Thu, Apr-04-13, 12:19
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Senior Member
Posts: 237
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Plan: No Sugar, No Starch Diet
Stats: 250/230/195
BF:38.5%/29%/25%
Progress: 36%
Location: Hot Springs, AR
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Smoked Chicken Legs
Some folks complain about the high cost of Low Carb food choices so I figured I would share my frugal find. I buy 10# frozen packages of chicken legs and thighs. They are available regularly here at extremely low prices at most all the grocery stores. About $6.00 for 10 lbs is typical but it may vary from $5.50 to $8.00. Hard to find anything else so cheap! I cook up big batches of them with my favorite seasonings in my electric smoker. My smoker will hold easily two of the 10# bags with a bit of space left over. I package the smoked legs/thighs into quart freezer bags and use them whenever I want a quick meal. Better if you take them out of the freezer the night before, then heat a couple minutes in the microwave.
I make up my own dry rub consisting of:
about a cup paprica
1/3 cup Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning
1/4 cup garlic powder
a couple TBS of cayenne
whatever else looks good at the time
I suspect most any seasoning mix that you like would work almost as well as the Creole seasoning, or you could just use 1/4 cup salt and 1/4 cup onion powder instead. I put the mix into a big shaker jar and keep it until used.
Cover the chicken quarters (leg & attached thigh) with the rub coating it totally (skin on). Don't be afraid to put LOTS of it on the legs. Place them on the smoker and cook at 215* for 4 hours. I prefer Manzanita chips for the smoke. Have used Hickory and Oak when the other was not readily available and its almost as good. Apple chips not as good to me.
(If you don't have a smoker you can boil the legs and thighs until they are almost, but not quite done, then coat them and place them on the Bar-B-Que to finish them up with some smoke chips on it.)
This is the mainstay of my low carb meat choices. When you reheat these in the microwave the smoke smells are enough to drive everyone within range nuts! My wife likes things super bland so I make up a special rub for her. I use the Paprica, onion and garlic powder, and salt with no spicy things in it at all, not even black or white pepper. Marinating those in lemon juice over night before cooking is helpful, but not essential.
Last edited by chuck41 : Thu, Apr-04-13 at 12:27.
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