This Chinese method of smoking is much different than western methods as it uses brown sugar and tea.1 whole chicken
soy sauce
tea leaves
brown sugar
Wash chicken thoroughly, inside and out and pat dry. ALWAYS wash chicken well with plenty of water, no matter how you're going to cook it. The way chickens are processed commercially leaves a lot to be desired. Also be careful of any cross contamination by washing your hands utensils and countertops with soap and hot water after coming in contact with raw chicken. Rub soy sauce liberally over chicken, inside and out. Steam chicken until completely done, time depending on the size of the bird, brushing more soy sauce on it occasionally.
What? You say you don't have a steamer? Got a pot with a lid big enough to hold a whole chicken? Put something in the bottom of the pot that will hold a plate with the chicken on it. Put a few inches of water into the pot. Bring to a simmer, put the chicken in and put on the lid. I use my wok for this, and it works great. You don't need to keep the water boiling, just have it hot enough that it produces steam vapor. Add water to the bottom of the pot as needed.
CAREFULLY remove chicken when done. Now comes the smoking part. Mix 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup tea leaves in an aluminum pan or piece of foil. Place the chicken on your outdoor grill, over indirect heat. Place pan with brown sugar/tea mixture on the coals of a slow fire, and close the lid of the grill. You want the sugar and tea to smoke, so have the fire low. Smoke for at least 1/2 hour, adding tea/sugar as needed.
This gives the chicken a delicate taste, nothing like the heavy smoke flavor we're accustomed to. This is especially good served cold, but you can sure eat it warm too!
