Smoked Whole Chicken (with Peppercorn Smoked Chicken Brine)

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What makes this Smoked Whole Chicken recipe so special? It’s the peppery and savory smoked chicken brine that infuses the meat and makes it juicy and flavorful. Once you try this smoked chicken brine recipe, you’ll never have chicken the same boring way again.

Chicken brine recipes have always been popular with backyard barbecue pitmasters and this Smoked Whole Chicken with Peppercorn Smoked Chicken Brine, is no exception.

When you submerge your whole chicken in this flavorful brine liquid, it does two very important things. First, the saltiness and the aromatic essence of the herbs and coffee begin to infuse the chicken meat and give it a deep and savory flavor.

Secondly, this brine helps to moisturize the chicken through a combination of osmosis and the process of equilibrium.

You see, when you brine chicken in a salty solution, the first thing that happens is osmosis – where the salty liquid draws out the natural moisture in the chicken. Then, the salt in the brine starts to break down the tough muscle fibers in the meat. Finally, equilibrium takes place, where the chicken starts to reabsorb the outside flavored brine again, but this time, even more absorption happens due to the weakened muscle fibers in the chicken. This results in an incredibly flavorful, incredibly juicy chicken – ready to smoke.

The last step of smoking this deliciously brined chicken – just adds the final touch to this amazing chicken brine recipe. When the rich hickory smoke hits the meat, the flavor transforms into a deep and slightly caramelized taste that merges with the brine flavor in the chicken, to create a flavor profile unlike anything you’ve tasted before.

Best Spice Rub for Smoked Chicken?

After you brine, the spice rub you use can really make or break the overall seasoning of this chicken. My choice for this special ingredient is this Traeger Chicken Rub with Citrus & Black Pepper.

This unique blend of sugar, salt, orange peel and chili peppers really brightens up the chicken and gives it a slightly tart, slightly sweet flavor!

The Ingredients for Smoked Whole Chicken

• 5 pound Whole Chicken
• 1/3 cup Traeger Chicken Rub
• 3 tablespoons Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce
• Peppercorn Smoked Chicken Brine
  • 1/2 cup Sea Salt
  • 1/4 cup Ground Black Pepper
  • 2/3 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Whole Black Peppercorn
  • 1 bottle Corona Beer (mini bottle for this recipe, 7 fluid oz)
  • 5 Bay Leaves
  • 1 Orange (sliced)
  • 2 tablespoons Kanu Instant Korean Coffee (about 5 mini-packets)
  • 2 cups Water

The Equipment Needed

• Traeger Ironwood Wood Pellet Grill (or any other quality smoker)
• Grilling Rack
• Brining Bag

How To Make Smoked Whole Chicken with Peppercorn Smoked Chicken Brine

This whole smoked chicken brine recipe is so easy to make. You brine your chicken in the special blend of spices to infuse the chicken with as much flavor as possible. Then, you dust the bird liberally with the Traeger Chicken Rub and follow that up with a low and slow smoking session until the chicken turns out perfectly cooked at 165°F internal temperature (should take about 4-5 hours).

Brine Your Whole Chicken

In your large brine bag, gently place your whole chicken. Then add in all of your brine ingredients and give it all a good mix.

Afterwards, squeeze all of the air out of the bag, so that the chicken is completely submerged in the liquid.

Let the chicken brine for a minimum of 8 hours in the fridge – otherwise, the osmosis and equilibrium steps won’t carry out properly.

Smoke Your Brined Chicken

Preheat your smoker to 225°F. (Activate super-smoke mode, if you have a Traeger.)

Remove your brined chicken from the brine bag and place it on your grill rack. Then, pat the chicken down with paper towels so that the surface of the chicken is as dry as possible.

Afterwards, coat the entire chicken with a thin layer of Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce (to serve as a binder), and then liberally dust the chicken with your Traeger Chicken Rub – making sure to cover as much of the skin of the chicken as possible.

Next, place your whole chicken in your smoker and let it smoke until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (should take about 4-5 hours). Once the smoking is complete, pull it out and let it rest for about 10 minutes before carving & serving.

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