Grilling chicken drumsticks can be tricky if you don't know what you're doing or are new to grilling. Well this guide is for you. We have been working on perfecting our grilled chicken drums for a while. We love grilling in the summer months and this is how we get that slightly charred, fully cooked, tender, fall off the bone chicken.
Using a Charcoal Grill
We use a charcoal grill for the flavor mostly (it's also just what we happen to have). And we love it.
Using a charcoal grill may seem like more work but once you know how to set it up, it's extremely easy to use and the flavor is 100% better. No propane flavored chicken.
The best way to heat up your grill with charcoal is with a chimney starter.
- Remove the grates in your grill.
- Place the chimney starter in the grill and put paper into the bottom and light it.
- The charcoal then sits on top of the lit paper.
- Close your grill hood and allow the flame to work it's way through the charcoal.
- You want to wait at least 20 minutes for this to work through until you can see a white smoldering color- SUPER hot.
- Carefully (using oven mitts) dump the charcoal into the grill and move the hot charcoal (using metal tongs/spatula) into an even layer on one side of the grill.
- Place the grates back on and give it about 5-10 minutes for the grates to heat up.
- Check your thermometer and remember that your grates are always about 100 degrees hotter than the temperature reads.
- Use your vents to moderate and cool the temperature as needed. (just takes some practice).
How to cook Chicken drumsticks on the grill?
Grilling chicken drumsticks is super easy. Assuming you've done the steps above for how to get your grill going, let's grill!
First things first, season your drumsticks. Either use a nice dry rub or put them on plain and add BBQ sauce or teriyaki at the end.
You want your grill to be about 400 F. Place the drumsticks on the grate over the hot charcoal. The smaller ones can be placed over indirect heat.
How long do you cook drumsticks on the grill?
The key to grilling is always to keep an eye on your food and on the thermometer. The exact time is slightly different every time.
Start by rotating the chicken drumsticks every 5 minutes. Move the chicken that chars too quickly off of the direct heat so that it can still cook through without drying out or burning up.
Like I said you can add the BBQ or Teriyaki sauce to your drumsticks for the last 10 minutes when you know the meat is almost done. This gives the chicken the perfect sticky grilled sauce flavor.
Make sure the internal temperature is 180 F which when all is said and done should take about 40 minutes total at 400F. Once you're there, you're ready to eat!
Try out our Maple Wet Rub or our homemade Maple Chili BBQ sauce if you are looking for a new rub recipe for your drumsticks.
Hope you enjoy your grilled chicken drumsticks as much as we did!
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Grilling the Perfect Chicken Drumsticks
Grilling the perfect chicken drumsticks is super easy with this guide. Get that perfectly charred, smokey, and fall off the bone chicken with whatever seasonings or sauces you like best!
Ingredients
- Chicken Drumsticks
- Seasoning or Sauce
Instructions
- Using a charcoal chimney starter, get your charcoal smoking and heating.
- Spread the hot charcoal on one side of the grill and place the grate on to heat up to 400 F.**
- Place the chicken drumsticks on direct heat (smaller ones can go on indirect heat) and rotate every 5 minutes.
- Move the ones that may char too quickly over to the indirect heat so they can cook through without drying out.
- Cooking through will take about 40 minutes.
- Make sure the internal temperature is 180 F to ensure it's cooked through.
- If you are seasoning with a dry rub, you can do that first. Otherwise, in the last 10 minutes of grilling, you can spread BBQ or Teriyaki over your drums on the grill.
Notes
** the grate will always be about 100 degrees hotter than the thermometer on the grill says.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 59Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 261mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 6g
Nutritional information is not always 100% accurate.