Smoked whole chicken and turkey legs. Add the salt and garlic, stir, and let cool a bit. Add the water/salt/garlic solution to a food grade bucket. You don't want to put your raw meat into super hot water.

Take a few hours to brine the chicken for the best results, stuff it with some onion, garlic, and lemon, and finally, rub it with delicious chicken dry rub. Place chicken legs on the removed grates. Take one tablespoon of the butter mixture and coat chicken. You can have Smoked whole chicken and turkey legs using 15 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you cook that.

Ingredients of Smoked whole chicken and turkey legs

You need 2 of whole chickens 3-5 lbs each.
Prepare 1 package of turkey legs.
Prepare 1 of orange.
It's 1 of lemon.
It's 2 sprigs of rosemary.
It's 4 sprigs of tarragon.
Prepare 5 cups of sugar.
You need 3 1/4 cups of kosher salt.
Prepare 2/3 cup of chili powder.
Prepare 1/4 cup of onion powder.
Prepare 1/4 cup of garlic powder.
Prepare 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
It's 6 of dried bay leaves.
It's 1 tablespoon of chopped dehydrated onion.
It's 3 gallons of water.

Make sure to coat beneath the skin as well. Repeat until all legs are coated. Place grates and chicken legs in smoker. Entire chicken leg quarters contain the drumstick, thigh, and a portion of back meat.

Smoked whole chicken and turkey legs instructions

Combine 3 cups of kosher salt, 4.5 cups sugar, 6 bay leaves, 1 tbsp chopped dehydrated onions and 3 gallons water to make the brine. Soak the chickens and turkey legs in the brine and refrigerate over night or minimum 4 hours..
Make the rub. I used Myron Mixon's 'The only other barbecue rub you need' recipe. Combine 2/3 cup chili powder, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup onion powder, 1/4 garlic powder and 1 tsp cayenne pepper.
Soak your choice of wood chunks in water (I used mesquite). Light the charcoal in the smoker. Slice up the orange and lemon into approximately 12 pieces each..
Rinse the chicken and turkey in cold water and pat dry..
Stuff each chicken with half an orange, half a lemon, 1 sprig rosemary and 2 sprigs of tarragon..
Cover the chickens and turkey legs on all sides with the rub..
Put the chicken breast side up and the turkey legs on the smoker. Smoke at 275° for 3.5 hours or until the white meat hits 160 and the dark reaches 180. Check the temp periodically and add more charcoal and wood chunks as needed..

Chicken drumstick includes the thigh bone and thigh meat. Boneless chicken thigh meat is removed from the bone, tender and ready for kitchen preparation. The cook time for a whole chicken depends on a handful of factors. Add more smoker wood chips periodically as they burn out. This can vary depending on the size of your legs and the temperature fluctuations in your smoker.