Pellet Smoked Chicken Legs
Summer barbecues must have chicken legs coated with delicious sauce. But have you ever tried smoked chicken legs? It only takes about 2 hours to get some smoke into the meat and then you can finish them off over the fire of your grill. This is a simple recipe with a short prep time and best of all chicken drums are low cost. This recipe uses several different commercial rubs that you can find online or you can make your own rub or seasoning. And for the BBQ sauce, this recipe uses combination of Stubbs and Sweet Baby Rays. And you can always skip on the sauce if you prefer dry rub style.
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 5.25 lb chicken legs
- 1 tsp yardbird rub
- 1 tsp holy voodoo rub
- 1 tsp trager chicken rub
- 1 cup BBQ sauce (1/2c Stubbs sticky sweet, 1/2c Sweet Baby Rays Original)
Directions
First, spray down all sides of the chicken legs with duck fat. This will help the rub stick to the skin and it will help turn the skin nice and dark. Next apply the dry rub on all sides.
Heat up your pellet smoker at 240F using pecan, hickory or mesquite pellets. When the smoker reaches temp, place the chicken legs on the top rack. Cook the legs for one hour then spay them with duck fat. Flip them over and spray the other side. Cook for another hour or until the legs hit around 163F.
This step will hot cook the skin to tighten it up. If you have a grill, preheat it to a medium temperature or around 425F. Add the chicken legs and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Apply BBQ sauce to all sides then continue to cook uncovered. Flip them occasionally and apply more sauce until they reach about 175F. Remove them from the grill and let them rest 5 minutes before eating.
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Loaded Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
Loaded Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
If you ever needed a crowd pleasing hearty breakfast this is your new go to recipe. You can’t beat the combination of bacon, eggs, cheese, potatoes oh and some veggies to keep things healthy. You can prep some of the steps ahead of time and it uses frozen tater tots so no need to thaw them out. So if you are planning a holiday get together or a just because drinking night this breakfast will set you right the next day!
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 32oz tater tots
- 12 oz bacon
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese
- 3 green onions
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 12 eggs
- 1/2 cup half n half
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Directions
First, slice the bacon into bits and fry it in a skillet on medium heat. When the bacon grease starts foaming and the bits are turning brown, remove the bits with a slotted spoon and place them on layered paper towels. Carefully remove most of the bacon grease and leave about 3 tablespoons in the skillet.
While the bacon is cooking, hand shred the block of cheddar cheese. Dice the green onions, red bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper. Set aside a few of the diced green onion ends for later as a topping.
Add the onion and peppers and cook in the remaining bacon grease for about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until it is wilted. Remove everything from the pan with a slotted spoon.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt and pepper. Next add the half n half and whisk for another minute. Stir in all of the spinach, peppers and onions from the pan. Stir in half of the bacon bits and half of the cheese leaving the rest aside as a topping.
Spray a 9 x 13 dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place a layer of frozen tater tots on the bottom of the dish. Pour the egg mixture over the tater tots, spreading the veggies and cheese out evenly.
Bake in the oven at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and add the remaining cheese. Cook for another 5 minutes then remove the dish once again. Apply the remaining bacon bits and green onions evenly on top. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes then serve.
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Smoked Beer Can Chicken
Smoked Beer Can Chicken
Beer can chicken a.k.a drunken chicken is a fun and easy cook on your smoker or grill. You just need to make sure you have enough clearance to close the lid over a chicken that is going to be standing up. If you want to avoid knocking over the chicken while it’s balanced on a beer can, purchase a cheap beer can holder rack. These come in various sizes so you can get a single or double holder. If you are going to smoke the chicken, you can do low and slow 235F – 250F for around 4 – 5 hours. The skin will be a bit rubbery but you can sear it on high heat at the end of the smoke. For this recipe we’ll run a little hotter at 300F for about 3 1/2 hours. This makes the skin more crispy but gives enough time for some smoke flavor. If you cook this on a grill, it should be done indirectly. For flavoring, this recipe adds herbs and garlic to the beer cans. But you can use citrus or chili peppers or whatever you like.
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 2 whole chickens
- 2 cans of beer
- 4 garlic cloves
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 6 sprigs rosemary
- 4 sprigs sage
Directions
First, let’s get the most difficult step out of the way. Drink 2 cans of beer. Next use a can opener to remove the tops of the cans. After the tops are removed, add beer until each can is 1/4 full. Next rough cut the garlic cloves into chunks and add them and the herbs to the cans.
Next, remove the chicken from any packaging and dry off the skin with paper towels. Spray the skin on all sides with duck fat and this will help give the chicken a nice golden color. Season all sides of the skin and the inside cavity with your favorite BBQ seasoning. If you don’t have any favorites, a simple salt, pepper, garlic and paprika combo will do.
Preheat your smoker with pecan or hickory wood at 300F. You can use a lower and slower temperature (235F -250F) to get more smoke but the skin will come out less crispy.
When the chicken is seasoned, place the beer cans into the holding rack and slide the chickens over the beer cans. If you do not have a holding rack you can use a foil pan as a base and try to carefully move everything into the smoker. If you are going to use a wireless (or wired) temperature probe, stick it in at the top of the breast near the neck and push it in downward (see video).
Spray the chicken every hour with duck fat to oil those birds up like they are getting a tan at Miami Beach!
When the top of the breast meat reaches 165F and the legs and thighs are 175F, remove the chickens from the smoker and let them sit for 5 minutes. Don’t tent the chickens with foil, it will keep the steam on the skin undoing your crisping efforts. Now you can carve the chickens or pull the meat off the bones for good pulled chicken.
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Grilled Romaine Lettuce
Grilled Romaine Lettuce
Grilled romaine has an excellent flavor and it compliments many dishes. Not only is it easy to make but it’s also quick to cook. You can put these on the grill while you cook some chicken or fish and have yourself an excellent meal combo. If you have leftovers, you can eat them cold the next day. And one thing you must do is add the grated cheese on top. That just takes it to another level!
Man That’s Cooking
Ingredients
- 3 romaine hearts
- 1 lemon
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 oz romano cheese
Directions
First, preheat the grill at a medium heat and clean the grill grates when hot.
Next, slice each heart of romaine in half lengthwise. Brush both sides with olive oil. Salt the inside with kosher salt.
Place each romaine half open side down onto the grill and cook for 5 minutes with the lid open. After 5 minutes, flip over all romaine hearts and cook for another 5 minutes. Use tongs to check for softness and remove the romaine hearts when they become less stiff.
Squeeze some lemon on the inside area of the romaine hearts. Sprinkle with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Finally, top with fresh grated Romano cheese.
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