Smoked Whole Chicken

1 small chicken (about 3 pounds), giblets removed

4 cups chicken broth

1 packet (2 ounces) dry onion soup mix

2 cups apple juice

Basic Chicken Rub

cup chili powder

½ cup sugar

4 teaspoons kosher salt

4 tablespoons onion powder

4 tablespoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat it dry thoroughly. Place the chicken in a deep pan, add the broth and soup mix and marinate, covered, in the refrigerator overnight.

When you are ready to cook the chicken, preheat a smoker to 250 degrees.

Remove the pan from the refrigerator and discard the marinade.

For the rub: In a large bowl, combine all ingredients throughly. Apply the rub liberally to the chicken. Place the chicken, breast side up, on a meat rack with the handles down so the bird will be raised above the surface of the pans. Set the rack inside a deep aluminum pan.

Pour the apple juice into the pan underneath the meat rack. Place the pan in the smoker and cook for 3 hours or until the breast meat reaches 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the smoker and allow it to rest on the rack in its pan for 15 minutes.

To serve, carve the chicken into individual pieces.

Serves four (or enough for eight pulled chicken sandwiches).

“Smokin’ with Myron Mixon” (Ballatine Books, 2012)