Full Answer
What temperature do you smoke leg quarters?
Keep the smoker temperature between 225°F and 250°F. The temperature in the smoker is going to fluctuate a bit; just ensure when making this recipe that your smoker temperature doesn't go below 225°F and doesn't go above 250°F.
How long does it take to smoke chicken quarters at 225?
about 2.5 to 3 hoursAt 225 degrees Fahrenheit, you can expect to smoke your chicken quarters for about 2.5 to 3 hours. At 275-300 degrees Fahrenheit, you can expect to smoke your chicken quarters for 1.5-2 hours.
How long does it take to smoke chicken leg quarters at 250 degrees?
The quarters should be placed skin side up in the smoker and do not need to be turned while they cook. We recommend smoking chicken quarters at 250℉ (121℃) for an hour and a half or so until they have cooked all the way through and their internal temperature reaches 165℉ (74℃).
At what temperature are chicken leg quarters done?
170 degrees F.Chicken Leg Quarters and Half Chickens: They cook in about 30 to 35 minutes. Turn them often to prevent burning. They are done at an internal temperature of 170 degrees F.
What is the best temp for smoking chicken?
around 225 degreesThe best smoker temperatures for chicken are around 225 degrees. Preheat your smoker for even cooking. We'll start low, and heat it up later to crisp up that skin.
How long does it take to smoke chicken legs at 225?
How Long Does it Take to Smoke Chicken Legs at 225. It take approximately 60 minutes to smoke chicken legs at 225 degrees F. with an additional 10 minutes on high heat to sear at the end.
How do you get crispy skin on smoked chicken?
Cook at the right temperature When you roast chicken at higher temperatures, the fat in the skin renders faster and nicer—and that means lightly crispy, crunchy, brown chicken skins fresh out of your pellet grill. Smoke chicken between 275° F to 350° F in your pellet smoker until the internal temperature hits 170° F.
How do you keep chicken skin from getting hard when smoking?
Cook at Higher Temperatures First and foremost, smoke your chicken at higher temperatures. The ideal temperature to cook your chicken should be around 275 °F – 320 °F (135 °C – 160 °C). As you start to decrease temperature beyond this threshold, the skin will become rubbery.
Where do you put the temperature probe in a chicken quarter?
FOR POULTRY: Place in thickest part of breast since this area is easiest to overcook, while dark meat can handle being slightly overdone. AVOID BONE: Touching bone will give incorrect reading. Insert probe until you hit bone, then pull back about 1/4 inch.
What temperature do you cook chicken on a pellet grill?
Smoke at 225°F until the chicken breast reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. This should take about one hour total. Optional (recommended): If you prefer a slight crust on your chicken breast, smoke the meat at 225°F until it reaches an internal temperature of 115°F.
Is chicken done at 165 degrees?
Current federal recommendations list various safe cooking temperatures for poultry, including 180°F for whole chickens and 170°F for breasts. The USDA said it wants to clarify that the key temperature for safety is 165°F.
How do you cook leg quarters on a pit boss pellet grill?
Sear the leg quarters on all sides over direct flame until crispy and golden brown. Transfer to indirect heat and close the sear slide. Reduce temperature to 350° F and grill the chicken for 45 minutes, turning occasionally, until chicken registers an internal temperature of 165°F.
How long does it take to smoke a chicken at 225 degrees?
Place the whole chicken in your Traeger and cook at it at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-60 minutes. This low and slow start will let the smoke flavor penetrate the bird.
How long do you smoke leg quarters in an electric smoker?
Cook for from 1-1/2 hours to 3 hours, depending on your smoker temp. A leg quarter should easily separate into separate thigh and leg pieces easily when done. Although all parts of the chicken are safe to eat at 165 degrees, I shoot for an internal temperature of at least 175 degrees, up to 185 degrees.
How long do you smoke chicken quarters on a pit boss pellet smoker?
InstructionsPreheat the pellet grill to 275°F for 10-15 minutes.Mix all the seasoning ingredients. ... Place the quarters onto the pellet smoker grill.Smoke for 2-3 hours.When a meat thermometer reads an internal temperature to reach 165°F the chicken is ready.Remove from the grill and serve immediately.
How long does it take to smoke chicken quarters at 180 degrees?
Smoke the chicken for 1 1/2 to 3 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg quarter reads 180 degrees F. The temperature of the meat will increase 5 degrees after being removed from the smoker.
Factors that Can Affect the Smoking Time for Chicken Quarters
As I mentioned, various factors can either inhibit or catalyze the smoking of foods. One of this is the temperature. If the temperature is high, it is pretty obvious that the smoking will be completed at a faster rate. On the flipside, cooking on low temperatures will consume your time.
How Long to Smoke Chicken Quarters
Based on what I have discussed, it is pretty evident that there is no exact time for smoking chicken quarters or any other meat. The temperature and volume of ingredients will dictate the pace and duration. Most of the time, medium-sized families prepare around 3 pounds of chicken quarters whenever they will do weekend outdoor parties.
