How to set up 22" for chicken leg quarters?


 
Mike_S

Mike_S

TVWBB Member
I just assembled my new 22" WSM and this weekend I'm thinking of smoking chicken leg quarters for my first smoke. I've seen enough videos on how to set it up for longer and lower smokes, but I have not seen much out there for setting up for higher faster cooks. Will a fully lit Weber chimney get the job done? Or will I need to stage some unlit coals as well?
 
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Bank the coals on both sides of the kettle, use the baskets if you have them. Drip pan or aluminum foil in between the coals & place the chicken in the middle of the rack, not over the coals. A full chimney is plenty, keep covered 45-60 minutes.
 
Yep, that’s the way I’d go (I have baskets) drip pan in the middle will keep the coals banked if you don’t have baskets.
Drip pans (or foil) will make cleanup so much easier!
 
EricV. said:
Bank the coals on both sides of the kettle, use the baskets if you have them. Drip pan or aluminum foil in between the coals & place the chicken in the middle of the rack, not over the coals. A full chimney is plenty, keep covered 45-60 minutes.
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Is this for a kettle or WSM? I have a WSM.
 
Sorry, the method I spoke of is for a kettle. I can't speak for a method on the WSM as I never use mine for chicken.
 
Leave the center section out and you might be OK.
I have no idea, I’ve not tried it, I was thinking kettle too. Sorry
 
For mine I spread a chimney of unlit on the bottom first and dump a full chimney of lit on top.
You can remove the water pan for that drippings hitting the coal taste or leave it in foiled with a airspace.
 
Mike_S said:
I just assembled my new 22" WSM and this weekend I'm thinking of smoking chicken leg quarters for my first smoke. I've seen enough videos on how to set it up for longer and lower smokes, but I have not seen much out there for setting up for higher faster cooks. Will a fully lit Weber chimney get the job done? Or will I need to stage some unlit coals as well?
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High heat is your friend during a leg quarter cook. Add one layer of unlit charcoal before adding a fully lit Weber chimney. If 1 upper rack is being used then place either an aluminum water pan on the 2nd shelf or a sheet of aluminum to catch those drippings. If using both racks for leg quarters be sure to drop in a foiled water pan otherwise you’ll have Mount St Helen erupting from your WSM. Let ‘er rip till you reach 180 in the legs or thighs, let them rest uncovered for 10 minutes to redistribute juices and enjoy! Be sure to post those pics!
 
I just got a 22" myself this week and used this recipe on Thursday evening - https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/basic-barbecued-chicken/
Worked brilliantly. Standard method of lighting - temp ran at about 160C (320F) for the entire cook. Only opened the lid once to apply some bbq sauce after about 45 mins and had a temp probe in the breast to watch until it hit 74C (165F). I did it for half chickens but quarter should be the same. About 1.5 hours for the entire smoke.

I did use a different rub but it was pretty similar to the one on the page I linked.
 
Not sure how many leg quarters you're planning to do but try to keep them in the center section of the cooker... if you go too close to the edge (i'd say about 2" or so) the fat will drop into the "bowl" instead of onto the coals, or into the foiled water pan and you'll have a grease fire to deal with (not good eats). I speak from experience. I think you can do 6 to 8 leg quarters on the 22" top rack above the coals without much trouble. Odd #s just seem unnatural and like bad luck ;)

Let us know how it turns out.
 
Harrison Patrick said:
High heat is your friend during a leg quarter cook. Add one layer of unlit charcoal before adding a fully lit Weber chimney. If 1 upper rack is being used then place either an aluminum water pan on the 2nd shelf or a sheet of aluminum to catch those drippings. If using both racks for leg quarters be sure to drop in a foiled water pan otherwise you’ll have Mount St Helen erupting from your WSM. Let ‘er rip till you reach 180 in the legs or thighs, let them rest uncovered for 10 minutes to redistribute juices and enjoy! Be sure to post those pics!
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This how I did it when I had a 22" WSM. Cook temp 300 or higher.
 
Lew Newby said:
This how I did it when I had a 22" WSM. Cook temp 300 or higher.
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I’ve really enjoyed my WSM experiences through the years. My first attempt at a 10lb. bag of quarters made me realize using a water pan filled with water while hitting 260 was not the way to achieve desired results. Let’s remove the water add aluminum foil and let’s see how she performs! What a difference in taste, texture, and appearance and it just works each and every time.
 
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