Chicken

Mediterranean Chicken

Cooking Time about 31/2 hours
Heat low heat (200°F - 250°F)
Set up water smoking

Chicken
1 x Large, preferably free range chicken, removed from the fridge/ freezer and left to stand until it reaches room temperature.

Pesto
(You may also use ready- made pesto)
3 Cups fresh Basil leaves (loosely packed).
3 tbsp. lightly toasted pine nuts.
2 Cloves roughly chopped garlic.
½ Cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
½ Cup extra virgin olive oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Pop all the ingredients into a blender and blend until you have a paste.

Rub
(Use a store bought rub if you want to skip this step).
1 tbsp. course sea salt.
1½ tbsp. cracked pepper corns.
1 tbsp. dried Rosemary.
1 tbsp. dried Oregano.
1 tbsp. ground Coriander.

If you like a bit of a “kick”, add some crushed chili.

Mix all the ingredients by hand in a mixing bowl.

Preparation

1. Loosen the skin of the chicken and using a spoon, insert the pesto between the skin and flesh. Once you have a few spoonfuls in place, massage the bird until the pesto is evenly distributed.

2. Take a bit of the left over pesto and rub it all over the outside, then sprinkle on your lovingly prepared rub (the pesto will help it to stick).

3. Place the bird on the cooking grill of your smoker (the smoker has been set up for water smoking and the charcoal has a light grey colour). Close the lid, open the bottom door and throw on some wood for smoke flavour.

With the smoker running at between 200°F and 250°F the bird should be done in around 3½ Hours.

Remember to use a probe thermometer to check if it’s done. Tip – Let the chicken “rest” for at least 10 minutes before carving.