Ingredients
1 whole Chicken
Brine
6 cups Water
1/2 cup Kosher Sea Salt
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Cholula Hot Sauce, or other hot sauce
1 teaspoon Sage + Spice Poultry Seasoning, or other poultry spice blend
1 teaspoon ground Pepper
Herb-Garlic Butter
1 head Garlic
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon fresh Oregano, minced
2 Tablespoons Butter
Additional Butter, melted
Preparation
FOR THE BRINE:
Mix all brine ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.
Once salt is full dissolved, cut heat and allow to cook to room temperature.
Place chicken into a large container or bag for brining. Optionally remove the backbone from the chicken for making demi-glace (I typically do this).
Pour cooled brine over the chicken and brine for at least 8 hours.
FOR THE HERB-GARLIC BUTTER:
Pre-heat oven or toaster oven to 350.
Cut the end of top of the garlic bulb.
Set garlic bulb on a square of foil and drizzle with olive oil.
Wrap foil around garlic bulb and roast for 45-60 minutes until tender.
Allow roasted garlic to fully cool.
Once cool, remove the tender garlic cloves from the husk into a bowl.
Mash into a paste.
Mix butter and minced oregano into the garlic paste.
Keep at room temperature so that the butter is soft.
FOR ROASTING THE CHICKEN:
Set your smoker to 225 degrees. I use a pellet smoker.
Remove chick from brine and dry well.
Rub Herb-Garlic butter under the skin.
Place chicken into the smoker and smoke for about 3 hours or until temperature in the thickest part of the bird registers to 160-165 (the temperature will continue to go up once the bird is removed from the smoker).
Set your oven to broil.
Place smoked chicken in an roasting dish and generously brush with melted butter.
Broil until skin is crisp and browned.
