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.
Course Entree
Cuisine Hot Smoking
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Servings 8-12
Author Jeff Phillips
Ingredients
8-12or more chicken legs
Jeff's original rub
Jeff's original barbecue sauce
Yellow Mustard
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