The Semiconservative Granola Girl

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Juicy Smoked Chicken Thighs

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We are totally in the heart of electric smoker season.  Although truthfully we use our smoker all year round, but I am sure that some of you only use it seasonally.  Recently, we were having our parents over for dinner, so we decided to smoke bone-in chicken thighs, but we decided not to go with our Dill Pickle Smoked Chicken Thighs, so instead we made a brine and a relatively mild chili rub.  Enter our newest Smoked Chicken Thighs.

Please note:  All links are to Amazon.  We are an Amazon Affiliate.  If you click through and make a purchase, we make the tiniest little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Smoked Chicken

The key to smoking chicken in your electric smoker is to brine it.  Chicken has the potential to become dry during the smoking process, so brining it first is key.

A simple brine of salt, sugar and water is key.  We like to add garlic and chives to give it just a little something something.  And if you are into heat, you can add red pepper flakes.

Begin by adding all of your dry ingredients to a large pan (one that will accommodate all of your meat plus the brine).  Add one cup of water and heat just until the salt and sugar have dissolved.

Once the salt and sugar have dissolved, add eight cups of cold water and your chicken thighs.  Add more water as necessary to cover your meat.  I sometimes add some ice to help cool the water more quickly.

Brine your meat for 4-12 hours.  Remove the meat from the brine a half hour to an hour before you plan to smoke it.  Allow the meat the dry (we do it over a rack). Preheat your electric smoker 225ºF then apply your favorite rub.  (We like our own Semiconservative Granola Girl Rub).

Finish on the Grill

Our latest obsession in meat smoking is finishing on the grill.  This give the meat that awesome smokiness with a crispy finish. Smoke the meat for about an hour and a half until the internal temperature reaches 160ºF.  When the meat reaches 160ºF, preheat your grill. When the grill is ready, transfer the meat to the grill. Continue to cook the chicken on the grill flipping to get both sides.

Serve with or without a sauce. Dill Pickle Everything Sauce would be perfect. Or any barbecue sauce would work too. However, sauce is really unnecessary. Leftovers make amazing chicken salad.

If your are looking for other juicy smoked chicken recipes, check out Dill Pickle Smoked Chicken Thighs or head on over to my Everything Electric Smoker Page for other Electric Smoker recipes and ideas.

Perfectly Juicy Smoked Chicken Thighs | recipe for brining then cooking in the electric smoker
Juicy Smoke Chicken Thighs

Perfectly Juicy Smoked Chicken Thighs

It is easy to dry out chicken in the electric smoker, but this recipe which is brinded and then finished on the grill gives perfectly juicy chicken every time.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Idle Time/ Brining Time 5 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8 thighs

Equipment

  • electric smoker
  • grill

Ingredients
  

Brine

  • ½ cup Coarse Kosher Salt
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp dried minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp dried chives

Chicken

  • 8 bone-in (skin-on) chicken thighs
  • dry rub of choice we used Semiconservative Granola Girl Dry Rub
  • 1 gallon water divided

Instructions
 

Brine

  • Add salt, sugar, garlic, chives and 1 cup of water to a large pot (enough to hold chicken plus water to cover–we used a 4 quart Dutch oven). Heat on high until sugar and salt are dissolved.
  • Add about half the water (and ice, if desired) to cool the water before adding the chicken.
  • Place the chicken in the brine. Add the remaining water (to cover). Refigerate for 4-12 hours.

Preparing the Chicken

  • Remove chicken from brine to dry. We place the chicken on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet with paper towel on it). Pat the chicken dry. Add dry rub to both sides of the chicken.
  • Allow the chicken to come to room temperature (about an hour before you put it in the smoker).

Smoking the Chicken

  • Preheat the electric smoker to 225°F and add wood chips per manufacturer's instructions. We generally use hickory because it gives the deepest smokey flavor.
  • When the smoker is full of smoke, add the chicken directly to the racks and close the door.
  • After about an hour and a half, check the internal temperature of the chicken. At around 160°F, preheat the grill.

