Applewood-Smoked Chicken Thighs with Honey-Vinegar Mop

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Bone-in thighs take on clean apple smoke at 250°F for a couple of easy hours, then get brushed with a warm honey, cider vinegar and butter mop that sets into a sticky, tangy glaze. Pulled at 175°F internal, the meat is juicy and forgiving — the most beginner-friendly thing you can put in a smoker.

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lb)
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp coarse black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 3 apple wood chunks (or 2 cups apple wood chips)

Instructions

1. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking and bring it to a steady 250°F (120°C). Add 3 apple wood chunks to the coals, or a foil pouch of soaked apple chips on a gas or pellet unit, and wait until the smoke runs thin and blue rather than white and billowing.
2. Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels. Rub them all over with the yellow mustard — just a thin smear as glue — then mix the brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne in a small bowl and season the thighs generously on both sides, working a little under the skin where you can.
3. Lay the thighs skin side up on the smoker grate, spaced at least an inch apart. Close the lid and smoke undisturbed for 90 minutes at 250°F, resisting the urge to peek — every lid lift costs you about 5 minutes.
4. While the chicken smokes, warm the cider vinegar, honey and butter in a small saucepan over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until the butter melts and the mop is smooth. Keep it warm on the edge of the smoker or on the stovetop.
5. At the 90-minute mark, brush the thighs all over with the honey-vinegar mop. Close the lid and continue smoking, mopping once more after another 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of a thigh (not touching bone) reads 175°F (80°C) — usually 2 to 2 1/2 hours total.
6. For crisper skin, open the vents or raise the smoker to 400°F (200°C) for the last 5 to 8 minutes, brushing on a final coat of mop right at the end and watching closely so the honey does not scorch.
7. Move the thighs to a board or platter, tent loosely with foil and rest 10 minutes before serving. Spoon over any remaining warm mop.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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