The Marinade

Another Saturday, time to smoke something. I decided not to tackle anything too tough today, so I purchased some chicken thighs and some Italian sausages. This time I marinated for 4 hours in teriyaki, soy sauce, lime juice, and garlic. I then hit it with my standard seasonings — garlic powder, pepper, onion powder, paprika, and oregano. I also decided to try a different wood for this smoke and used maple.

An Hour In

Smoker was running just under 250°F, and this was at 1 hour in.

I purchased some sweet potatoes with the intention of doing caveman style, so into the coals they went.

This was about 2 hours in, with my smoking buddy Piper Chapman in the background.

Finishing on the Grill and Ready for Serving

Since it was smoked at a low temp, it still needed a trip to the grill to finish up — get to 165°F internal and crisp up the skin.

The Sweet Potatoes

While they were finishing up, I removed the sweet potatoes from the coals, and they were great.

The Result

I don’t remember the specifics of this particular cook eight years later, but teriyaki is a flavor I genuinely like. I’m confident it came through in the finished chicken. This was also my first time trying maple wood with this kind of marinade — another variation on the basic smoked-chicken method I was using at the time.

For other marinade approaches, see The Tequila-Lime Chicken Marinade, Smoked Margarita Chicken, and Easy Smoked Chicken Thighs.

This marinade is one of several I’ve tried over the years. For the full picture — the other marinades, a sous-vide sequencing test, and a finishing-method showdown — see The Complete Guide to Smoked Chicken.