Smoked Falcon Legs
For the second home game of the season we invite the Falcons back into Raymond James Stadium. This game will be the unveiling of Chef Red’s new toy which is a seventeen foot long, ten foot tall, dual axel mounted cast iron smoker. This smoker will handle about 70 racks of ribs at one time and maybe even more.
The Krewe has nicknamed this monster smoker “Grillaneer.” So to christen the new toy we will smoke some good old chicken legs. These legs are brined given moisture to the chicken and then dry rubbed to add heat and flavor. Finally they are finished with great BBQ sauce to give them that glistening look. I usually use my homemade dry rub and BBQ sauce but any good store brand will be just fine.
So come one, come all and get your grill on this Sunday!!!
Ingredients
• 10-12 chicken drumsticks
• Brine (recipe follows)
• Plenty of your favorite dry rub
• BBQ Sauce (any good store bought works or homemade)
Brine:
• 8 cups water
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 orange sliced
• 1 lemon sliced
• 1 lime sliced
• ½ cup kosher salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander
Directions
In a large stock pot, bring all brine ingredients to a boil and stir until sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Transfer the mixture to a 1-gallon plastic container and refrigerate until completely cooled. Reserve about 1 cup of the brine in a spray bottle for later use. Once the brine has cooled completely, add the chicken for at least 6 or overnight.
Remove the chicken from the brine, pat dry with a paper towel, and discard the remaining brine. Coat the chicken with dry rub liberally and let sit for 1-hour before smoking. While letting the chicken rest heat up your smoker to 250 degrees using soaked hickory.
Once chicken has rested and the smoker is ready add the chicken and smoke for 2 to 2 ½ hours until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 to 180 degrees. During cooking keep the chicken moist by spraying the reserved brine on using a spray bottle every 30 minutes.
After about an hour and a half baste the chicken with the BBQ sauce every 20 minutes until done.
Once cooked fully remove the chicken from the grill and serve with your favorite sides. I prefer homemade coleslaw and BBQ beans.
* This recipe yields 8-10 servings. Make sure you increase all amounts equally when tailgating with more friends.
“Tailgate with attitude.”
Chef Red