Finger Lickin' Good BBQ Chicken

My second foray into smoking meat products came yesterday when I smoked some chicken legs and thighs.  I did 10 legs and 8 thighs, which was just about the maximum amount of food I could fit in my little smoker. 

To make this chicken, I did extensive research to determine the best cooking methods.  I went to roughly 8 websites before deciding on a cooking method.  Giving credit where credit is due, I found the brine and rub recipe at www.smoker-cooking.com, but I'll duplicate it here for 1 stop shopping. 

First I made the following brine...combine 1 gallon of boiling water with 3/4 cup of salt, 1/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons Paprika and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper.  Ensure the salt and sugar is dissolved before adding paprika and pepper.  This is enough for roughly 3-4 lbs. of chicken.  I made 2 batches of the brine.

For separated thighs and legs, they only need to brine for about 90 minutes, so after chilling the brine, add your chicken for 90 minutes or so.  There are suggestions online for brine times, so just dig around...you can find everything for cooking online.  I brined my chicken for 90 minutes.

After brining, I rinsed the chicken and dusted with the following rub:

2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon powdered cayenne pepper

While I was preparing all this, I was also preheating my smoker.  I got it to 240ish degrees Fahrenheit.  I loaded the chicken, and then added 2ish handfuls of hickory chips to the coals for the smoke.  The hickory chips had been soaked in water for 4-5 hours.  After about 45 minutes or so, I added another 2ish handfuls of hickory chips.  Total time on the smoker was 1 hour and 20 minutes, which got the chicken to 140 degrees.

Then, because we were hungry, I moved the chicken to my gas grill to finish.  I had the gas grill set to 350 or so, and I let the chicken go for another 30-40 minutes.  I was having difficulty with my meat thermometer, so I may have gotten the chicken past 180 degrees, but dark meat is flexible, so it was still juicy.  For the last 15 minutes on the grill, I was brushing with my homemade sauce, which let the sauce caramelize nicely.

I served the chicken with extra sauce for those who wanted more.  The chicken was moist and delicious.  The hickory smoke added just the right amount of flavor, the rub and the sauce came together nicely, and finishing on the grill was a good move as it allowed the outside of the chicken to crisp, while still keeping the inside moist.  I served 4 adults and 6 kids, and there was nothing left over.  I cannot wait to make this again...it was a lot of work, but very worth it.