Finish on the Grill

  • Transfer the chicken to the grill. Cook on both sides until the chicken reaches a done temperture of 165°F. About 15-20 minutes.
Keyword Electric Smoker



Smoked Maple Walnuts

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We recently wrapped up our maple sugaring season. This is our third year of making our own maple syrup and it’s magical. Of course, that means new mapley recipes. How about some Smoked Maple Walnuts

During our mid-winter break in February, we had a maple tapping play date/ party. We hosted 5 kids (plus our own two) who helped us get set up for the season. It was a blast having all those kids running around in our snow filled woods. They helped drill holes, put taps in the trees and hang the buckets. Annnnnd, once the trees finally started running in earnest we had gallons of sap to boil down. To me, it seemed like a late start to the season, but what do I know? And, now we have lots of home brewed maple syrup that needs using.

Note:  All links are Amazon Affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, we, here at The Semiconservative Granola Girl, make a tiny little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Smoked Maple Walnuts

Smoked Maple Walnuts are very easy. Melt a little butter (or ghee), mix in some real maple syrup, thrown nuts in a plastic zipper bag (or you could use a mixing bowl) and pour the butter/maple mixture in. Toss until the nuts are well coated. Add them to an aluminum pan. Sprinkle with coarse Kosher salt and then smoke.

We generally smoke them in a 275º and we like hickory for the strongest smokey flavor. However, you could use whatever you have on hand or are using to smoke something else. We often smoke nuts while we are smoking a meat for dinner. We love to use all that space in our Masterbuilt Electric Smoker.

Smoked Maple Walnuts

Smoked Maple Walnuts

I hope that you will join us in our new smoked nut obsession. The sweet, salty, smokiness just hits all those taste buds. Oh and did I mention that I placed third with these nuts in the maple cooking contest at the Genesee Country Village this year. So it’s not just me. Some sweet potato recipe beat me out in the savory category. No one in my house likes sweet potatoes so they clearly think there was some error! 😂

If you are fan of smoked nuts like we are, check our our other smoked nuts recipes: Smoked Buffalo Almonds, Everything Bagel Smoked Cashews and Seasoned Smoked Almonds.

Smoked Maple Walnuts

Smoked Maple Walnuts

Smoked maple walnuts are award winning nuts with ALL the flavors: sweet, salty and smokey. It’s the perfect combination for your electric smoker.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 12 1/2 cup

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups raw walnut halves
  • 1/4 cup butter or ghee
  • 1/2 cup real maple syrup
  • coarse Kosher salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the smoke to 275º and get the smoker filled with smoke.
  • Melt butter or ghee
  • Stir in real maple syrup until blended.
  • Pour over nuts and toss to mix.
  • Add to an aluminum pan.  Generously sprinkle with salt.
  • Smoke for 3-5 hours.
  • Allow to cool completely to bring out the full smoke flavor.
  • Store in a air tight container for up to a week.
Keyword Electric Smoker

Smoked Buffalo Almonds

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Hello New Year! Hello new and delicious smoked recipes like Smoked Buffalo Almonds. I created this recipe on a whim. We had some Anchor Bar Sauce, so I tossed so almonds in it, put them in a foil tray, sprinkled some salt and we smoked them. The result was A-MAZE-ING.

Note:  All links are Amazon Affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, we, here at The Semiconservative Granola Girl, make a tiny little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Smoked Buffalo Almonds | made in the elctric smoker

Of course, that’s the easy way to do it. As it is January, and we are starting the new year with a round of Whole30, I wanted to create a recipe with a homemade Buffalo Sauce.

Smoked Buffalo Almonds

It is super easy to make Buffalo sauce which means that it is super easy to make smoked Buffalo Almonds. Melt some butter or ghee, add some red hot sauce, like Franks, a few spices and you’re done.

Buffalo Sauce for Smoked Buffalo Almonds

Then, throw the nuts in a zipper bag. Pour the Buffalo sauce over them. Shake them to mix. Spread them out in a single-ish layer in a aluminum pan. We usually use the shallower ones and use two. Sprinkle Kosher salt and we add them to the smoker with our dinner.

Smoke them at 245 for 3-5 hours. So simply.

The smokey flavor in the nuts definitely comes out as they sit for a little while–over night seems to be best. Then store them in an air tight container. They will keep for a couple of weeks. That is if they last that long!

