Here's how we got there.
Thanks to Kosmo for making competition chicken easier to produce and win with on a consistent basis, and enshrining backyard cooks as neighborhood legends everywhere.
INGREDIENTS
Chicken drumsticks
Fire Dancer BBQ's Chicken Rub
Distilled water
Big Poppa's Desert Gold rub
Butter
Dub Shack BBQ’s The O.G sauce (optional)
STEP ONE. Chicken drumsticks are generally cheap and something we all can get behind at the tailgate: You've got a leg dripping with barbecue sauce, and a bone in one hand to balance with the beverage in the other. Open the package and put all of the legs into a zip loc bag. Add Chicken Rub and distilled water to the bag, shake the mixture around, and set in a pan for two to four hours just in case the bag's contents decide they've had enough and leak out.
STEP TWO. After those three hours, remove the chicken from the bag and position in the bottom of the same pan adding Desert Gold to the bird. Slice that stick of butter into eight tablespoons and nestle them at different points of the chicken to where an even cook is ensured. Don't forget to cover the top of that aluminum pan. For those who struggle with bite-through skin, this is the tip. Place the covered pan onto your smoker at 275 and let it work for the first hour.
STEP THREE. Check the chicken using your thermometer after the first hour. If it is at or around 175, you may uncover the pan and let it play in the butter and rub mixture for another hour before pulling off the smoker. The problem I have had is a minor one where the meat falls off the bone: Yes, it means I overcooked the chicken. In most instances, it was only one or two drumsticks from the original package, and the others were fine.
STEP FOUR. This is completely optional, but you can either dunk the chicken or simply use a brush to drizzle the sauce and return to the smoker to tack up. Afterwards, return to the serving block to rest and for the juices to redistribute throughout each piece before serving. Enjoy!
My thoughts: I did this as a trial run for my crew two months ago, and they absolutely LOVED them! Because I don't do competition barbecue (y'know, something to do with registration fees, the price to participate not only limited to the meat itself but also set up and the most myriad list of supplies, and having to submit PTO to compete among the best around here since most tournaments happen to fall on my scheduled weekends in the plant), I figured I had better hone my skills before I try to put the smoke in the air for the general public to enjoy. Shout out to those guys who were my taste testers that week, and to my family for consuming this version.
For the low, low price of $2.74, I'd dare say this is some tasty chicken.
Anyway, get out there and cook something awesome this weekend or whenever the opportunity to make superb barbecue presents itself. As the Reddies' football season draws to a close and likewise with the Tailgating For Everyone series in a few short weeks, this is the reminder that great food doesn't have to break the bank. Y'all be safe, be blessed, be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ!
