Smoked whole chicken and turkey legs

Introduce

Chef :

jason williams

Smoked whole chicken and turkey legs

Summer is now over and we realized it passed us by without using the smoker once. So we raided the freezer and found 2 whole chickens and a package of turkey legs... perfect to go along with college football and beers on a Saturday!

Ingredient

Cooking time :

3.5 hours

whole chickens 3-5 lbs each

1 package

turkey legs

orange

lemon

2 sprigs

rosemary

4 sprigs

tarragon

5 cups

sugar

3 1/4 cups

kosher salt

2/3 cup

chili powder

1/4 cup

onion powder

1/4 cup

garlic powder

1 teaspoon

cayenne pepper

dried bay leaves

1 tablespoon

chopped dehydrated onion

3 gallons

water

Cooking instructions

* Step 1

Combine 3 cups of kosher salt, 4.5 cups sugar, 6 bay leaves, 1 tbsp chopped dehydrated onions and 3 gallons water to make the brine. Soak the chickens and turkey legs in the brine and refrigerate over night or minimum 4 hours.

* Step 2

Make the rub. I used Myron Mixon's 'The only other barbecue rub you need' recipe. Combine 2/3 cup chili powder, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup onion powder, 1/4 garlic powder and 1 tsp cayenne pepper

* Step 3

Soak your choice of wood chunks in water (I used mesquite). Light the charcoal in the smoker. Slice up the orange and lemon into approximately 12 pieces each.

* Step 4

Rinse the chicken and turkey in cold water and pat dry.

* Step 5

Stuff each chicken with half an orange, half a lemon, 1 sprig rosemary and 2 sprigs of tarragon.

* Step 6

Cover the chickens and turkey legs on all sides with the rub.

* Step 7

Put the chicken breast side up and the turkey legs on the smoker. Smoke at 275° for 3.5 hours or until the white meat hits 160 and the dark reaches 180. Check the temp periodically and add more charcoal and wood chunks as needed.

Note: if there is a photo you can click to enlarge it

Tag

whole chickens 3-5 lbs each turkey legs orange lemon rosemary tarragon Sugar kosher salt chili powder Onion Powder Garlic Powder Cayenne Pepper dried bay leaves chopped dehydrated onion water

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