TEA SMOKED CHICKEN

Tea Glaze
½ cup brewed strong black tea (125 ml)
3 tablespoons soya sauce (45 ml)
3 tablespoons liquid honey (45 ml)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (30 ml)
1 tablespoon sesame oil (15 ml)

Smoke Pouch
2 sheets aluminum foil
4 cups apple wood chips (1000ml)
1 cup Black Tea (250ml)

For the marinade, crush peppercorns in a spice grinder. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Put chicken in a large sealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and rub the inside cavity of the chicken with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator. The chicken should marinate for 24 hours.

Prepare 2 smoke pouches. Place 2 cups (500ml) of wood chips (for a gas grill or all the wood chips if using a charcoal grill) into a bowl of cold water to soak for 1 hour.On 2 sheets of aluminum foil combine drained wet wood chips with remaining dry wood chips. Combine tea leaves equally to wood chips. Seal up foil into a sealed pouch and pierce multiple times with the tines of a fork, resulting in many holes for the smoke to escape.

Mix the ingredients of the tea glaze in a medium bowl. Baste the chicken three times over the course of its cooking time.

Preheat one side of the grill to high heat and place one smoke pouch directly over the heat source. Once BBQ is smoking, place the chicken on the side of the bbq without direct heat.

Smoke the chicken over indirect heat for 2-2 ½ hours or until meat thermometer reaches 170°F, replacing the smoke pouch halfway through.

Remove chicken from the grill and let rest. Serve with Plum Chutney.

Yield: 4-6 servings