Slow Cooked Drumsticks, Thighs & Wings

An alternate to grilling chicken is cooking it slowly over a small bed of coals. This method will require a raised grate to give you some distance between the coals and the chicken. This method works best on drumsticks, thighs or wings. Breasts do not have enough fat content and can dry out.

Use only enough lump for 3 or 4 hours of burn time. In my Big Green Egg the lump is barely above the holes in the firebox. After lighting, spread out the coals to eliminate any hot spots. Allow your fire and smoke to settle down, and adjust your grate temperature between 225° and 250°. This will take 45 minutes to an hour.

Add chicken on the raised grate and turn every 20 minutes or so. (I start thighs skin down) When turning, rotate as needed to get even browning and crispness on the skin. In about 90 minutes, remove a wing for sampling. Thighs and drumsticks usually take me around two hours, but I monitor tenderness with a toothpick.

NOTES:
If you want to add sauce, do it during the last 15 minutes of the cook. For marinating, try oil based Italian salad dressing for several hours. For preparing whole wings click here.