...pun intended. Friend gave me A BUNCH of short thighs, 30 to be exact, as long as I would cook them for the gang. For those that don't know what a short thigh is, they're the ones without the back attached like a leg quarter has. At least that's what I grew up hearing. Anyway, I decided to brine them and smoke them. A few hours in a basic brine and then the rubs. Half got a Kansas City style rub and the other half got an all purpose rub. Into the refrigerator overnight last night.
Time to fire up the smoker with a mix of White Oak and Cherry. Rolling smoke.....just not the right smoke YET....
After an hour or so, the smoke looks better and the smoker is up to temperature at about 275℉-300℉. Needs to be hotter, but we got to eat sometime tonight. Can't see it, but there is smoke coming out of the stack. Instead of thin blue smoke, it's invisible clear smoke.
Time to cook.
Maybe a couple of hours or so at about 275℉-300℉ and they're ready for some sauce. Internal temps are right around 160℉. The KC rubbed thighs get a sweet red sauce and the all purpose rubbed thighs get a Carolina Sweet Heat sauce, both courtesy of Sticky Fingers. Yes, I took the easy way out. Pile on the wood, open all the doors and vents, and crank up the heat to about 375℉-400℉ to set the sauce, maybe 30 minutes at the most. Internal temps are now above 170℉, but hopefully nothing is ruined. By the way, I did leave a few thighs naked for the kids.
Next up is potatoes and onions for a side. Yellow potatoes are sliced about 1/2" thick and placed in a pot of water to start them cooking. I bring the pot up just to the point of boiling and then shut it off. Just leave the potatoes in the hot water for a while until the onions are ready. Vidalia onions are cut into chunks or wedges and put in a big skillet with EVOO and bacon grease. Now tell me, who doesn't keep a bowl of bacon grease in their refrigerator?
May not be the most healthy thing, but it adds a lot of flavor.
Let the onions soften a bit and then add the potatoes.
Let everything get happy and caramelized and crusty. Stir, but not too much or it will take forever to get crusty.
This is the color I'm looking for. Simply seasoned with coarse salt and fresh ground pepper.
So my wife always needs a vegetable, something green if you will. Well fresh local summer squash and zucchini are starting to become available. Cut them on the diagonal into 1/2"-3/4" slices and into a bowl to get tossed with EVOO and coarse salt & pepper. Put them on a pan and into a 450℉ oven just until they get soft and get a little color.
Well the gang's all here so let me go say the blessing and eat.
As a note, the chicken skin was sort of crispy, but tough. At least it was not rubbery. Hard to bite through so I need to work on that, probably higher cook temp to start? I believe thighs do better on a charcoal grill, but I don't have one big enough for 30. As for vegetables, I roast almost everything after tossing in EVOO and salt & pepper. Usually I roast in the oven, but I have been known to put whatever vegetable I'm cooking in an aluminum pan and put it on the smoker or just place it straight on the grill over hot coals to sear. I have tried to smoke vegetables not in a pan and they were not any good at all.
Time to fire up the smoker with a mix of White Oak and Cherry. Rolling smoke.....just not the right smoke YET....
After an hour or so, the smoke looks better and the smoker is up to temperature at about 275℉-300℉. Needs to be hotter, but we got to eat sometime tonight. Can't see it, but there is smoke coming out of the stack. Instead of thin blue smoke, it's invisible clear smoke.
Time to cook.
Maybe a couple of hours or so at about 275℉-300℉ and they're ready for some sauce. Internal temps are right around 160℉. The KC rubbed thighs get a sweet red sauce and the all purpose rubbed thighs get a Carolina Sweet Heat sauce, both courtesy of Sticky Fingers. Yes, I took the easy way out. Pile on the wood, open all the doors and vents, and crank up the heat to about 375℉-400℉ to set the sauce, maybe 30 minutes at the most. Internal temps are now above 170℉, but hopefully nothing is ruined. By the way, I did leave a few thighs naked for the kids.
Next up is potatoes and onions for a side. Yellow potatoes are sliced about 1/2" thick and placed in a pot of water to start them cooking. I bring the pot up just to the point of boiling and then shut it off. Just leave the potatoes in the hot water for a while until the onions are ready. Vidalia onions are cut into chunks or wedges and put in a big skillet with EVOO and bacon grease. Now tell me, who doesn't keep a bowl of bacon grease in their refrigerator?
May not be the most healthy thing, but it adds a lot of flavor.
Let the onions soften a bit and then add the potatoes.
Let everything get happy and caramelized and crusty. Stir, but not too much or it will take forever to get crusty.
This is the color I'm looking for. Simply seasoned with coarse salt and fresh ground pepper.
So my wife always needs a vegetable, something green if you will. Well fresh local summer squash and zucchini are starting to become available. Cut them on the diagonal into 1/2"-3/4" slices and into a bowl to get tossed with EVOO and coarse salt & pepper. Put them on a pan and into a 450℉ oven just until they get soft and get a little color.
Well the gang's all here so let me go say the blessing and eat.
As a note, the chicken skin was sort of crispy, but tough. At least it was not rubbery. Hard to bite through so I need to work on that, probably higher cook temp to start? I believe thighs do better on a charcoal grill, but I don't have one big enough for 30. As for vegetables, I roast almost everything after tossing in EVOO and salt & pepper. Usually I roast in the oven, but I have been known to put whatever vegetable I'm cooking in an aluminum pan and put it on the smoker or just place it straight on the grill over hot coals to sear. I have tried to smoke vegetables not in a pan and they were not any good at all.
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