Smoked Chicken Legs

Step 1

Combine brown sugar, salt, and 6 cups water in a bowl. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved

Step 2

In a large resealable bag (or several) or a large bowl (or several), add your raw chicken legs and then divide the brine between the containers. Add additional water to the bowls or bags until the chicken is mostly covered by water.

Step 3

Allow the chicken to sit in the brine for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.

Step 4

Combine all the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.

Step 5

Once the chicken has sat in the brine for 2 hours, remove it from the liquid and pat dry.

Step 6

Pour the olive oil over the chicken and then rub with your dry rub mixture. I like to separate the skin from the meat just a little and get oil and seasoning in-between the two, as well as over every side.

Step 7

Get your smoker started smoking/heating up. I tend to use dry hickory wood chips, but you use whatever wood chips you like.

Step 8

Once your smoker is hot, place the chicken legs on the racks and allow them to cook for 2-3 hours.

Step 9

The chicken legs need to get to an internal temperature of 165°F to be safe to eat. Once the chicken reaches 155°F I will usually remove them from the smoker and put them in a preheated 400°F oven for 5-10 minutes- or until it reaches 165-170°F. This allows the chicken skin to crisp up nicely wile reaching the final temperature.

Step 10

Enjoy!