Smoked Chicken Thighs

By: Lou • In: Entrees • Cuisine: American

Over the past few years, we have really come to enjoy smoking meats at home. We started by using our outdoor wood-burning oven (Pizza Oven), and eventually got a dedicated smoker.

When people think of a smoker things like brisket, ribs, and pulled pork immediately come to mind. However, one of the things we enjoy most is these smoked, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. They are so easy to cook this way and they come out juicy and delicious.

The inspiration for this recipe came from Jeremy Yoder (Mad Scientist BBQ)

Jeremy’s video on how he prepares his smoked chicken thighs can be found here:

Ingredients

  • Chicken Thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
  • Rub (Clucker Dust, SPG, or your favorite for chicken)
  • Olive Oil (optional)

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: 

Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees.

Step 2:

Remove the chicken thighs from the package and place them skin side down on paper towel to dry the skins. If there is excessive skin or skin flaps you can trim it off if you like but it isn’t necessary. Season the meat side with the rub of your choice. You can also brush or spay olive oil on the skin side to help it crisp up if you like.

Step 3:

Place the chicken thighs in your smoker with the skin side facing the heat source. I have a vertical smoker with the firebox at the bottom so I place my thighs skin side down.

Step 4:

Smoke the thighs at 225 degrees for one hour. Then turn up your smoker to 350 degrees and smoke them for another hour. The thighs should be done at this point with an internal temperature of about 195 degrees when probed. The skin should be crispy and the meat should be tender and juicy. If you want your chicken skins extra crispy you can throw them on a grill or broil them for a minute or two.

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