Smokin' Sunday!

Peanut in his 'cage'

What a day.........   We were expecting some clouds .. rain...   so sounded like a great time to utilize the smoker and crank out some kick'n chicken!   I went to pull out some I'd bought awhile back , stored in the freezer and realize ... no.  The dates on them were ..well... not from 2017.    Not from 2016.  So, they will find themselves in the trash on Friday.  So, off to the store we go.  Leanne likes the skinless breasts, and I'm a dark meat sorta guy.   Big bag of leg quarters; $3.75.  That's twelve, for approximately .31 cents each.  Damned!  Well, closer to .93 each, since I'm tossing out two bags?  And her chicken, was literally 10x the cost .....   okay enough of that.   But I'm still smiling at the $3.75 cost!

 But , it wasn't a cloudy day.   The sun popped out early, minimal clouds in the sky and the pool temp was a perfect 89deg, which actually felt 'cool' compared to the mid-90s of a sunny day!   And on a day like this, I'm not sipping on water.  Not iced tea nor lemonade.  My version of the wine spritzer, sounded about right.   Now, I like a good bottle of wine , Reds and Whites, as much as the next person but when you're going to fill up a Yeti with ice and mix it with soda ( 20% soda to be precise ), a cheap box of wine does just the job!.  Mama' isn't a huge fan of this concoction , so she stepped it up with her own based on Malibu Rum.  Hers tasted yummy, but I was headed down my own path.  And with these low grade concoctions (alcohol content) we had an entire day of pool time ahead of us... .. but first, I had to load up the smoker.

Pool Time!

I didn't have time to brine them, so with little time to spare I prepped them all with some garlic salt and a local dry rub I picked up here at Brookshires.  Not too spicy, but just enough to take them to another level.  Coated them down, all sides, snuck some into the skin of the leg quarters and let them rest for a short while.   Then, got the smoker up and running, with some cherry wood to provide the smoke.  Not too overwhelming; just right. Leanne pointed out she's not a a fan of too much smoke so 1/3rd through the cooking time, I transferred her's into a foil pan, covered them up and put them up high.   The leg quarters got the full treatment.   About two thirds into the process, I put some corn on the cob in there, covered them in foil slathered in butter, but only for an hour of heat.  Three hours from the start, after cooking in 230 deg of heat, slow and low, there were all ready to come out!  I've got to admit, I out did myself this time

All the chicken was juicy and loaded with flavor.  The corn was cooked perfect.  Leanne made a salad that was to die for.  This , was a perfect Sunday!  Now, I may have overdone with the with portions, but I see a week of smoked chicken in my future for lunch?  In fact as I type this , mama' is in the kitchen making another small salad and getting ready to heat up the leftovers.  Well, as soon as the Dish Network guy, attempting to trouble shoot my intermittent signal issue , figures out what the hell is going on.  I'm not sure he's capable though.  I've already pointed out the two obvious potential sources of the problem; not sure he appreciates my input.  But, maybe.. that'll be good info for tomorrows blog?  We'll see if he finally steps up to the plate.....  I don't have high hopes.

 

Less than an hour, bathing in smoke