I’ve quite a few chickens but never really done just chicken thighs so this weekend I gave it a try. Picked up 12 thighs and started prepping them. It took me over 2 hours to prep all 12 but I can say it the last 6 went much faster then the first. Prep included removing as much fat as possible, cutting along side the bone to remove the artery and tendon. I removed the skin and scrapped all the fat off. Put a little poultry rub on the meat itself then wrapped the skin back on.
Then tried two different rubs. One was a "Sticky Pig" I like to use with Ribs and the other was a combination of Emeril’s original and season salt. The Emeril's was a bit bland for me but the grand kids seem to like it better.
I used hickory and some wild cherry for the fuel. Kept the smoker going between 285 and 325. When they hit 170 internal they got a thin coating of sauce. I let the sauce set up for about 15 minutes before pulling. I was nervous they would be a little dry since all the fat was removed but they were still very moist and good. Next time I think I won’t use any cherry, although the flavor was good it seemed to add too much of a mahogany color to the outside. Skin was a nice bite through and was cooked on well enough that it stayed in place on each bite. I'll do this again.
Then tried two different rubs. One was a "Sticky Pig" I like to use with Ribs and the other was a combination of Emeril’s original and season salt. The Emeril's was a bit bland for me but the grand kids seem to like it better.
I used hickory and some wild cherry for the fuel. Kept the smoker going between 285 and 325. When they hit 170 internal they got a thin coating of sauce. I let the sauce set up for about 15 minutes before pulling. I was nervous they would be a little dry since all the fat was removed but they were still very moist and good. Next time I think I won’t use any cherry, although the flavor was good it seemed to add too much of a mahogany color to the outside. Skin was a nice bite through and was cooked on well enough that it stayed in place on each bite. I'll do this again.
