Smoked Butterfly Chicken Drumsticks with Kansas City BBQ Rub
Butterflying chicken drumsticks completely changes the way they cook on the smoker. Instead of leaving all that meat wrapped tightly around the bone, the drumstick is opened up to create more surface area for seasoning, smoke, and heat. For this recipe, Vida butterflied 12 large chicken drumsticks before seasoning them generously with Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub.
The seasoned drumsticks spend 4 hours in the refrigerator, giving that smoky-sweet Kansas City flavor time to work into all those freshly exposed surfaces. From there, they hit the smoker over hickory at 325°F. That slightly higher smoking temperature works especially well with these larger drumsticks. You still get plenty of wood-fired flavor, but there is enough heat to render the skin, develop some color, and build a flavorful crust on the exposed meat.
This recipe keeps things focused on the chicken, the technique, and the smoke. The Kansas City BBQ Rub brings the seasoning, while hickory adds a rich, wood-fired flavor that complements the drumsticks without overpowering them.
Hickory-Smoked Butterflied Chicken Drumsticks
Glenn Connaughton
6
4 hours 15 minutes
1 hours
370
American
Main Dish
Butterflying a chicken drumstick gives you something a whole drumstick simply cannot: considerably more exposed meat for seasoning, smoke, and browning. By making cuts alongside the bone and opening the meat outward, the drumstick develops more flavorful edges while still keeping the bone in place.
For these drumsticks, Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub goes directly onto the chicken with no oil or binder needed. A 4-hour rest in a zip-top bag gives the seasoning time to settle into the chicken before it ever reaches the smoker.
Hickory is a natural fit here. Its stronger wood-smoke flavor stands up well to dark-meat chicken and complements the smoky-sweet profile of the Kansas City BBQ Rub. Smoking at 325°F provides enough heat to render the skin and brown the exposed meat without giving up the flavor we want from the hickory. Taking the drumsticks to 175°F gives the dark meat time to become tender and juicy while still holding together around the bone.
Ingredients
- 12 large chicken drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub
Directions
- Butterfly the Drumsticks: Place 1 chicken drumstick on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, make a lengthwise cut along one side of the bone. Continue cutting the meat away from the bone, working around each side while keeping the meat attached. Open the meat outward to flatten the drumstick and expose more surface area. Repeat with the remaining drumsticks.
- Season the Chicken: Season the butterflied drumsticks evenly on all sides with Revolution Barbecue Kansas City BBQ Rub, making sure to get the seasoning onto the newly exposed meat.
- Marinate the Chicken: Place the seasoned drumsticks in a zip-top bag, seal, and refrigerate for 4 hours.
- Preheat the Smoker: Preheat the smoker to 325°F using hickory wood.
- Arrange the Drumsticks: Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and arrange the butterflied drumsticks directly on the smoker grates with enough room between them for heat and smoke to circulate.
- Smoke the Chicken: Smoke at 325°F for 60 minutes, or until the thickest portion of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 175°F. Because these are large drumsticks, use internal temperature as the final indicator of doneness rather than time alone. Check the temperature in the thickest part of the meat without touching the bone.
- Serve the Chicken: Remove the drumsticks from the smoker and serve hot.
