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Whole smoked chicken legs in dry rub and bbq sauce on a white tray.
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Smoked Chicken Legs

Juicy, flavorful whole chicken legs are seasoned with dry rub and smoked low and slow until tender, then glazed with BBQ sauce for a delicious finish if desired. Leftovers are great so do extra!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 55 minutes
Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 429kcal
Author: Sally Cameron

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ pounds whole chicken legs 4 pieces
  • 2 tablespoons dry rub
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • sea salt if not in your rub

Instructions

Prep chicken legs

  • Lay chicken legs top side down and trim any excess fat. Lightly coat them with your binder. If your dry rub doesn’t include salt, season the legs with salt, then apply the rub generously on both sides. Allow the chicken legs to stand for a 45-60 minutes at room temperature.

Prep the smoker

  • Fill the pellet hopper and preheat your pellet grill to 275°F. Make sure the grates are clean and lightly oiled or sprayed to prevent sticking.

Smoke the chicken legs

  • Place the chicken legs directly on the grates. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 175°F - 180°F, about 1½ - 2 hours. Measure with a digital thermometer.

When done (optional)

  • When you pull the chicken legs from the grill, glaze them with thinned bbq sauce if desired, using a basting brush or pastry brush.
    Note - you can also glaze them the past few minutes of smoking.

Notes

My dry rub recipe does not contain salt, for two reasons: first, I prefer to salt my meat separately for control, and second, some people are salt-sensitive or do not (or cannot) use salt. You  if use salt, try a smoked salt for more smoked flavor! 
Spices needed for my dry rub:
  • 4 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 3 tablespoons granulated garlic powder 
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons cumin
  • 1 ½ tablespoons coriander
  • 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
  •  1 tablespoon ground black pepper  
  •  1 teaspoon onion powder 
  •  ¼ - ½ teaspoon chipotle powder or cayenne pepper  

Nutrition

Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 192mg | Potassium: 408mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 233IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2mg