Tag: Smoked Chicken Thighs

I have to say that I have become quite addicted to smoking bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs on my Weber Smokey Mountain smoker. They’re crazy easy and a lot more forgiving than say brisket or pork butt. And when they’re on sale they’re a tremendous bargain. I can fill my freezer with delicious pulled, chopped or shredded smoked chicken for darned near nothing. This right here is my go-to method for awesome smoked chicken thighs. You can use boneless and/or skinless but the bones and skin keep them moist and add tons of flavor. I pull the meat away and just chop it for whatever I want, be it sandwiches, nachos, backed potatoes…

I do not sauce my thighs while I’m smoking them. Since I’m not sure exactly how I’ll use the meat I keep it ‘dry’. You can always add sauce later, but you can’t un-sauce it. Well, not easily that’s for sure!

I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites.

Weber Pecan Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Apple Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Cherry Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

If you prefer your chicken thighs cooked over charcoal, try my grilled sweet-n-spicy chicken thighs. Or go big and make my whole smoked turkey on a WSM (or any smoker for that matter).

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Awesome Smoked Chicken Thighs

This right here is my go-to method for awesome smoked chicken thighs.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken thighs, smoked

Prep Time 12 hours hours

Cook Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 14 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 5235kcal

Ingredients

• 5 pounds chicken thighs family pack, bone in, skin-on
• brine see below
• Your favorite chicken seasoning

For the brine

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup apple juice
• 12 ounces Sprite
• ½ cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Place chicken into a large resealable container.
• Whisk together the brine ingredients until the salt has dissolved. Pour over the chicken.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Fire up your smoker for 225 F cooking. Use whichever wood you prefer (I went with apple).
• Remove chicken from the brine and rinse with cold water.
• Pat dry then sprinkle liberally with the rub on both sides.
• Tuck the skin underneath of the thighs and transfer to the smoker.
• Smoke for 2 hours or more until the internal temperature has reached 165 F.
• If you wish to sauce your thighs do so in the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Notes

Smoked skin-on thighs will not have a crispy skin because of the low cooking temperature. I prefer to remove the skin, pull the meat away from the bones and chop for sandwiches.

Nutrition

Calories: 5235kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 370g | Fat: 377g | Saturated Fat: 102g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 2223mg | Sodium: 58390mg | Potassium: 4995mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 1804IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 277mg | Iron: 17mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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