Chicken legs on camp chef pellet grill

Easy Smoked Chicken Legs that are moist & full of flavor, all with a handful of pantry ingredients in 2 hours! Simple recipe for smoking chicken drumsticks during your next BBQ. Perfect recipe to start learning how to use your electric pellet smoker!

Moist & Flavorful Smoked Drumsticks

When I began smoking meat, I simply wanted easy recipes to feed my family. I love the incredible flavor a smoker adds to foods and the process of cooking meat slower also yields very tender meat, which we love! Smoked drumsticks are one of the fastest meats you can cook on the smoker, as they’re ready to eat in just a couple hours. Brining the meat adds next level flavor and yields the juiciest chicken legs you’ll ever eat!

Generally speaking, most people don’t cook chicken on the smoker because it’s easy to dry the meat out. However chicken drumsticks are a bit different. They’re a dark meat section of the chicken and because of the bone, they need to cook longer. I found this to be one of the easiest meats to smoke because it only took a couple hours and the results were fantastic. The meat was super moist and had a great smoke flavor that complimented the barbecue sauce perfectly. We used “Traegercue” sauce with has a lot of fruity flavors, which were great in this dish.

I opted to brine my chicken beforehand which just increases flavor and moistness. Don’t be afraid of brining! My recipe calls for just 4 incredibly simple pantry ingredients and takes just 4 hours. You can prep dinner after lunchtime and it will be fantastic!

Why brine chicken legs before smoking?

Brining chicken legs prior to smoking locks in flavor and moisture.

What ingredients do you need for chicken brine?

Here’s what we use in our chicken brine: 8 cups water, 1/4 cup salt and 2 teaspoons each onion powder, garlic powder and rubbed sage. That’s it!

What do you brine chicken in?

Since we were just brining chicken legs, we used a large glass bowl and covered it with plastic wrap while the chicken brined in the fridge.

How long should you brine your chicken?

Chicken legs are sufficiently brined in 4-6 hours.

Should you rinse chicken after brining?

Yes! Brine is incredibly salty and the chicken has absorbed enough through the process. A quick rinse in the sink is perfect.

How to Brine Chicken Legs

• 8 cups water
• 1/4 cup regular table salt (or any type of salt you prefer!)
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp rubbed sage
• 14 raw chicken drumsticks

1. Combine 8 cups water with 1/4 cup salt and seasonings. Place chicken legs in a large container and pour brine on top.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
3. Pour brine out and rinse chicken. Pat dry and proceed with recipe.

When Your Ready to Begin Smoking the Chicken

Here’s what you’ll need to do to BEFORE you cook your chicken legs on the smoker:

1. Make sure your smoker is clean and plugged in. Scrape the cooking grates inside if needed.
2. Add pellets to the hopper. We use a Traeger, which is an electric pellet smoker that takes pre-made smoker pellets. You’ll need to add 4-5 cups of pellets to the smoker for it to begin heating. We use the Traeger Signature Blend of pellets, but you can also use Applewood or Hickory pellets.
3. Set your smoker to “Smoke” then once it begins smoking, set it to 275°F and let it preheat.

How to Smoke Chicken Legs

• 14 brined drumsticks, rinsed & patted dry
• 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce

1. Place rinsed & patted dry chicken on smoker and cook for 1.5 hours.
2. Increase temp to 350° F and slather sauce on one side of the drumsticks. Replace lid and let cook for 15 minutes.
3. Turn chicken legs over and sauce the other side. Insert temperature probe in the thickest part of the drumstick, making sure to NOT TOUCH THE BONE. Replace cover and cook until internal temp reads 165°F. Remove from heat and let sit 5-10 minutes, then serve.

How Long to Smoke Chicken Legs

Chicken legs will be fully cooked in about 2 hours using this recipe. They cook for 1.5 hours at 275°F, then the remaining 30 minutes at 350°F. There are a number of factors that can affect exactly how long it will take: the current weather and temperature where you’re located, what elevation your home is at, and if your smoker is wrapped in some type of insulation.

Chicken is fully cooked at 165°F. To know when your chicken reaches the right temperature, your best tool is going to be a meat thermometer. My all-time favorite meat thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great meat thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well! 

• 14 chicken legs
• 2 cups barbecue sauce

Chicken Brine

• 8 cups water
• ¼ cup salt
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp rubbed sage

To Brine the Chicken:

• Combine 8 cups water with salt and seasonings. Whisk to dissolve salt. proceed with recipe.

• Place chicken legs in a large container. Pour brine on top. Cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.

• Remove chicken from brine. Rinse and pat dry.

Smoke Chicken Legs

• Add pellets to smoker hopper. Clean grate as needed. Preheat smoker to 275° F.

• Place chicken on smoker and cook for 1.5 hours.

• Increase temp to 350° F and slather sauce on one side of the drumsticks. Replace lid and let cook for 15 minutes.

• Turn chicken legs over and sauce the other side. Insert temperature probe in the thickest part of the drumstick, making sure to NOT TOUCH THE BONE.

• Replace cover and cook until internal temp reads 165 degrees F. Remove from heat and let sit 5-10 minutes, then serve.

Serving: 2drumsticks | Calories: 692kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 240mg | Sodium: 1058mg | Potassium: 713mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 420IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg

What to Serve with Smoked Chicken Legs

We love serving drumsticks with Homemade Creamed Corn or Twice Baked Potato Casserole and a salad like Frito Corn Salad or Watermelon Salad. Summer BBQ is also perfect alongside Fruit Salad with Cool Whip or Banana Cream Fruit Salad!

Storing and Reheating Chicken Legs

Leftover smoked chicken legs should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They’ll stay fresh for about a week. You can eat the leftover chicken legs cold (so good!) or reheat them in the microwave for about 1 minute.

Is a Pellet Smoker Like an Oven?

When I began smoking meat I was nervous about learning how to use an pellet smoker. I soon realized that it’s is a lot like a regular oven, only it has the benefit of adding amazing smoky flavors to foods. You use a knob to set the smoker to a certain temperature, and use an internal meat thermometer to make sure the food is at the correct temp. I love smoking dinner in the summertime because I don’t have to turn on the oven and heat up the house!

Note that using a regular oven does apply more consistent heat to foods, so they cook faster. Cooking foods with a pellet smoker takes longer.

Hungry for more? Try some more grilled chicken recipes!

• Easy Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
• Easy Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
• BBQ Chicken with Pineapple Salsa Recipe
• Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
• Greek Chicken Souvlaki Recipe
• BBQ Chicken Kabobs with Bacon and Pineapple Recipe
• Honey Glazed Chicken Wings Recipe
• Sweet and Spicy Grilled Sticky Chicken Recipe
• Ranch Chicken Kabobs Recipe
• Cheesy Grilled Pineapple Chicken Recipe
• Grilled Chicken BLT Salad Recipe
• Grilled Spatchcock Chicken Recipe

More favorite recipes to try:

• Easy Zucchini Bread Recipe
• Best Jello Fruit Combinations
• Best Smoked Meatloaf Recipe
• Garlic Butter Pasta Sauce
• Glazed Chocolate Donut
• Jello Salad with Cool Whip

• Bread Recipe
• Smores in the Oven
• Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips
• Ham and Bean Soup Crock Pot
• Classic Jello Recipes
• St Patrick’s Day Desserts

How do you cook chicken legs on a camp chef pellet grill?

What temperature do you cook chicken legs on pellet grill?

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How long do drumsticks take to smoke at 225?