Add Almonds to Your Next Smoke

Smoked Buffalo Almonds | electric smoker recipe

If you haven’t tried smoking nuts in your electric smoker yet, what are you waiting for? Throw them in with your dinner tonight! And I would highly recommend some Smoked Buffalo Almonds or Some Seasoned Smoked Almonds or Everything Bagel Cashews. Just do it and enjoy.

And if you are looking for more ideas about foods you can smoke in your electric smoker, be sure to check out the Electric Smoker Index Page. It has links to all of our recipes, round-ups and tips!

Print Recipe
 Smoked Buffalo Almonds
Cuisine Electric Smoker
Keyword electric smoker
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3-5 hours
Passive Time 12 hours
Servings
Ingredients
Cuisine Electric Smoker
Keyword electric smoker
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3-5 hours
Passive Time 12 hours
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Melt the butter or ghee.
  2. Pour the melted butter/ghee to a sauce pan. Add the rest of the ingredients except the almonds and salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Allow the Buffalo Sauce to cool a little. Then put the almonds into a zipper bag. Add the nuts and mix until they are well coated.
  4. Place the nuts in an aluminum pan in approximately a single layer. Use two pans in necessary.
  5. Add the pans of nuts to a smoked filled smoker. Smoke at 245 for 3-5 hours.
Recipe Notes

I usually make these without the additional cayenne.  We are not into crazy amounts of spicy, so the hot sauce is just right for us.  If you like your wings fiery, add some cayenne pepper!

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Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef

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Hey Friends, I am here with some Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef in your world.  And this post is aptly timed because the first seven are perfect stocking stuffers just in time for Christmas.  However, these tools are perfect gifts all year round.  Or heck, buy them for yourself if you are the Electric Smoker Chef!  If you’re looking for WHAT to smoke in your electric smoker, check out 10 Foods to Smoker in Your Electric Smoker and 10 MORE Foods to Smoke in Your Electric Smoker.

And, if you are looking for a smoker to give as a gift, let us recommend Masterbuilt.  We love our Masterbuilt electric smoker so much that we have two!

Note:  All links are Amazon Affiliate links.  If you click through and make a purchase, we, here at The Semiconservative Granola Girl, make a tiny little commission which does not affect your purchase price.

Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef | gift giving idea

Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef

ONE:  Meat Thermometer

A good digital read meat thermometer is a must.  We like this one from Taylor.  It’s fairly in expensive and gives a quick and clear readout.

TWO:  Tongs

Of course, anytime you are cooking with meat, whether in the kitchen, at the grill or in the electric smoker, you will need a good set of tongs.  As loyal SCGG readers will know, I love all kitchen tools Oxo.  They often cost a little more but as Sunshine pointed out after we purchased cheap “dress boots” which she wore once and the zipper split, “sometimes you get what you pay for.”  The quality of Oxo products is excellent for the price point.

So, we like the Oxo 12-inch ones.  They have locking mechanism for easy storage.  We have the ones with the stainless steel ends, but I am sure the silicone heads would be a nice addition.  They also come in a 16-inch length and a 9-inch length.

THREE:  A Basting Brush

Many of our recipes start by slathering the meat with yellow mustard.  And, if you are going to slather, you will need a good basting brush.  Again, I recommend this Oxo silicone brush.  It hold the slather well and it’s easy to clean.  And dishwasher safe, which in my busy mom world is always key.

FOUR:  Dry Rubs

I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to dry rubs.  We have a few commercially produced rubs that we like, but for the most part, we make our own like Semiconservative Granola Girl Dry Rub and Everything Bagel Dry Rub.

Generally, we are looking for a dry rub that is less spicy (kid palates) with a few exceptions.  Our Seasoned Smoked Almonds use Montreal Steak Seasoning which does have a bit of a peppery kick. We have found A1 Dry Rub (I think it must have been the Sweet Mesquite, but it might have been Bold Original) to be less spicy.  Our Dill Pickle Brined Chicken Thighs use Weber Herb and Garlic which is an herb mixture, so it is not spicy at all. Really, dry rubs are all about your taste, so buy a few and experiment.

