Smokey Citrus Chicken

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
5 lbs chicken,chicken breasts or thighs
3 quarts water
1 quart orange juice
5 ounces kosher salt
1 Tsp white pepper
1 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbs lime juice
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs Heinz 57 sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine the water, orange juice, salt, and white pepper, stirring until the salt is dissolved.

Cool the brine to 40 degrees before adding the chicken pieces. Soak the chicken in this citrus brine for two hours, in the fridge.



To make the sauce, combine the marmalade, juices, honey, Heinz 57, salt, and black pepper at least an hour ahead of time. As an option, you can add some heat to the mix...cayenne pepper powder or red pepper flakes to taste will warm it well.

Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse, drain, and dry with paper towels.

Brush the chicken pieces with oil, season with pepper, and put in a 225F smoker. Apple wood is a good choice for smoke here. Plan on smoking the chicken for 2 to 4 hours at this temperature.


After two hours, check the internal temperature of the chicken. Remove thighs when they're at 175 degrees F, and breasts at 165F. Cover them and let them rest for twenty minutes.
 

GrillinFool

New member
While I am not a big fan of citrus meats (orange chicken or pork for example) as it's just not my thing, I will say this. Brining chicken is a must. If you have never done it, please give it a try. I don't know why it works but it does.

When I brine I treat it sort of like a salad. When I make a salad it usually has in it whatever I have in the fridge and cabinets. Same with a brine. I use a cup of salt per gallon of water. Then I add a can of soda, brown sugar or maybe syrup (depending on what I have), a bunch of garlic, black pepper, maybe a chunked up onion, and some sort of fruit. I've used all kinds of fruits - lemons, limes, apples, peaches, oranges. Just whatever I have on hand.

Mix that all together, put the chicken in, put in the fridge overnight. The next day rinse off the brine and do whatever you plan on doing for the chicken such as the citrus treatment that Bam suggests.

Oh, and I've also taken an injector and injected the brine into the breasts of the chicken. It's not really for flavor as it is for moisture.

Seriously if you have a good chicken recipe and you brine it the recipe will be a great recipe...
 
This is really GREAT Info !!! Thanks.

I never knew any of this before. I am excited to try out some of this stuff. I wasnt really a bad cook before, so who knows what could happen now that I am getting expert advice and tips. Thanks again.

Can I assume you just chunk the fruit that was in the brine ?? I would think it is waaay too salty to eat.



While I am not a big fan of citrus meats (orange chicken or pork for example) as it's just not my thing, I will say this. Brining chicken is a must. If you have never done it, please give it a try. I don't know why it works but it does.

When I brine I treat it sort of like a salad. When I make a salad it usually has in it whatever I have in the fridge and cabinets. Same with a brine. I use a cup of salt per gallon of water. Then I add a can of soda, brown sugar or maybe syrup (depending on what I have), a bunch of garlic, black pepper, maybe a chunked up onion, and some sort of fruit. I've used all kinds of fruits - lemons, limes, apples, peaches, oranges. Just whatever I have on hand.

Mix that all together, put the chicken in, put in the fridge overnight. The next day rinse off the brine and do whatever you plan on doing for the chicken such as the citrus treatment that Bam suggests.

Oh, and I've also taken an injector and injected the brine into the breasts of the chicken. It's not really for flavor as it is for moisture.

Seriously if you have a good chicken recipe and you brine it the recipe will be a great recipe...
 
Last edited:
Top