Chicken Legs with Q View

[kj4gxu]

Well since I was at home yesterday afternoon and I just recently got my first smoker I decided I'd try some chicken legs since that was what I had in the fridge.  I'm keeping things fairly simple at this point focusing more on timing and temperature control.

Here are the legs before hand with just a little salt and pepper added.

From the opposite angle the smoke was invisible but from the back it's looks good to me.

About 30 minutes before removal (about 3 1/2 hours in the smoker at this point)

And finally plated up with some apples that I added to the smoker in the last 30 minutes after sprinkling with some cinnamon and brown sugar and a little bit of corn..

The chicken was cooked for 4 hours, the smallest pieces were just a bit dry but the rest of the chicken was very juicy, the wife and kids raved for it and the kids loved the smoked apples. 

My only complaint was that the skin on the chicken had a little crispness to it but it also had a slight leathery consistency.  Not sure if that's avoidable or not.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. 

I've got 2 racks of spare ribs which I'll be trimming up St. Louis style and a Pork Tenderloin that I picked up that will be checking into my MasterForge dual door smoker for a while. 

Seems like a good result for my second try at smoking, can't wait for the first Ribs and Tenderloin this weekend.

Anyone got any good techniques, rubs or recipes for the tenderloin?  Feeback on the above is also greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Eric

 

[pineywoods]

It looks good. I would suggest getting a meat thermometer to check the internal temps so you know when to pull things when they done but not over done. As for the skin I suggest either smoking at a higher temp personally I do poultry at around 300 degrees or crisp it on a hot grill or in a hot oven.

 

[kj4gxu]

I kept the temp at about 260, I did use a meat thermometer, the IT was right at 167 when I pulled it.

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Seems like you did a good job. Just make sure if you do Chicken and something else, Chicken on the bottom...

 

[smokinhusker]

Looks good and sound advice from others. Try brining the chicken first...

Here's a link to Chef Jimmy's Chicken Brine and Rub: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/118663/spatch-cock-turkey

As far as the Pork Tenderloin...those tend to dry out because they are so lean.

Here's a link for searching it: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/search.php?search=pork+tenderloin

and one for ribs: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/search.php?search=spareribs

Good luck and enjoy! Don't forget to give us some q view!

 

[red dog]

Sounds like you did pretty good job there Eric. Like the others I like using a higher temp (290-300)) for a shorter time. Also, basting with a mixture of butter and olive oil with some spices every half hour or so will help with the skin problem. You might not get crispy skin but it will be tender and tasty.