If either of my bullets have two or three racks full of leg quarters, I don't even attempt to get "nice and crispy" skin. For that, I find I need temps that shoot up to 350+ fairly fast, and my cookers just can't do that with that with so much poultry in the cooker keeping temps down. TENDER is what I'm trying to get with a full cooker.
I used a Jacquard on the thighs and over 24 hrs. in a buttermilk brine for my best legs to date. It was quite simple, and the brine was all the seasoning they got. The brown sugar in the brine helps get a nice color, too. Temps averaged somewhere around 300*for about two hours, if I recall. I feel that all three components are needed for this cook to get the skin tender: poking the thighs with the meat tenderizer, ample time in the buttermilk brine, and ample cooking time. The skin should start looking good and even tearing, and the thighs need to reach 180* for best results. They won't be dry at that temp after this long brine, I promise.
To fit the most legs onto the racks, I sort righties from lefties, and make "spokes on a wheel" with the knuckle in the middle and the thighs ending right over the edge of the pan. I've gotten twenty pounds on my 18.5 with a third grate. To help get the cooker up to temp, pull all the chicken out of the fridge an hour or so before you cook to let it all lose it's chill.
