Tea Smoked Chicken
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon szechuan peppercorns
- 4 lbs chicken
- 1/3 cup black tea leaves
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- sesame oil, for finishing
- Toast the salt and peppercorns together in a skillet over a low flame until it starts to smoke.
- Let cool and grind in a mortar and pestle.
- Rub the mixture all over the chicken, inside and out.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- Steam the chicken in a large pot for about 45 minutes, until juices run clear when thigh is pricked. I use one of those collapsible steamer inserts in a soup pot. Do save the resulting broth, it's quite flavorful.
- Line a wok and its lid with heavy-duty foil.
- Combine the tea and sugar in the bottom of the wok and place a rack over the mixture.
- Heat the wok until the mixture begins to smoke.
- Pat the chicken dry and place on the rack.
- Cover the wok tightly and smoke the chicken for about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let the covered wok stand for another 30 minutes.
- Cut the chicken into serving pieces and brush with the sesame oil.
salt, szechuan peppercorns, chicken, black tea leaves, brown sugar, sesame oil
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/tea-smoked-chicken-215549 (may not work)