How to Smoke Leg Quarters Correctly and Easily?

July 3, 2024

Here are some easy smoking tips to help us smoke delicious leg quarters with smoky flavor.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT WOOD TO SMOKE LEG QUARTERS ON

The best wood to smoke leg quarters is the hardwoods such as hickory, oak, or apple wood in that these woods can infuse a rich and smoky flavor into the chicken meat;

How can we smoke the smoky leg quarters?

The answer is to choose the right wood to smoke.

CONTROL THE RIGHT SMOKING TIME

We may know that the temperature of our smoker decides how long we should smoke the leg quarters. Generally, we need to smoke them for about 2 or 3 hours under the temperature from 225-250°F, this temperature range allows the meat to cook slowly and absorb the smoky flavor without becoming overcooked or dry; but we need to ensure that the internal temperature of leg quarters smoking reaches 165°F, or we will suffer from under smoking or over smoking results.

HOW CAN WE CONTROL THE SMOKING TIME PRECISELY FOR LEG QUARTERS

We need to use a reliable kitchen timer to control and remind us the smoking time precisely for smoking leg quarters.

We do not suggest to using cellphone timer as the kitchen timer because of its distraction of endless cellphone notifications.

JIMUTO digital timer JDT-303 is highly recommended for its solid quality and super easy-to-use features:

countdown & count-up, 3 brightness modes, 3 volume levels, 4-inch LED display screen, mirror surface, eco-friendly materials;

HOW TO KNOW IF THE INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OF LEG QUARTER SMOKING REACHES THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE?

If we want to know and ensure the internal temperature of leg quarter smoking reaches the right temperature, let’s say 165°F, we need to use a reliable food thermometer throughout the whole smoking process.

JIMUTO instant read thermometer IRT-10 is highly recommended for its solid quality and super easy-to-use features:

arc design, fast & accurate temp reading, out of box, large LED display & easy temp reading, lock reading temp, max & min records, calibration, 2 placing methods, IPX7, eco-friendly, bottle opener.

BRINE THE LEG QUARTERS CORRECTLY BEFORE SMOKING THEM

If we would like to keep and enjoy moist and flavorful leg quarters, we need to brine them before smoking them correctly. We can brine them simply with tap water, salt water, sugar water or other herbs and spices based on our own flavors, but please do not over brine them or make them too salty, sweet or spicy, or the chicken meat flavor will be covered or even destroyed.

Besides, if we like adding extra flavors, we can marinate the leg quarters with some marinades such as BBQ sauce and soy sauce before smoking them.