Smoked Chicken Thighs (Juicy with Crispy Skin)

Juicy smoked chicken thighs - cross section showing moist meat and crispy skin.

Smoked Chicken Thighs (Juicy with Crispy Skin)

Smoked chicken thighs with juicy meat and crispy skin. We recommend that you use hickory or applewood and make sure you have enough fuel for about 45 minutes of smoking.

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 55

Servings: servings

Calories: 232kcal

Author: Milena Perrine

Ingredients

6 boneless skin-on chicken thighs*
¼ cup kosher salt
½ cup dark brown sugar
4 cups water 2 cups cold water and 2 cups (heaping ice)
BBQ seasoning/dry rub to taste use your favorite or simply salt and pepper

Instructions

To make a brine combine the salt and dark brown sugar with 1 cup cold water in a saucepan. Bring to simmer and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. In a non-reactive bowl combine the remaining 1 cup water with the 2 cups of ice. Pour the hot solution over the iced water and stir.
When the brine is cold add the chicken thighs, cover and soak refrigerated for up to 12 hours. Around 8 hours is ideal.
Remove the thighs from the brine and discard it. Pat dry the chicken with paper towels. (Do not rinse with water). Season with BBQ rub or simply salt and pepper, to taste.
Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions with charcoal and hickory or applewood chunks. When the temperature in the smoking chamber is in the 275-300 F range, place the seasoned chicken thighs on the rack or directly onto the grate, near the heat & smoke source.
Maintain the smoker temperature near 300 F and smoke the thighs until their internal temperature gets to 165 F. This will take about 35-45 minutes. The skin should render its fat and become crispy.**

Notes

The brine this recipe yields is enough for 8-10 chicken thighs.

*If all you can find are bone-in chicken thighs it is very easy to remove the bone yourself. (Consult visual steps in the body of the post). Flip a thigh skin side down. Locate the bone and while holding on to the top end of it make two incisions on each side to seprate it from the meat. Then slide the knife underneath the bone and around its base. Gently pull the separated bone to detach from the thigh.

**You need 300 F or very near that in order for the fat to properly render and the skin to become crispy. Lower smoker temperatures will result in rubbery, chewy skin. Do your best to maintain 300 F.

If the skin is not crisp enough to your liking once the thighs have reached 165 F, you can place them skin side up under a broiler for a couple of minutes (watch them closely so they do not burn).

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