chicken drumsticks - the struggle is real


 
S

Steven Paul

TVWBB Fan
I am NOT a griller.

I have a Smokey Joe which I use almost exclusively for steaks and burgers. The rest of my cooking takes place on a wsm 18. I bought some chicken legs, I very rarely cook chicken but I will today. On another thread in grilling forum I read about disastrous flare-ups cooking chicken. Some people even used the term 'scared' of chicken! (redundant? I think not!)

I originally intended to dry rub the drumsticks, smoke them for about an hour around 275, sauce them at some point near the finish and then sear them off for a few minutes to crisp the skin to finish. I'm wondering if this sounds like a plan? Thanks
 
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I always cut 1" above the lower knuckle to the bone; a quick lolipop of sorts that makes eating them more pleasant. Then I place them upper joint facing up, so the skin stays in place.

I run the WSM dry and wide open with all parts in place for 90ish minutes, sauce them and cook for another 30ish minutes.
 
I like to make chicken lollipops. I run my smoker around 300 degrees and cook until internal temp is 160. I normally sauce and put back on cooker with a goal of 165 degree internally. I have seared at the end but don't find it necessary if smoked well.
 
I use both my 14.5 and 18.5 WSM to cook chicken parts. I run it wide open, with NO pan and use the top grate only. The grate temperature runs between 325-350 degrees. No problems with flare up. It takes 45-50 minutes to be finished. After I am satisfied that the parts are done, I sauce once or twice and let the sauce set over a period of ten-fifteen minutes.

Best chicken I have done. I don't look at them for the first 30 minutes, flip them at thirty minutes then check again at 45 minutes.

NOTE: I brine ALL poultry 30 minutes minimum to a maximum of one hour before patting dry, oiling with EVOO, and applying the rub. My current favorite is Weber's "Kickin' Chicken". Before I brine, I use a meat tenderizer to perforate the skin and a bit down in the meat, to allow the fat to drain early on in the cook. This leads to crisper skin:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004UE7Y/tvwb-20

FWIW
Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
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I smoked six chicken legs today (on my 18" kettle grill - indirectly, with water), and I coated them with SLD (slap-yo-daddy) rub, and they were sensational.

I crisped the skin over direct heat before serving, but I did not blacken it.

Took about an hour.
 
Thanks for the info, I didn't get to cook yesterday but overnight in marinade never hurt anything. I'm going to do them in a little while, most likely low and slow and then sear them off.
I'll upload in photo gallery,

I got a pork butt at $.79/lb that I'm planning on doing tomorrow or Friday and I think I'll squeeze a meatloaf in at some point too. I love weeks with a bunch of cooks! :). Thanks again
 
Steven Paul said:
I got a pork butt at $.79/lb that I'm planning on doing tomorrow or Friday and I think I'll squeeze a meatloaf in at some point too. I love weeks with a bunch of cooks! :). Thanks again
Click to expand...


Wow, looks like Boston butts are cheaper in Boston, lol. Great price!

Forgot to mention I used a single small chunk of apple-wood for smoke. I thought hickory might impart a bitter after-taste as poultry tends to be more porous than red meat.
 
Would have loved to have Apple! Only had Hickory around so..


I have some pics in a few comments I'm putting in photo-gallery,

The theme for this cook would be the Rolling Stones song: Mixed Emotions

(Didn't know how to flip the pic) $0.79 was awesome! and it was a good looking piece of meat as well, I grabbed it right up, there usually $0.99 here, pretty reasonable, maybe because I'm in Boston? lol just kidding :)
 
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