FIVE:  Ingredients for Dry Rubs

Last year, I loaded my husband’s Christmas stocking with the ingredients to make dry rubs:  minced garlic, minced onions, dried parsley, coarse black pepper, mustard seeds, dry mustard, paprika and chili powder.  And don’t froget coarse Kosher Salt (although this box might not fit in the stocking!). Then we used all of those herbs and spices to play with new rubs that fit our tastes.  And to make Everything Bagel Dry Rub, don’t forget the sesame seeds and poppy seeds!

SIX:  Shaker Lids

When we make our own dry rubs, we love to store them in glass canning jars (usually pint jars, but sometimes we use a 12 oz jar) and use these Ball Shaker Lids.  They have large holes which is perfect for shaking out a chunky dry rub.  We use these all the time for our dry rubs and other mixtures.  This is definitely one of our essential tools for the electric smoker chef!

Seven:  Meat Injector

When we smoke a roast (pork or venison) we inject juice (usually apple juice) right into the meat to help keep it moist and delicious.  To do this, we use a meat injector like this one from DIMESHY.  It’s a useful tool and gets the juice right into the center of the meat.  It’s easy to clean and we usually just take it apart and run it through the dishwasher.

Make a Gift Basket of Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef

So let’s say your looking for gift ideas for the electric smoker chef in your world, but you are not looking to fill their Christmas stocking, a gift basket might be the way to go.  In that case, I would add a couple of the following items:

Smoking Medium (ie. Wood Chips)

Of course, if you are using an electric smoker for an length of time, you will need to have a good supply of wood chips.  We most often use hickory because it gives the strongest smoke flavor, but a nice variety pack is also a super idea:  hickory, apple, cherry and mesquite.  We use them all.

The Perfect Cookbook

Our favorite cookbook for the electric smoker is hands down, Smoke like a Pit Master with your Electric Smoker by Wendy O’Neal.  Her cookbook is perfect for the beginner and the experienced electric smoker chef alike.  She has recipes for appetizers, pork, chicken, beef, seafood and even desserts.  We have tried multiple recipes and they are all super.

A Cover

If you live in a place where there is weather (like we do) a cover for your electric smoker is a must.  We do keep our electric smoker in the garage during the winter months, but our cover has worked well so far.

Shopping for Essential Tools for the Electric Smoker Chef

Stocking Stuffers for Electric Smoker Chefs | Essential Tools for Electric Smoker Chefs

We hope you find this tool guide useful.  Let us know what tools you think are essential for the electric smoker.  We would love to try them and update our list.  Good luck in your gift giving.

And, don’t forget to check our our Electric Smoker Page.  It has links to recipes and lots of ideas of foods to smoke in your electric smoker!

PS. This post may contain affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Orange Garlic Seafood Dry Rub

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We are in love with our Masterbuilt Electric Smoker.  I have written a number of posts about our love affair including 10 Foods to Smoke in Your Electric Smoker and 10 MORE Foods to Smoke in Your Electric Smoker and a variety of recipes (here).  Additionally, we are always on a quest to find a dry rub that is not too spicy (ie. hot) and not too salty.  It seems that most commercially produced dry rubs come with heat.  A main ingredient in many rub recipes on the interwebs is red pepper or cayenne.  And well, my kids just aren’t having it.  Even the littlest bit of of bite has them brushing their tongues with their napkins.  So, I have been working on writing recipes that meet their tender tongue’s needs.  The first was The Semiconservative Granola Girl Dry Rub followed by Everything Bagel Dry Rub and now, Orange Garlic Seafood Dry Rub.

Orange Garlic Dry Rub | Orange Garlic Seafood Dry Rub

 


Orange Garlic Seafood Dry Rub

Sunshine loves salmon.  And, she also loved smoked meats.  So, of course she wanted to put those loves together for some smoked salmon.  Recipes often pair salmon with citrus, so it seemed to make sense to make a dry rub that combines citrus with garlic.  So, I put together Orange Garlic Seafood Dry Rub which you can use on both for smoking or baking seafood.  You can try it on salmon, flounder or shrimp. It also works with chicken.

Orange Garlic Dry Rub

It is just a mixture of dried orange peel, dried minced garlic, kosher salt and paprika.  Note that because this dry rub is intended to be mild in flavor, there is no pepper.  If you like heat, feel free to play with adding some.

