bone-inskin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks, or a combination of both
seasoning salt
barbecue sauce
Equipment needed:
chimney style charcoal starter that does NOT have a meltable handle
lump charcoal or briquettes
grill basket top half or a small toaster oven rack
chunks of hickorybe sure the chunks are large enough that they will not fall through the rack you use., mesquite, or apple wood, soaked in water for several minutes
a large gas or charcoal grillor both!
Instructions
Sprinkle the chicken pieces moderately on all sides with seasoning salt. Set aside.
To Smoke the Chicken:
Set the charcoal starter to the side in an unheated grill and close the lid to be sure you can. If necessary, remove one grill rack from the grill so it can set down further into the grill and the lid can close completely. Fill the chimney starter half full with lump or briquette charcoal. Wad the underside of the chimney starter with a paper grocery bag and light it. Put it in the grill in the place you determined would be best. Let the charcoal turn glowing and white before placing the rack on top and positioning the soaked wood chunks over it.
Arrange the chicken pieces on the grill to the side of the chimney starter without touching it and close the grill. The smoke stack on the grill should be about 3/4 closed. Open the grill and rotate the chicken pieces every 20 minutes to ensure that each one receives equal smoke, smoking for a total of 2 hours. If you find your hardwood chunks deplete too quickly, you can add another in the process. We did not need to do so.
If you are lucky enough to have a separate grill, heat it to low now. If you only have the one grill, remove the chicken and heat it to low or build a bed of low coals in the grill. Place the chicken on the racks and grill for 20 minutes, flipping as necessary to stop flare-ups from the fat that rendered out while smoking. After 20 minutes,work in a sequence and brush with your favourite barbecue sauce. Immediately after brushing all the pieces, flip the chicken and begin your sequence again, brushing each piece. Continue the flip-and-brush sequence for 10 minutes, until you have a thick, sticky layer of caramelized sauce. When it reaches this stage, quickly transfer from the grill to a serving plate.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.