Foodie Friday! - Smoked Chicken

Sorry for missing last week's Foodie Friday, I was experiencing the American Royal BBQ Competition in Kansas City! Lots of fun, lots of new friends, and lots of delicious food.

In honor of the American Royal Barbecue and the INCREDIBLE food we found there – yeah, that’s you Buzz and Neds, Smokin’ Yankees, and Always Rubbin’ Something – thanks for feeding the Monkeys!

We had some delicious beef, pork, and chicken. My favorite was easily the smoked chicken! And if you’ve never tried a smoked chicken, you’re missing the delight of juicy roasted chicken that has a great layer of smoke that is so tender it melts over your taste buds engulfing your senses in an explosion of flavor that is enhanced by the sweet scent of smoke and roasted chicken.

And before you run off to get some of your own, here are some tips and a recipe for your own smoked chicken!

Always start with good meat! Avoid chicken that is packed in solution, it’s a chemical brine that’s meant to make it look good, it doesn’t help the taste. I think brine can be great, I just like to do it myself. Start with a fresh bird that’s about 4 lbs, this will feed 5-6 people depending on your crowd.


Smoked Chicken
1 Chicken
4 cups apple juice
4 TBSP Red Monkey Mango Habanera Rub


Before smoking the chicken, wash it well, remove the giblets, and trim off loose fat and skin. Prep your smoker to be around 220.

Rub the chicken down with the Mango Habanera Rub being sure to get in all the crevices, use more if needed based on the size of the chicken.

In a small metal bowl, add 3 cups of apple juice and place in the smoker with the chicken to help give extra moisture and more flavorful smoke. Reserve one cup to add to a squirt bottle for spray basting.

Smoke at about 220 until the chicken breast reaches 180-185 (around 4 hours) And before you say ‘wait, chicken’s done at 165’ I know, but it’s better to overcook when smoking. The juices should run clear, the skin should have a warm brown color, and above the meat should have the right temperature.


This makes a slightly sweet, spicy chicken with an amazing smoked flavor that goes great in sandwiches, appetizers, or just on its own! Roll out the grill/smoker this weekend and enjoy!

Our Trip To The American Royal

Surrounded by plastic palm leaves, crock pots and corrugated we set off for our four and half hour journey. A journey that would take us down a path of endless campsites dressed up with tents and colorful banners. Within each site a team busily prepares for the days that lie ahead. As we make our way to where we are to set up, smoke surrounds us. Suddenly, I am starving.

Words cannot describe how wonderful it was to finally get out of the small area I had been sitting in. After a few minutes I was able to walk again and we proceeded to put our booth together.

Then it was off to see the sights.










And there were defiantly some sights to see!

The picture below was taken on Friday of a very elaborate set up. On the right side of the bridge there was a pond with little yellow ducks floating around. Inside the tent, a tiki bar along with rows of tables and chairs awaited a night of fun, food and entertainment. This was just one of many that had pulled out all the stops to make this night a memoriable one for all.

Saturday brought a quietness as the teams got down to business.









For those of us who love a good barbecue...paradise.

While there was so much to see and so many highlights, the biggest highlight was meeting the youngest member of the Smokin' Yankees pictured below. We met him on Friday when he dropped by our booth and started sampling various spices. Saturday he would be competing in the kids Q and was looking for something that he felt would do the trick for his steak entry.
A few moments later he had made his choice and promised he would return on Saturday to let us know the results. Saturday evening he returned to tell us the news that he had taken 4th place. We were so excited for him and I am certain that we will be seeing his name on the winners list for many years to come.

The Monkey team salutes you!

Fall Flavors Recipe Contest

The Monkey is still full from trying out all those fabulous side dish recipes from the last contest and while we are a few days away from announcing the winner we wanted to go ahead and get started with our next contest. So… it’s time to get out your favorite original appetizer recipe and get it to us.

Our Fall Flavors recipe contest begins today October 5, and ends on November 16th. The winner will be announced on November 23, just in time to have some extra cash for the holidays.

Recipe:

Submit your original recipe and win $150.00 in cash and $25.00 of free Red Monkey Products and an official Red Monkey Foods tee-shirt. We also encourage you to send a picture along with your submission.

Video:

Create a video preparing your original appetizer recipe for a chance to win $250.00 in cash and $50.00 worth of free Red Monkey products and an official Red Monkey Foods tee-shirt. The video can be serious or funny, just use your imagination.

Go to Red Monkey Foods for all the details and contest rules.