The Art of Drummies - Grilling Chicken Drumsticks

Super easy, never fails, grilled drumsticks for the whole family. Just wash, dry, spice and cook over medium high heat. Then you will have crispy goodness for all.

The "art" of the grilled drumstick. That is what I have been working on for several weeks. All the recipes I looked at said things like until "fluid runs clear" or 30 minutes over medium high heat. I need more precise. Plus overnight marinades and lots of other magic cooking stuff. Not good for me.

My mistakes or at least the ones I remember. First I cooked them to 165 just like I love chicken breast. They weren't done. They were tough and stringy. Then I went to 180-190, yep just the right temp. But I cooked it too fast on high heat. Burnt skin. Char is good, burnt is bad. I tried several spice mixes and settled on the one below. Just some kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper (but not too much of kids but just enough for taste for adults).
Rating

An easy and tasty 5.

Update: (June 23, 2012) rbeland asked a question in a comment below. Specifically, what temp on the grill surface? Well I did a test cooking tonight on my new super-duper Weber which is a much "hotter" grill then my previous grill. I chose a surface temp of 450 which is what I estimated was the surface temp of my old grill. To get that stable temp on my Weber, the burners were at about 50%. The drummies were done in 32 minutes and were great. I now use a done temp of 190+ and they are fall off the bone tender with great skin. I have update the description to reflect there facts. 

You must wash the drummies under running water and pat dry if you want crispy skin. Trim of excess skin and any loose bones/tissue especially in the joint area.
Now preheat grill to get a surface temp of about 450. That is medium high on a standard gas grill and medium on a hot gas grill. Clean and oil.

Mix spices. 1 T kosher salt, 1 t pepper and garlic powder and 1/2 t cayenne pepper. You can also use my 7:2:2 spice mix. You may want to skip the cayenne if cooking for little ones. Sprinkle chicken on all sides. Let rest at room temperature until grill is ready.

 

Check grill temp if possible and place chicken on grill.

Flip every 7-8 minutes until internal temp of  190 degrees. About 30-35 minutes.

 Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. They are way too hot anyways.

The Art of Drummies - Grilling Chicken Drumsticks

by DrDan at 101 Cooking For Two June-26-2011

Super easy, never fails, grilled drumsticks for the whole family. Just wash, dry, spice and cook over medium high heat. Then you will have crispy goodness for all. .

Ingredients

• 6 Chicken drumsticks
• 1 T kosher salt
• 1 t black pepper
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t cayenne pepper

Instructions

1) You must wash the drummies under running water and pat dry if you want crispy skin. Trim of excess skin and any loose bones/tissue especially in the joint area. 2) Now preheat grill to get a surface temp of about 450. That is medium high on a standard gas grill and medium on a hot gas grill. Clean and oil. 3) Mix spices. 1 T kosher salt, 1 t pepper and garlic powder and 1/2 t cayenne pepper. You can also use my 7:2:2 spice mix. You may want to skip the cayenne if cooking for little ones. 4) Sprinkle chicken on all sides. Let rest at room temperature until grill is ready.5) Check grill temp if possible and place chicken on grill. 6) Flip every 7-8 minutes until internal temp of 190 degrees. About 30-35 minutes.7) Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. They are way too hot anyways.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 6 drumsticks

Updated

April 8 2013

DrDan