Hickory Smoked Chicken Quarters & Brats at first might seem like an odd combination but as the pitmaster you need some Hors d'Oeuvre now and then! Like the chicken quarters, the Johnsonville Brats absorb the hickory smoke like a sponge. Have you ever seen a smoke ring on a brat? It's a thing of beauty ... yes, I know a smoke ring does not enhance a product's flavor but it sure makes it real purdy! Smokin' the chicken and brats before cranking up the pit temp to finish off the cook works out perfect cause I take the brats to an internal temperature of 170ºF and the chicken dark meat to 180ºF which means the brats will be ready for munching while the chicken comes to temp.
When I found chicken quarters at my local grocery store on sale for 88¢ a pound I couldn't pass them up. We love dark meat so I bought a few packages and vacuum sealed the rest for future use. You can't go wrong with Johnsonville Brats. There are so many ways to cook them up but once you taste a smoked brat you'll be hard pressed to fix them any other way!
- Trim excess fat and skin from chicken quarters
- Carefully peel back chicken skin and rub roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil under and on the skin
- Season under and on the skin with a light coating of Montreal Chicken Seasoning
- Add a light coating of Fagundes Seasoning on top of the Montreal Chicken Seasoning
- Wrap the seasoned chicken in plastic wrap and fridge for 4 hours
- Preheat your MAK 2 Star or wood pellet smoker-grill of your choice to 180ºF
- I prefer to use Hickory but Apple, Walnut, or Cherry work equally well
- Smoke the chicken and brats for an hour at 180ºF
- After an hour bump the pit temp to 350ºF
- Cook the brats to an internal temperature of 170ºF and enjoy!
- Cook the chicken quarters to an internal temperature of 180ºF
- Rest the chicken loosely under a foil tent
Took about 1½ hours for the brats and 2 hours for the chicken quarters
Leave a Reply