the rub

In a small bowl, combine smoked paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper until evenly mixed.

3

Apply rub and oil

Brush the chicken all over with olive oil, then sprinkle and rub the spice mixture onto the skin and inside the cavity, coating evenly. Let rest 15-30 minutes to help the rub adhere.

4

Prepare the smoker

Preheat the pit-smoker to 250°F (120°C). If using a water pan, set it below the grate.

5

Smoke the chicken

Place the chicken on the smoker, breast up. Smoke for about 3 hours at 250°F (120°C). Spritz the skin with apple cider vinegar every 45-60 minutes to keep it moist.

6

Finish cooking

Continue smoking until the thickest part of the breast or thigh reads 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Total time should approach 3.5 hours.

7

Dunk in Alabama white sauce

Carefully remove the bird from the smoker. Submerge the entire chicken in a large pot of warm Alabama white sauce for 10-20 seconds to coat, then lift out and let excess sauce drip back into the pot.

8

Rest and serve

Let the chicken rest 5-10 minutes before carving. Slice and serve with extra Alabama white sauce on the side.