Apple-Smoked Carolina Pulled Chicken

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Bone-in chicken thighs go low and slow over apple wood until they're tender enough to shred with two forks, then get tossed in a tangy Carolina-style vinegar sauce. It's all the payoff of pulled pork in about three hours instead of twelve, using a rub built from spices already in the cupboard. Pile it on soft buns with pickles and slaw.

Ingredients

• 3 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 8)
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 4 chunks apple wood chunks (or 2 cups apple wood chips)

• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking at 250°F (120°C) and add the apple wood chunks once the fire is settled and the smoke runs thin and blue. Apple gives a mild, slightly sweet smoke that won't overpower chicken.
2. Pat the thighs dry and rub them all over with the yellow mustard, using just enough to make everything tacky. Stir together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper, then coat the thighs on both sides, working some under the skin where you can.
3. Lay the thighs skin side up directly on the grate, leaving space between them. Smoke undisturbed at 250°F for about 1 hour 30 minutes, until the skin is mahogany and a thermometer in the thickest part of a thigh (not touching bone) reads 165°F (74°C).
4. Transfer the thighs to a disposable foil pan, pour in 1/4 cup of the cider vinegar, cover tightly with foil and return to the smoker. Cook another 45 to 60 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 195°F (90°C) and the meat pulls away from the bone with no resistance.
5. While the chicken finishes, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup cider vinegar with the ketchup, red pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon of the leftover rub (or a pinch each of salt, sugar and paprika) in a small bowl until smooth.
6. Rest the covered pan off the heat for 15 minutes. Pull the meat from the bones with two forks, discarding bones and any flabby skin, and return the shredded chicken to the pan with the collected juices.
7. Pour the vinegar sauce over the chicken and toss until every strand is glossy. Taste and add salt or a splash more vinegar, then serve warm on soft buns with pickles.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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