Barbecuing Chicken Leg Quarters

I prefer barbecuing chicken leg quarters more so than the other parts of the chicken--especially the white meat (chicken breast). And, here are a couple reasons why I like barbecuing chicken leg quarters more than other parts of the yard bird:

1. The dark meat has more flavor than the white meat.
2. I am able to use my special dark meat secret marinade.

The secret that I am about to reveal to you will certainly set you apart from the rest of the humdrum (always the same old stuff) culinary crowd--and it's very simple to do. All it takes is brown sugar, salt, liquid smoke, a large nonreactive container, an indoor oven... and eventually a barbecue grill.

So, if you are ready... let's get started.

Ingredients

BBQ Chicken Quarters

• 10 lbs. chicken leg quarters (fryers)
• 4 oz. Colgin Liquid Smoke
• 1/2 lb. brown sugar (dark if you can get it)
• 1/2 cup salt

Instructions

1. remove skins from the chicken quarters (set aside)
2. clean and rinse chicken quarters under cool running water (leave wet)
3. put chicken quarters in a large non-reactive container (enamel, plastic, stainless)
4. in a small bowl add half the bottle of liquid smoke, brown sugar and salt, mix well
5. use clean hands to coat all of the chicken pieces thoroughly with the marinade
6. marinate the chicken quarters for 6 - 8 hours, re-coating the chicken every couple hours
7. when ready remove chicken quarters from the marinade
8. gently wash the marinade off the chicken using as little water as possible (don't overwash)
9. apply the remaining liquid smoke to the chicken quarters (even distribution)
10. place all the chicken quarters in a large roasting pan
11. set the oven at 275° F. and cook for 2 1/2 hours (lid on)
12. transfer the cooked chicken quarters to the barbecue grill
13. smoke the chicken quarters on low heat (away from the fire) for 30 more minutes

Note: It is important not to pressure wash the chicken quarters under the faucet after marinating because it will wash away all of the slightly sweet smokey flavor that we are trying to capture. Over washing defeats the purpose of marinating.

PS. If it's raining outside and you don't have access to a grill, just continue cooking the chicken leg quarters in the oven for about another hour. I promise it will still come out great.

PPS. What do I do with the chicken skins? Glad you asked. Follow this link: Cacklin Cracklins.

Bon appetite!
KT