Chicken Drumsticks


 
M

Michael Park

New member
I'm grilling chicken drumsticks on my 22" Original Kettle Premium for the first time tonight. I'm planning on using CHAR-BASKETS with approximately 25 briquettes in each basket. The grilling guide in the manual suggests 6 to 10 minutes direct low heat followed by 30 minutes indirect medium heat.

I'm planning to put the CHAR-BASKETS in the middle of the grill with the top and bottom vents half open. I'll grill the drumsticks over direct heat in that configuration for approximately 3 minutes per side, then I'll move the CHAR-BASKETS to the sides, open the top vent fully, and cook the drumsticks over indirect heat for 15 minutes. I'll check the temperature of the meat, flip the drumsticks over, and planning on giving them another 15 minutes of indirect heat.

Sound reasonable? Any obvious rookie mistakes I'm about to make?
 
I’d recco runway method. Baskets on left and right banks and clear center runway down the middle. Foil below the grade down the middle to make your cleanup easy and your grill will like you more.

Sear off on direct heat the drummers and then line them up fat to skinny (the shape of each leg) to maximize your runway space for the indirect part.

Are you dry rubbing them or going sauced the whole way?
 
Brett-EDH said:
I’d recco runway method. Baskets on left and right banks and clear center runway down the middle. Foil below the grade down the middle to make your cleanup easy and your grill will like you more.

Sear off on direct heat the drummers and then line them up fat to skinny (the shape of each leg) to maximize your runway space for the indirect part.

Are you dry rubbing them or going sauced the whole way?
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Planning on Lawry's seasoned salt as the sole rub component. My wife ate them this way as a child, and she's feeling nostalgic. May add some sauce post cook depending on how they turn out.
 
Michael Park said:
Planning on Lawry's seasoned salt as the sole rub component. My wife ate them this way as a child, and she's feeling nostalgic. May add some sauce post cook depending on how they turn out.
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I stand by my runway method. Sear up front to start the render, then go indirect, then final sear to crisp up, if you like crispy skin. Enjoy!
 
I started up a half chimney of KBB, poured the lit charcoal into two char-baskets, slid them to opposite sides of the 22" Weber Kettle, and closed the lid. I meant to set the top and bottom vents to 50%, but I accidentally left the bottom vent at 100%. Next time I grill drumsticks, I think I'll just leave both vents wide open for this part.

I let the cooker preheat for 15 minutes, and the lid temperature was reading 380 when I started the direct cooking. 3 minutes, flip, 3 more minutes. In retrospect, the drumsticks were a bit crowded over the char-baskets with 13 drumsticks on the grill. I should have direct cooked 4 and 4 with the others in the middle. After that, I could cycle the stragglers through their direct heat time.

I set the top vent 100% open and the bottom vent 50% open for the indirect temperature time. After 15 minutes, the lid temperature was 400. I flipped them, and cooked for another 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, the internal temperature was 165+ in the drumsticks, but I wanted a little crisper skin, so I moved a few over the direct heat for another 2 or 3 minutes.

Overall, I thought they turned out 8/10. My wife emphatically exclaimed that I was crazy, and they were a 10/10, so I guess that's all that matters. I want the skin crispier. Aesthetically, I also want the skin darker. The flavor and tenderness of the flesh was outstanding. I'll try a little higher heat for the direct cooking portion next time and maybe 8 minutes direct heat instead of 6. 380-400 seems like a pretty good temperature for indirect chicken cooking, so I don't think I'll change any vent settings for that part.

Please let me know if you see anything I can improve on!
 

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Looks great. Just more sear and move the legs as they sear so you can develop that crisp. High heat on the indirect cook will also help the skin to brown and crisp.

Heavy duty aluminum foil as your drip pan is less expensive that an aluminum pan. And just roll it up and toss it when done before you do the next cook.

Add a small chunk of wood and get a smoker flavor if you’re after that flavor profile.

If your wife says it was a 10, then it was a 10. Happy wife = happy life.

Nicely done. Keep on cooking.
 
I always say that the proof is on the serving platter and it looks like you did a good job.
I like to use a vortex to contain the fuel in the center of my Performer grill. I circle the legs/wings around the outside of the vortex for about 45 minutes. If I decide I want a little crisper skin I finish a few of them at a time over the center of the vortex.
As always have fun as you try new things.
 
Mike Freel said:
I always say that the proof is on the serving platter and it looks like you did a good job.
I like to use a vortex to contain the fuel in the center of my Performer grill. I circle the legs/wings around the outside of the vortex for about 45 minutes. If I decide I want a little crisper skin I finish a few of them at a time over the center of the vortex.
As always have fun as you try new things.
Click to expand...
This is exactly the same thing I do and get great results everytime. I usually direct fire about half of them at the end as some people like that char while others do not.
 
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