lance chapman
New member
Looking for ideas for smoked chicken thighs?
Any recipe for Smoked Chicken Thighs
- Thread starter lance chapman
- Start date
Bill Spearman
TVWBB Super Fan
Try this one....
m's Chicken
For contests I only cook thighs and I cook 16 of them. I marinade them in Paul Newman's Own (Olive Oil and Vinegar) 4-8 at a time in a heavy zip lock bag depending on the size of the thighs. I start them marinating at approx. 4 pm on Friday.
I have used various rubs but what I really like these days is Head Country (Ponca City, OK) tweaked for heat which I get by adding a small amount of Cayenne Pepper. The thighs come out of the marinade at 7:30 sat morning and I lightly and evenly dust them with the rub.
I put them on the smoker and cook them to 180 degrees internal temp in exactly three hours. If I am using the Ole Hickory I use pecan and if I am cooking on Traeger or a Fast Eddy Smoke box I use hickory pellets.
At the three hour mark I test each thigh with a toothpick for tenderness. I put my best 8 in one half size alum pan from Sams Club with one bottle of Head Country Original Sauce. I put the second best 8 in the other pan. I loosely tent the pans with foil and let them woller in the sauce for approx. one hour.
Half hour before turn-in I take 8-10 best thighs and put them on Weber Kettle or Cajun Grill indirect with a reasonably cool fire so I won't burn the sauce. I taste one of the worst thighs and make an assessment of how it tastes and if I think that taste can do well. If I need to make adjustments, especially with salt, I do it at this time and then set the seasoning with a light brushing of sauce.
For turn-in I pick my best six thighs and put them in the box. No special arrangement because the thighs usually take up most of the room. Just try to have a decent looking box.
This process doesn't always work but it has been very good to me.
If any of you want more specifics please email me directly. I assume most of you are very good cooks and will be able to take this brief process and make it work for you. By the way Paul Newman's is a very good marinade for other meats, especially lamb when combined with Head Country Rub and Head Country Sauce.
m's Chicken
For contests I only cook thighs and I cook 16 of them. I marinade them in Paul Newman's Own (Olive Oil and Vinegar) 4-8 at a time in a heavy zip lock bag depending on the size of the thighs. I start them marinating at approx. 4 pm on Friday.
I have used various rubs but what I really like these days is Head Country (Ponca City, OK) tweaked for heat which I get by adding a small amount of Cayenne Pepper. The thighs come out of the marinade at 7:30 sat morning and I lightly and evenly dust them with the rub.
I put them on the smoker and cook them to 180 degrees internal temp in exactly three hours. If I am using the Ole Hickory I use pecan and if I am cooking on Traeger or a Fast Eddy Smoke box I use hickory pellets.
At the three hour mark I test each thigh with a toothpick for tenderness. I put my best 8 in one half size alum pan from Sams Club with one bottle of Head Country Original Sauce. I put the second best 8 in the other pan. I loosely tent the pans with foil and let them woller in the sauce for approx. one hour.
Half hour before turn-in I take 8-10 best thighs and put them on Weber Kettle or Cajun Grill indirect with a reasonably cool fire so I won't burn the sauce. I taste one of the worst thighs and make an assessment of how it tastes and if I think that taste can do well. If I need to make adjustments, especially with salt, I do it at this time and then set the seasoning with a light brushing of sauce.
For turn-in I pick my best six thighs and put them in the box. No special arrangement because the thighs usually take up most of the room. Just try to have a decent looking box.
This process doesn't always work but it has been very good to me.
If any of you want more specifics please email me directly. I assume most of you are very good cooks and will be able to take this brief process and make it work for you. By the way Paul Newman's is a very good marinade for other meats, especially lamb when combined with Head Country Rub and Head Country Sauce.
Michelle in New Orleans
TVWBB Fan
Simple yet delicious. Using your favorite rub, shake on both sides of chicken thighs (we use boneless but bone-in would work as well). Then wrap each thigh in a piece of bacon. Though we don't put more rub on top of the bacon, some gets transferred, of course, as you work wrapping the thighs with bacon. But if you want more spice, go ahead and shake more rub on. We chill for at least four hours (overnight would be okay, too) and then bring to room temperature for two hours prior to smoking.
Then just smoke and serve. Delicious and simple. I use Mad Hunky's General Purpose Rub (available online), as we find it good on everything and it's not too hot for the masses. You can always add more heat to the rub if desired.
You can serve these as is or slice them and put on top of some sauce (a roasted or smoked red bell pepper sauce is great, as it tastes good and adds some color) on an appetizer plate. They're really pretty when sliced even though they're not stuffed with anything.
Then just smoke and serve. Delicious and simple. I use Mad Hunky's General Purpose Rub (available online), as we find it good on everything and it's not too hot for the masses. You can always add more heat to the rub if desired.
You can serve these as is or slice them and put on top of some sauce (a roasted or smoked red bell pepper sauce is great, as it tastes good and adds some color) on an appetizer plate. They're really pretty when sliced even though they're not stuffed with anything.
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