How To Make The Best Buttery Maple Glazed Smoked Chicken Legs or Thighs In
September 14, 2024
, VA: My grandson thought he sh*t himself blind. No joke.
My grandson was home alone during the power storm. He went to the bathroom to go take a dump. At the exact same time he was pooping, he sneezed. Well, the power went out at that exact same moment. So everything went pitch black. He literally thought he sh*t himself blind.
He couldn’t see his hands. He panicked. He started yelling “Noooooooo, this can’t be true. This is not happening. Noooooooo.” In absolute terror, he started feeling around for the toilet paper.
After the task was complete, he just sat there on the toilet. He sat there thinking of how he would tell everyone he sh*t himself blind by sneezing and pooping at the same time.
After two of the most horrifying minutes of his young life, lightning struck outside. It lit up the hallway. He said seeing that lighting was the best damn feeling ever.
Y’all………..My grandson told me the story while we were smoking his favorite dish. Buttery maple glazed chicken thighs. We were several whiskeys in by the time he worked up the courage to tell me the story.
I Thought I Would Pee Myself Laughing
I had to share this with any and everybody. I don’t even have my grandson’s permission to share but I sure as hell hope he reads this 🤣.
Here is how to smoke buttery maple glazed smoked chicken legs or thighs.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb Chicken legs or thighs
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 gallon cold water
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup maple syrup (depends on how sweet you like it)
- Olive oil
- Bald Buck Rub: Bold Taste (For spicy, use the Slow Burn flavor)
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- Hickory wood or pellets
Instructions:
- Brine: Add your cup of salt and stir until the water is clear. Then add your cup of brown sugar and stir. Then add your chicken. Place in the fridge and let it brine for at least 8 hours (I prefer 24 hours).
- Pull the chicken legs out of the brine. Rinse them off and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Coat the chicken in olive oil.
- Season your chicken with Bald Buck Seasoning. Don’t go heavy handed with this stuff. 2 tablespoons per pound of chicken should be perfect.
- Let chicken marinate for at least 4 hours. However, the longer the better.
- Set your smoker to 225°
- After you’re rolling good smoke, put your chicken in the smoker.
- Wait for the chicken legs to hit 150°. Then, in a bowl combine your maple syrup, melted butter, and two tablespoons of Bald Buck Rub.
- Brush the chicken with the butter mixture.
- After 15 minutes brush the chicken again with the butter mixture.
- When the chicken hits about 170 at the thickest part, remove them.
- Let rest for at least 15 minutes and then serve.
Pitmaster Tips:
- I’ve been making these for a long time. I’ve learned if you can brine these bad boys for 24 hours, then do it. Brining for 24 hours makes these legs nice and juicy.
- The longer you let this marinate in Bald Buck Seasoning, the better. Marinate for a minimum of 4 hours. In my experience, 24 hours really does the trick.
- I remove the chicken at the 150° mark and place it on a medium-hot grill. I crisp up the skin a little and then mop the chicken with the butter mixture until the chicken is done. This is a little-known way of getting crispier skin.
- Bald Buck Seasoning is one of the best-kept BBQ secrets. It gives your meat this unique flavor people cant place their fingers on. A little of this stuff goes a long way so don’t be too heavy handed with it. 1-2 Tbsps per pound of meat is the winning ratio. There are a lot of YouTube videos on this seasoning but below is the best one.