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Hot Smoked Chicken Legs on the BGE – Fast and Tasty

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I did these hot smoked chicken legs on the BGE coated with my original rub  and original barbecue sauce, and they turned out about as perfect as can be. You can easily do these in the smoker or grill if you prefer.

Helpful Information
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Brine Time: 4 hours (optional)
  • Dry Time: 2 hours (optional)
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Smoker Temp: 275-300°F
  • Meat Finish Temp: 180°F
  • Recommended Wood: Pecan
What You’ll Need
Brine the Chicken Legs

Place ½ cup of Morton's kosher salt into a large pitcher.

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Fill the picture with ½ gallon (2 quarts of cold water)

Stir for about a minute or until the salt is complete dissolved.

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Place the chicken into a large ziptop bag.

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Pour the brine mixture over the chicken legs to cover and seal the bag.

I recommend sitting the bag of chicken down into a bowl in case of leakage.

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Place into the fridge for 4 hours during which time the salted water will find its way into the meat making it more flavorful and more juicy.

You can leave the chicken overnight if you prefer.

Pat Dry then Air Dry

When the chicken is done brining, rinse each piece under cold water and pat dry.

One of the best ways to ensure that chicken skin turns out great is to make sure it is allowed to air dry in the fridge before cooking.

Place the legs on a sheet pan with a paper towel to absorb the moisture and put them back into the fridge for a couple of hours or longer.

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Season the Legs with My Original Rub

After drying it is time to add the good stuff to the outside of the chicken.. apply my original rub  all over the chicken and try to peel down the skin and get it on the meat wherever possible.

Pull the skin back up so it protects the meat.

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The chicken is now ready to smoke!

Fire Up the Smoker

This recipe is specifically made for a ceramic cooker such as the Big Green Egg but it will also work well on a pellet smoker or any smoker that can cook at 275°F or higher. Many smokers struggle to reach these high temperatures and that's ok since drying the skin will help a lot.

You can also opt to just cook these on the grill with some foil packs of wood chips to provide some smoke.

I do recommend you leave the water pan dry to help create a dryer environment in the smoker. This alone will improve the chicken skin.

The heat should still be indirect which means you'll use the plate setter in the ceramic cooker.. most smokers are indirect heat by default.

Smoke/Cook the Chicken

Once the smoker/cooker is ready, place the chicken directly on the grate.

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These will only take about an hour so keep a close eye on them.

The done temperature for chicken is normally 165°F but since these are chicken legs and have a lot more fat internally, we'll get better results by cooking these to 175-180°F.

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Tender and juicy!

I hope you have a Thermapen.. it's my instant-read thermometer of choice and it can read in about 2-3 seconds. This ensures that every piece of chicken is cooked perfectly and safely.

If you don't have one, you can check them out at https://www.smoking-meat.com/thermapen.

Sauce.. or not (your choice)

I love sauce on chicken to add another layer of flavor. If you also like sauce or want to try it, you can add it about 10-15 minutes before the chicken is finished cooking.

Just brush it on and after about 8-10 minutes flip it over and add another layer of sauce to the other side.

Let it caramelize in the heat.

I used a mustard sauce that I made from mixing equal parts yellow mustard with my original barbecue sauce  but you can also just use the original barbecue sauce by itself. Delicious stuff!

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Serve

Check the temperature of the chicken and when it reaches about 175-180°F, remove it from the smoker/cooker grate and serve immediately.

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Notes/Comments

I often have people ask me if they can brine overnight– a better option would be to brine for a few hours, rinse and pat dry then allow the chicken to air dry overnight in the fridge.

The next morning you'd only need to add rub and it's ready to be cooked. Of course, most of this is completely optional. If you're in a hurry, you can just purchase chicken, season it with my original rub  and toss it on a hot smoker grate and it will still be one of the best things you ever tasted.

Another question I get is how to get the best smoke in a ceramic cooker such as the Big Green Egg. The answer varies depending on the length of time you'll be cooking but for a short run like the smoked chicken legs, I use 2-3 small, completely dry wood chunks laid just off center so they get hot enough to smoke but not burn up quickly. That will provide plenty of smoke for the entire time they are in the smoker. For longer cooks, I mix wood chunks into the charcoal or I lay a larger split of wood off center, right on top of the charcoal.

4 from 1 vote

Hot Smoked Chicken Legs on the BGE

These hot smoked chicken legs do a better job of crisping the skin than you get cooking them low and slow in the smoker and they still end up pretty darn smoky.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 -12

Ingredients

Instructions

  • To make the brine for this chicken, combine ½ cup of kosher salt into ½ gallon of water and stir until the mixture is clear. Set this aside.
  • Place the chicken legs into a large plastic zip top bag and pour the brine mixture over the chicken to cover.
  • Place the bag of chicken into a mixing bowl and into the fridge for 4 hours.
  • Once the chicken is finished brining, rinse each piece under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Further dry the chicken skin by placing it on a paper towel lined sheet pan and into the fridge for a couple of hours. This helps the skin to end up a little more crisp.
  • Season the outside of the chicken with Jeff's original rub and it is ready to smoke.
  • Setup the smoker or grill for cooking at about 275°F.
  • Place the chicken on the grate and let it cook for about an hour or until it registers 180°F in the thickest part of the chicken. Note: chicken is safe to eat at 165°F however, chicken legs are often more tender if you cook them a little longer than what is required.
  • Make mustard sauce by mixing equal parts yellow mustard with Jeff's original barbecue sauce.
  • Brush on sauce during the last 10 minutes if desired

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4 from 1 vote

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7 Comments

      1. Rod, it never hurts to apply oil or something like mustard or mayo on the outside to help the rub to stick. That stuff is delicious and the more that sticks, the better the flavor will be.

  1. Hi Jeff,

    You mentioned making sure the legs are dry. Do you put anything on them before applying the rub (i.e. Mustard, oil, etc) or just apply it completely dry?

    Thanks,
    Kyle

  2. Been with your newsletter for a few years now, all I keep getting lately is the version to buy the recipes (rub and sauce) which I Already have. Not receiving the newsletter witout the ad anymore? Still love your products as well as my friends do. Some have made their own purchase and we all enjoy the competitions we do against each other. Personally I enjoy the cold ones that go with good friends and great BBQ. THANKS JEFF
    Chris in Minnesota

    1. Chris, I just checked and you are only being sent the customer version of the newsletter. Make sure you are reading the email version rather than the archived version on the website. The archived version on the website will contains the ads.

      Please verify this and if you are seeing something different, forward a copy of the email you are getting with ads and I will look into it further.