Delicious chicken thigh meat, soaked in buttermilk to bring out the absolute most in flavor and tenderness, then dry brined with my rub followed by a bacon wrap and a couple of hours in the smoker create an entree that must be tasted to be believed.
Course Entree
Cuisine Hot Smoking
Prep Time 6 hourshours15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 2 hourshours
Total Time 8 hourshours15 minutesminutes
Servings 5-6
Author Jeff Phillips
Ingredients
10-12bonelessskinless chicken thighs
½gallonbuttermilk
Jeff's original rub
1lbbacon1 piece per thigh
Jeff's barbecue sauce
½cuporange juiceI use medium pulp
Instructions
Buttermilk Soak
Remove any extra, loose fat from meat
Place meat in bowl and cover with buttermilk
Cover and place in fridge for 4 hours
Remove from fridge and drain buttermilk.
Discard buttermilk
Dry Brine
Place single layer of meat into container
Sprinkle a generous coat of rub onto meat
Place another layer on top of the first
Sprinkle a generous coat of rub onto 2nd layer of meat
Repeat layers until all meat is coated with rub
Cover and place in fridge for 2 hours
Remove from fridge
Bacon Wrap
Stretch a piece of bacon until it is about 2x it's normal length
Wrap stretched piece of bacon around thigh
Lay on cookie sheet or Bradley rack
Smoking the Chicken Thighs
Preheat smoker to 240°F
Smoke cook with cherry wood for about 2 hours or until center of meat reads 165°F using a digital meat thermometer or Thermapen