Asian Style Smoked Chicken Recipe
If you are looking for an Asian Style Smoked Chicken Recipe, try using this brine before smoking. I used a modified brine/marinade for some chicken thighs. They came out pretty good. You may be able to substitute lemon juice for sherry vinegar. If you soak the chicken, I usually squeeze the juice of ½ a lemon in a bowl with water enough just to cover the chicken. But more lemon juice wouldn’t hurt. Adding 1 or 2 teaspoons of 5 Star Spice to this recipe is also a good idea. Here’s another option: Sometimes, you can use a simple brine with poultry. After measuring the required amount of water, just add salt (de-iodized) until an egg will float. Then add some demerara sugar to your taste. Some like a 50/50 mix, but it’s a personal taste thing. I usually use warm water, as the salt and sugar will dissolve quicker. But make sure the brine is properly cooled before use.
Ingredients
6 Lb chicken thighs
16 Oz apple juice
12 Oz beer, flat (good quality)
¼ Cup Morton’s Kosher salt (2 ounces)
¼ Cup brown sugar
¼ Cup Chinese soy sauce; or other type of soy sauce
¼ Cup sherry vinegar
2 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
4-6 Cloves of garlic - chopped
Preparation
Combine all ingredients, except chicken, in a nonreactive container.
Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend.
In the meantime, remove any extra fat from the chicken thighs, and rinse well. (Optional, I like to soak the chicken in a mixture of lemon juice and water for about 10 minutes. It seems to make the chicken taste fresher.)
Pat dry and place thighs in a nonreactive bowl or plastic bag. Pour marinade over thighs, refrigerate and marinate for 4-6 hours.
Remove thighs from marinade, and lightly rinse.
Place uncovered in the refrigerator, and let air dry for 2-4 hours, prior to cooking/smoking.