Smoking is one of my favorite cooking methods, but it can be time consuming. It requires careful attention to the cooking process, but is absolutely worthwhile once you taste the finished product! It’s also important to be careful with the dripping fat into the fire - make sure to prevent this from igniting and creating more heat than desired. Have with you a sheet pan just in case the fat dripping into the grill catches fire, so that way you can cover the flames until they shrink to smoldering coals.

Enhance your culinary talent with Nativo Spices.

Ingredients:

• Pampa’s Herbs 4 tbsp

• Chicken 1 whole

• Oil 1 cup (no olive oil)

• Lemon 2 each

Method:

1. Take the chicken and dislocate the legs, hips, and wings. This will make the the chicken more flat, which will make cooking faster and easier. 

2. Next will be making the marination with the oil, lemon juice, and the Pampa’s Herbs. Spread the oil over the surface of the chicken and squeeze the juice from the lemons onto the chickens surface. The leftover lemon should be stuffed inside the cavity of the chicken as it will steam the chicken and add flavor while cooking. Sprinkle the Pampa’s Herbs over the chicken, coating all sides.

3. With a butcher twine, make a vest around the chest of the chicken and tie the legs together. Leave extra twine near the legs to hang the chicken.

4. Let's hang the chicken from the legs close to the fire. Place your hand in front of the chicken and count until it is too hot and you remove your hand. The number you want to get is 5 to 6 seconds. I will start head down to cook the breast then flip over to cook the legs.

5. Cook until golden brown and the meat falls off the bone. This will be around 4 to 6 hours depending  on the size of the chicken.

Enjoy this smoked chicken with your favorite grilled side dish or a refreshing salad. If you make this smoked chicken or a similar recipe with Nativo Spices, I’d love to see the results! Tag us on social media at @nativospices!