How long will it take to smoke chicken drum sticks?

harborinnman

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6
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  1. Stampede
I want to smoke chicken drum sticks and boneless thighs. How long and at what temperature?? What should the internal temp be? Thanks
 
I just followed a recipe that promised crispy skin. It said the key was to use baking powder, not soda but baking powder, and salt in a bag, dry the wings which is much easier said than done, and coat them in the baking powder. It suggested a half hour smoke at 250 and then move them to a preheated oven at 450 until they reach the internal temperature of 175. Not 165. I smoked at 2:25 for about 40 minutes and then move them over to my gas grill. They were fairly crispy and tasted good but the dog gone baking powder was all over them. Not gonna do that one again until I figure out how to more lightly coat them.
 
I do thighs and legs at 375 and take them to 180. Dry the chicken befor adding rub and cooking.As for your question about time it’ll depend on your cooking temp, how large the pieces of chicken are.
 
I did thighs Saturday 500 on grillegrates. They were marinated and took ~25 minutes to 175. Turned out great.
 
You can smoke them, but if you want edible skin make sure you finish them on a high heat 400° or more .
 
Here is my tried and true method for smoky, juicy dark meat and delicious skin that isn't rubbery.

1. Brine 24hr in a solution of 1tbps coarse kosher salt per 2 cups of water.
2. A few hours before cooking, remove from brine, pat dry, and place on a wire rack in the fridge so the skin dehydrates a bit.
3. Smoke on low (180F) for an hour.
4. Remove from smoker.
5. Crank up the temp to 450.
6. Return chicken to grill.
7. Cook until internal temp is a MINIMUM 175, but as high as 195.

Do the steps above if you want your friends and family to tell you this is the best grilled dark meat chicken they've ever had.
-Only cook it to 165 if you want it tough.
-Don't brine them if you don't want them juicy.
-Don't smoke them on low if you don't want smoke flavor.
-Don't cook them at a high temp if you want rubbery skin.
 
Here is my tried and true method for smoky, juicy dark meat and delicious skin that isn't rubbery.

1. Brine 24hr in a solution of 1tbps coarse kosher salt per 2 cups of water.
2. A few hours before cooking, remove from brine, pat dry, and place on a wire rack in the fridge so the skin dehydrates a bit.
3. Smoke on low (180F) for an hour.
4. Remove from smoker.
5. Crank up the temp to 450.
6. Return chicken to grill.
7. Cook until internal temp is a MINIMUM 175, but as high as 195.

Do the steps above if you want your friends and family to tell you this is the best grilled dark meat chicken they've ever had.
-Only cook it to 165 if you want it tough.
-Don't brine them if you don't want them juicy.
-Don't smoke them on low if you don't want smoke flavor.
-Don't cook them at a high temp if you want rubbery skin.
Will try this method.

Quick question -- I've certainly learned more about cooking in general since getting my Bull. I have learned the hard way that not all kosher salts are the same. It seems that most recipes (and chefs) use Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Morton's is what is easily available in my area, and I have been cutting the kosher salt in recipes (roughly) in half as it's apparently more "dense" than Diamond Crystal. Do you use Diamond Crystal? Any other thoughts on this? (Anyone else chime in, as well!)
 
I do chicken legs all the time on my "other" pellet smoker. I'll give my 2 cents.
I get the fattest legs I can find. No one here likes skin in my house but I leave it on.
Put the fresh, not frozen legs in a zip lock bags & fill with apple juice. I soak them overnight in fridge.
Next morning, remove them & dry with paper towels.
I then rub them down good with olive oil. I then just use a generic Montreal chicken rub & coat liberally. Then on the smoker for 2- 2.5 hrs @ 225. no wrap, right on grate. I mist with apple juice every 30 minutes.
I check temp of the legs & when we are 10 degrees from target, I crank the heat up to 325. Usually the skin is falling off so I just remove it from those that look bad. I baste them with honey mixed with a little brown sugar every 10 minutes until done. Not rubbery, they are moist & my wife loves them & hates anything smoked! I'll cook racks of ribs & the legs for friends & the legs are the first thing gone. Look dry?

46BE37EE-AF25-48EF-A4DB-33C206F88FEC.jpeg
 
I just followed a recipe that promised crispy skin. It said the key was to use baking powder, not soda but baking powder, and salt in a bag, dry the wings which is much easier said than done, and coat them in the baking powder. It suggested a half hour smoke at 250 and then move them to a preheated oven at 450 until they reach the internal temperature of 175. Not 165. I smoked at 2:25 for about 40 minutes and then move them over to my gas grill. They were fairly crispy and tasted good but the dog gone baking powder was all over them. Not gonna do that one again until I figure out how to more lightly coat them.
I use cornstarch, mixing some in with my rub, not coated with just that.
Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda, cream of tartar, and cornstarch. It is the cornstarch that absorbs excess moisture and retards the chemical reaction between the other two acid-base ingredients, so for drying/crisping skin all we need/want is the cornstarch itself.
 

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