Try these super tender and seasoned smoked chicken drumsticks if you need an easy recipe for a large group or to meal prep for the week. Learn how to properly season chicken drumsticks / legs for the grill with a wet brine or even season with just a one-ingredient marinade.
Why smoke chicken & other meat?
Smoking meat has been a constant cooking method for generations and was initially used to preserve meat for extended periods of time. This process is useful and adds an earthy, smokey flavor to dishes like smoked beef ribs, smoked turkey legs, smoked salmon, and smoked chicken thighs.
Chicken is one of the most popular meats to smoke because the low and slow process produces a smokey and tender cut of meat. For an easy game-day dish, we love making smoked chicken legs.
Type of chicken we use
We use pasture-raised, organic chicken for all of our chicken recipes for sustainable and health preferences. We’re able to find pasture-raised chicken legs at local stores, like Sprouts, or online from meat delivery farms.
Pasture-raised chicken tends to have a leaner consistency and smaller size. The chicken legs we used for this recipe were around 6 oz each. If you’re using commercial brands of chicken legs that are larger (or smaller), make sure to adjust the wet brine servings to account for the difference in size. You’ll want to make sure the brine fully covers all the drumsticks.
Ingredients in this chicken leg recipe
This smoked chicken drumstick recipe uses a wet brine before smoking to keep the meat tender during cooking and ensure it’s evenly seasoned throughout each piece. The wet brine is similar to our traditional chicken brine. Here is how we season our chicken legs:
- Kosher salt and soy sauce add salinity to the chicken and tenderize the meat. The soy sauce gives it an extra umami layer, too.
- Dark brown sugar balances the brine’s saltiness. If you want to use a different sugar, you can use honey, maple syrup, or agave.
- Garlic cloves add a welcoming strong hit of aromatics. You can also use ginger.
- Fresh lemon wedges add acidity and citrus flavor to the chicken and help tenderize the meat. You can also use limes.
- Herbs of thyme, rosemary, and oregano bring a fresh and earthy aroma. Feel free to add your favorite fresh herbs, like marjoram, tarragon, or dill.
- Other spices like bay leaf and black peppercorns bring a gentle spiciness.
Easy marinade alternative: miso paste
We get it. Sometimes, making a wet brine can be a pain. So we made it even easier with this optional marinating method, which uses just one ingredient: red miso. Miso brine gives the smokey drumsticks a flavor full of umami goodness. Make sure you use red miso, as other varieties might have a different salinity level. For example, white miso has a salinity level from 5-7%, whereas red miso can be between 10-20%. We used Hikari organic red miso from our local Asian grocery store.
- Dry off your drumsticks thoroughly with paper towels and coat each leg with a thin layer of red miso. Make sure to put the miso under the skin for better contact. Using your hands is the best way to coat the chicken, but we recommend using gloves, too.
- Place the miso drumsticks on a wire rack-lined sheet pan in the fridge uncovered for 4-12 hours–more time for larger legs. Our drumsticks were about 2 ½ inches at the thickest part, and four hours of brining was plenty. If you have smaller drumsticks, three hours can be enough to brine the chicken.
- Bring to room temperature on the counter before smoking
Brushing on BBQ sauce for more flavor
While these smoked chicken drumsticks are full of flavor due to the brining methods, you can also brush on your favorite BBQ sauce as they smoke for extra flavor. Some of my favorite types of BBQ sauce are Bachan’s Japanese BBQ Sauce and this easy glaze from our Filipino pork BBQ skewers recipe.
Type of wood pellets to use
If you’re smoking any type of poultry like chicken or turkey, we recommend using varieties like pecan or maple because they don’t overpower the meat. For example, we use pecan wood pellets for smoked chicken thighs, smoked turkey breast, and smoked turkey legs. You’ll want to avoid more potent, smokier varieties like hickory or mesquite. Learn more about the best wood varieties to use for smoking meat.
Tips for successful smoked drumsticks
Here are some tips to get perfectly seasoned and tender smoked chicken drumsticks:
- Brine the drumsticks for at least four hours (and up to 12 hours) to infuse lots of flavor, tenderize the meat, and season thoroughly. You can smoke chicken drumsticks without marinating, we found that the meat doesn’t effectively get seasoned without brining it ahead of time.
- Smoke the legs at 275°F until the chicken reaches 145°F internally, then bump up the heat to 350°F to finish caramelizing the skin until the legs reach 175°F at the thickest part of the meat.
- Rest the drumsticks on the cutting board or sheet pan for 10 minutes after removing them from the smoker. This rest period helps keep the chicken moist–and you won’t burn yourself eating it.
Smoked Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
Ingredients
Wet brine
- 3 lb chicken drumsticks
- 6 tbsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand preferred
- 2 c water
- 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 6 garlic cloves smashed
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh oregano
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 3 c cold water
Other ingredients
- neutral oil
- BBQ sauce optional
Equipment Used
- measuring cups and spoons
- paper towels
- Small saucepot
- spatula
- large food storage bowl with lid (or mixing bowl with plastic wrap)
- cooling rack and sheet pans
- tongs
- brush
- Smoker grill
- wood pellets
Instructions
Brine & dry rub
- In a pot, combine the 6 tbsp kosher salt, 2 c water , 3 tbsp dark brown sugar , 3 tbsp soy sauce, 6 garlic cloves, 1 lemon, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary , 4 sprigs fresh oregano , 1 dried bay leaf, and 1 tsp black peppercorns.
- Bring to a boil over high heat and let simmer for one minute. Stir occasionally so that all the sugar dissolves.
- Bring the pot off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the brine into a large mixing bowl and add the 3 c cold water . Cool the brine on the counter (or pop it in the fridge) until it’s cool to the touch.
- Gently add the 3 lb chicken drumsticks in the brine and make sure all the chicken is covered.
- Cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Brine in the refrigerator for at least four hours or preferably overnight, but not more than 12 hours.
- After brining, transfer the drumsticks on a wire rack-lined sheet pan on the counter and let them come to room temperature.
Smoking
- Preheat the smoker to 275°F.
- Dry the drumsticks with paper towels and lightly coat with neutral oil.
- Smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 °F. Turn the drumsticks occasionally to prevent burning.
- Raise smoker temperature to 350°F.
- Baste on BBQ sauce if desired and continue to cook until drumsticks reach 175°F internally.
- Transfer the drumsticks onto a sheet pan. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes and then serve.
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