Smoked Chicken Quarters with Beer BBQ Sauce Glaze
Brined chicken leg quarters seasoned under the skin with rub butter, then smoked and glazed with beer barbecue sauce.
Servings 13 servings
Ingredients
Chicken and Rub Butter
- 10 lbs chicken leg quarters about 13 pieces
- 3 TBS Jeff's original rub
- 4 TBS butter melted
Basic Brine
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- ¾ cup brown sugar dark or light
Beer Barbecue Glaze
- 1 cup Jeff's original barbecue sauce
- ½ cup beer adjust for glaze thickness
Instructions
- Dissolve kosher salt in water, then stir in brown sugar until dissolved. Cover the chicken with the brine in a bag or lidded food-safe container and refrigerate for 2 hours. Drain the brine.
- Combine the melted butter with 3 tablespoons rub. Use a turkey baster to place some of the mixture under the skin at both the leg and thigh sections of each quarter.
- Prepare the smoker for about 240°F using pecan or cherry wood. Arrange chicken directly on the grate with about 1 inch between pieces.
- Smoke for approximately 2 1/2–3 hours, maintaining smoke throughout the cook.
- Mix 1 cup barbecue sauce with about 1/2 cup beer, adjusting the beer for the desired glaze thickness. Brush on at about 135°F internal and again at about 150°F.
- If desired, raise the smoker to about 265°F after the chicken reaches 150°F to help finish the skin. Continue until the thickest part of the leg or thigh reaches 165°F.
- Rest for a couple of minutes before serving.
Notes
The ingredient list says 1/3 can beer; the detailed glaze recipe gives 1/2 cup beer per cup sauce, which is the amount used here. The brine is optional. The source includes a raw-poultry rinsing step; it is omitted from the card to avoid spreading raw poultry juices.
Estimated servings: Estimate assumes one leg quarter per person from the source's roughly 13 pieces.