Conclusion
Again, let me tell you that there is no exact time for smoking food. The duration is dependent on multiple factors, after all. Despite this, learning how long to smoke chicken quarters is still essential. In this way, you can get a properly cooked smoked chicken quarters that are oozing with taste and aroma.
What exactly is a chicken quarter?
Meat cut naming conventions are often confusing, but luckily with chicken things are made a lot simpler. Breast, leg, and chicken thigh are all pretty self explanatory, and the same goes for chicken quarters.
Use a good BBQ rub
Behind all good smoked meat is a good rub. If you haven’t used one before, this is a simply a way of infusing an added bit of flavor onto the outside of your meat. It doesn’t tend to penetrate the surface of the flesh significantly (for that we use a marinade or brine), but can add a beautiful crisp and smoky flavor.
Sear it afterwards
Smoked chicken doesn’t have crispy skin. The low and slow cooking technique simply isn’t able to give chicken this finish.
How to brine chicken quarters
Meat brining is a process that helps us protect our meat against moisture loss, while also helping added flavors permeate the meat’s surface.
What wood is best for smoked chicken quarters?
Fruit-based woods tend to be popular for smoking chicken as it provides a light smoky flavor that complements chicken well.
Internal temperature for chicken quarters
When smoking you always want to gauge everything by internal temperature. For chicken quarters, we want to achieve an internal temperature of 165°F. This is at a sweet spot where it’s not so low that it’s unsafe to eat, while it’s not high enough to dry out or be rubbery.
How long to smoke chicken quarters?
Like with any form of cooking, this will largely depend on the size of your chicken quarters. More often that not however, this will be about 2 hours if cooking at 220°F. The important thing to keep in mind is that your chicken will only be considered ‘done’ once it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Pellets
Season that bird with Traeger Pork & Poultry Rub before Traegering. The sweet and savory spices form a delicious crust that complements the chicken with amazing flavor.
Tips From the Pros: How to Smoke a Whole Chicken
Follow this step-by-step guide for smoking whole chicken with tips on buying, prepping, brines, injections, rubs, smoking woods, and a time and temp guide.
The Recommended Chicken Done Temperature
My recommendation to users of this website is to follow the temperature guidelines provided by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
Determining a Safe Smoked Chicken Temp
Heat has a cumulative affect on bacteria, meaning more time at a lower temperature will still give you chicken that's safe to eat. In fact, if chicken reaches 136°F and is held there for 63.3 minutes, it will be safe, although I doubt that it would be appetizing.
Important! Check The Temperature In a Few Different Spots
Don't rely completely on your smoker's meat-temperature probe or your remote meat thermometer to determine when the time is right to quit cookin' the chicken.
Looking for more great chicken leg quarters recipes? Check these out
Don’t forget to check out my new smoked chicken halves recipe. Crispy-skinned, juicy, and smoky, served with a sweet and tangy apple cider vinegar sauce, it was an instant hit.
Smoked Chicken Leg Quarters
The best smoked chicken leg quarters recipe. No rubbery skin, juicy and delicious.
How do you create crispy smoked chicken skin?
When you smoke it, try raising the temperature to at least 350 degrees. Alternatively, after removing it from the smoker, place it under the broiler for 2-4 minutes. I just put rub or salt/pepper on the skin of my hens when I smoke them at 250 degrees. Crispy skin has never been a problem for me.
When you smoke leg quarters, what temperature do you use?
Sear the chicken quarters in two batches for approximately 2 minutes each side or until the skin is golden brown. Place the chicken skin side up in the smoker. Smoke for approximately 1.5 hours at 275 degrees Fahrenheit, or until the interior temperature reaches 185 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
In an electric smoker, how long do you smoke chicken leg quarters?
Smoke the chicken quarters for four hours, or until the thickest portion of the leg or thigh reaches 165°F.
At 275 degrees, how long does it take to smoke chicken leg quarters?
All the better if your smoker can reach temperatures of 250 to 275 degrees. The chicken skin will be more flavorful, and the smoking time will be reduced. Depending on your smoker’s temperature, cook for 1 1/2 to 3 hours. When finished, a leg quarter should readily split into separate thigh and leg sections.
How long do chicken thighs take to cook at 250 degrees?
The chicken should be smoked until it reaches 165 degrees F on a thermometer placed into the thickest portion of the thigh. Depending on the size of your thighs, this may take anywhere from 2 1/2 to 3 hours. A smoker temperature of 250 degrees F is required for this recipe.
When it comes to smoking chicken, how long does it take?
A full chicken takes around 3-5 hours to smoke, or 45 minutes per pound at 250 degrees F.
When smoking chicken, do you leave the skin on?
Normally, I remove the skin before smoking, mostly because I believe the skin never cooks well and remains rubbery at low temperatures. Plus, I figured that with the skin on, it would flavor (penetrate) the chicken less. I kept the skin on this time and put it skin up on the grills. It turned out a lot better than I expected.