This makes a small batch.  One batch equals enough to do 3-5 fillets of salmon depending on the size.  So, if you want to have it on hand in your pantry, make a quadruple batch.

Make a Batch Tonight

Orange Garlic Seafood Dry Rub

So, if you are looking to make some seafood in the oven or in your electric smoker, try it with Orange Garlic Seafood Dry Rub.  We love Baked Orange Garlic Salmon.

PS. This post may contain affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.


Print Recipe


Orange Garlic Seafood Dry Rub

Cuisine Electric Smoker
Keyword dry rub

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings
cup


Ingredients

Cuisine Electric Smoker
Keyword dry rub

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings
cup


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. Mix all of the ingredients well and rub on seafood or meat before cooking.


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Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken

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Recently, I was in the throes of painting my dining room.  For 10 years I have hated and the paint (sponge paint, border and purple-ish–way too dark) and finally we made the plunge.  Sunshine helped me take everything out of the china cabinet so we could move it away from the wall, remove the border and prime the room.  The boy “helped” paint the baseboard heaters.  It took three days, two coats of primer and two coats of a loverly light shade of grey.  So, what I really needed on Monday while Jim was going to be away all day was an easy crock pot dinner.  Immediately, my mind went to one of our family favorites:  Crock Pot Dill Pickle Chicken.  The only problem was that we only have one jar of pickles left from last year’s batch and it’s still pretty full of, well, pickles.  That got me to wondering.  How would it be if I just made a Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken minus the pickles?  And what do you know?  It worked.

Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken | brine chicken in a dilly vinegar based brine for the grill or the electric smoker | Whole30 | Paleo | No sugar | Gluten free

Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken

You will have to plan a little ahead for this one.  Your brine will need to sit for at least five hours, over night would be better.  Start with white vinegar, water and pickling salt.  Bring those three ingredients to a boil.  Then in a mason jar or glass measuring cup, prepare 6-8 cloves of garlic and one tablespoon of dill seeds.  I used in a tea ball for the dill seeds, but you could make a packet out of a coffee filter and twine or filter them out later by pouring it through a mesh strainer.  Pour the hot liquid over the garlic and dill seed and allow it to steep.  As it steeps, it gets a lovely amber color from the dill seeds.

Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken | brine chicken in a dilly vinegar based brine for the grill or the electric smoker | Whole30 | Paleo | No sugar | Gluten free

When you are ready to use it, discard the dill seeds and garlic, if desired.  We usually use the garlic in our recipes, so I save it out, that’s why it was handy to have the dill seeds in the tea ball.

Using Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken

Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken | brine chicken in a dilly vinegar based brine for the grill or the electric smoker | Whole30 | Paleo | No sugar | Gluten free

Dill Pickle Brine is perfect for Crock Pot Dill Pickle Chicken.  I just used the whole recipe with boneless chicken thighs.  Use it to brine bone-in chicken thighs for Smoked Dill Pickle Chicken.  Or use it as a brine for grilling and baking your favorite cut of chicken.  Double the recipe and your could even brine a whole chicken for roasting.  You could easily double, triple or quadruple the recipe and have it in the refrigerator ready to go when you need it.  It will last several weeks (longer, I’m sure) just like your favorite homemade pickles.

We hope that you enjoy having dill pickle brine whenever you need it, not just when the pickles are gone!  Let us know how you use it.

PS. This post may contain affiliate links. When you click the link and make a purchase through the link, we make a little money, this helps to keep The Semiconservative Granola Girl going. Thank you for your support.

Print Recipe
 Dill Pickle Brine for Chicken
Keyword brine
Prep Time 5 minutes
Passive Time 5+ hours
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Keyword brine
Prep Time 5 minutes
Passive Time 5+ hours
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Boil the vinegar, water and salt.
  2. If desired, put dill seeds in a tea ball or create a pouch using using a coffee filter and twine.
  3. Add garlic cloves and dill seeds to a glass measuring cup or mason jar. Pour hot vinegar mixture over it.
  4. Allow to steep for 5 hours or more. Refrigerate until ready to use.
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