Award Winning Chicken Thighs

How to make Award Winning Chicken Thighs Recipe - Extraordinary BBQ Blog (Kevin Haberberger), Slabs A Smokin Competition BBQ Team

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Basic Chicken Rub (see below)
Your favorite barbecue sauce
Coca-Cola (optional)
Brown sugar (optional)

Brine Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup apple juice
1 can Sprite
1/2 cup Kosher or sea salt
1 tbsp pepper

Basic Chicken Rub Ingredients:
2 tbsp sea salt
1 1/2 tbsp granulated garlic
1 tbsp granulated onion
1 tsp ground thyme
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard

Method:
Brine chicken in ingredients listed above for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours.

Rinse with cool water and place on tray, skin side down. Combine all Basic Chicken Rub ingredients in a small bowl. Dust the underside of chicken with the rub. Let set while you prepare your smoker or grill for indirect cooking.

Roll chicken thighs so the skin is wrapped completely around, and as little of the meat is exposed as possible. Use a toothpick to hold in place. Sprinkle more rub all over.

Place the thighs on the grill as far away from the heat source as possible. At 225 degrees F, they will smoke for 2 hours.

While they are smoking, heat your favorite barbecue sauce in a small saucepan. If it’s thick sauce, thin it with Coca-Cola.

After 2 hours of smoking, bring your pot of thinned, hot barbecue sauce outside along with a trusty pair of tongs that will not pierce the meat. Dunk the thighs in the pot of sauce and return to the grill. Sprinkle the thighs with some brown sugar if desired.

After about 10 to 15 minutes the sauce should be caramelized and the thighs are ready. Let them rest for just a couple of minutes and dig in.