Cajun Dry-Brined Smoked Chicken
An overnight Cajun dry brine, a long stretch of smoke and a hot finish turn a whole chicken into something deeply seasoned, crisp and just spicy enough to leave you with flaming lips and a full belly.
One of the positives of living in the South for this Jersey boy has been the heat.
No, not the sun-beating-down-in-the-summer heat, though it surely is that. Not even the heat of the kitchen.
The heat of the palate.
If food were sexy, this is it. Caliente to some, zippy to others, with so many variations rooted in the cultures that have shaped the South and Gulf Coast: Acadian, African, Indigenous, Spanish, Caribbean, Mexican and the hybrids that emerged when people, ingredients and traditions met one another.
Tuesday night, around 9 p.m., I got the itch to dry brine a chicken with Cajun spices. There wasn't some grand plan behind it. We opted to do it just to see.
And it didn't disappoint.
The chicken spent about 18 hours in the refrigerator with the dry brine before going onto the smoker the next afternoon. We started low, at 225°F, and let it smoke for nearly three hours before turning up the heat to finish the chicken and crisp the skin.
The result was smoky, spicy and deeply seasoned.
Flaming lips. Full bellies.
There was another benefit to smoking it. With the mercury hitting 104°F outside — 40°C for my global counterparts — I could spend some time unwinding in the pool rather than hovering over dinner.
We served it with some of my mac and cheese that I'd previously frozen, then defrosted, reconstituted and broiled until the top came back to life. Add some crisp al dente green beans and a little Blanc de Blanc and dinner was done.
We finished the evening watching 9 to 5 in honor of the passing of the beautiful soul that was Dolly Parton.
Sometimes it's simple, elegant and everything.
An idea at 9 p.m. A little patience. A little smoke. A little heat.
And another reason to gather around the table.
The Recipe
Serves 4–6 · Easy
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, about 5½–6 lb
- Kosher salt, enough to season the bird generously
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Mixed ground peppercorns
- Cayenne, to taste
- Dried oregano and/or thyme
- Spicy seasoning blend (optional)
- Fresh oregano or thyme
- 1 onion, quartered
- Several garlic cloves
Method
1. Dry brine the chicken. Pat the chicken completely dry. Combine the salt and spices and generously season the entire bird. Work some of the seasoning beneath the skin where you can without tearing it. Place the seasoned chicken uncovered in the refrigerator for 12–24 hours. Ours went about 18 hours.
2. Start low. Heat the smoker to 225°F. Add the onion, garlic and fresh herbs loosely to the cavity and place the chicken breast-side up directly on the smoker.
3. Build the smoke. Smoke at 225°F until the chicken has developed good color and smoke flavor. For our 5.6-pound bird, the low-temperature portion ran a little over two hours.
4. Turn up the heat. Raise the smoker to 375°F to begin finishing the chicken and rendering the skin.
5. Finish hot. As the breast approaches 150–155°F, raise the heat to about 425°F for the final stretch. Keep an eye on it — paprika and other ground spices can darken quickly.
6. Rest. Cook until the chicken reaches a safe finished temperature. A simple benchmark is 165°F in the thickest part of the breast, avoiding bone; the thighs can run higher. Remove the chicken and rest uncovered for 10–15 minutes before carving. Don't tightly tent with foil or the skin will steam soft.
Cook's notes
About the dry brine. The overnight brine is worth the planning. It seasons the meat beyond the surface while the uncovered refrigerator time helps dry the skin before it ever hits the smoker.
About the seasoning. This cook was done by feel. That's intentional here. The exact amount of salt should depend on the salt already present in any Cajun or spicy seasoning blend you use. Season generously, but don't salt twice.
About the smoke. Chicken doesn't need to spend the entire cook at low temperature. The long, low start gives you the smoke. The hotter finish renders the skin and keeps the end result from becoming rubbery.
About the finish. Once the breast is in the 150s, stay close. The last few degrees can move quickly, and a paprika-heavy crust can go from beautifully dark to bitter if pushed too hard.
Make it your own
Use more cayenne. Use less. Add another herb. Change the wood. This was a Tuesday-night experiment that turned into something worth making again. Keep enough room in it for instinct.
At the table
We served ours with reconstituted and broiled mac and cheese, crisp al dente green beans and a Blanc de Blanc.
Sometimes it's simple, elegant and everything.
Pull up a chair.