Hickory-Smoked Brown Sugar Chicken Thighs

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Bone-in chicken thighs rubbed with brown sugar and smoked paprika, then cooked low and slow over hickory until they hit 175°F and pull apart at the bone. A cider vinegar spritz keeps them juicy and a quick brush of barbecue sauce at the end sets into a sticky glaze. It's the easiest way to get real smokehouse flavour without babysitting a brisket all day.

Ingredients

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

• 3 chunks hickory wood chunks (or 2 cups hickory chips)
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Instructions

1. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking and bring it to a steady 250°F (120°C), adding the hickory chunks to the coals or the soaked hickory chips to the smoker box. Aim for thin blue smoke, not thick white smoke, before the chicken goes on.
2. Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels and rub them all over with the vegetable oil. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne.
3. Season the thighs generously on all sides with the rub, working a little under the skin where you can. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes while the smoker settles.
4. Lay the thighs skin side up on the grate, spaced at least an inch apart, and close the lid. Smoke undisturbed at 250°F for 1 hour 30 minutes.
5. Pour the cider vinegar into a spray bottle (or use a basting brush) and spritz the thighs lightly. Continue smoking, spritzing every 30 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of a thigh, clear of the bone, reads 175°F (79°C) — usually another 45 to 75 minutes. Dark meat is best at 175°F, not 165°F, so don't pull them early.
6. Brush the tops with barbecue sauce and cook 15 more minutes with the lid closed to set the glaze into a tacky shine. For crisper skin, open the vents or add a few coals to push the smoker to 325°F (165°C) for those last 15 minutes.
7. Rest the thighs on a board for 10 minutes before serving, and spoon over any sauce left in the pot.
8. Rest the thighs on a board for 10 minutes, then serve with the remaining barbecue sauce.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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