Grilled Chicken Legs
Smoke for flavour, roast to cook, then a hard sear for the skin.
The quick one. Under two hours, three heats, and skin that actually cracks.
- Total
- 1½–2 hrplus a short rest
- Cut
- Chicken legs, as many as fit without crowding
- Pellets
- Apple
- Grill
- Weber Searwood 600
Done when175–185°F in the thickest part, clear of the bone. Dark meat wants the high end.
Smoke 225°FRoast 375°FSear 450–500°FRest 5–10 min
The cook
Prep the chicken
- Pat the legs dry with paper towels.
- Coat them lightly with oil.
- Lay the rub on generously, all over.
- Let them sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes while the grill heats.
How you know: Dry skin is crisp skin. The paper towel does more work here than anything else.
Smoke
- Set the Searwood to 225°F on Smoke mode.
- Lay the legs on the grate, skin side up.
- Leave them alone.
How you know: You are looking for about 120°F internal. This stage is flavour, not doneness.
Roast
- Bring the grill up to 375°F on Roast mode.
- Keep the lid closed.
- Start checking the internal temperature at about twenty minutes.
How you know: Move on when they read 165–175°F.
Sear the skin
- Bring the grill up to 450–500°F on Sear mode.
- Move the legs over the hotter part of the grate.
- Sear 3–5 minutes a side. This is the only stage where you flip them.
How you know: Stay with them. There is sugar in the rub and it will burn if you wander off.
Check the temperature
- Probe the thickest part of the leg, keeping clear of the bone.
How you know: Dark meat is better at 175–185°F than at 165°F. It is not steak — let it go.
Rest and serve
- Let them sit five to ten minutes before anyone starts.
Worth knowing
- Use a rub you actually like. It is most of the flavour on a cook this short.
- Do not crowd the grate. Crowded chicken steams instead of crisping.
- Flip only during the sear. Every other stage, leave the lid down.
- The short rest matters as much here as it does on a brisket.
Printable sheet
The whole recipe on one page, sized to print and take out to the grill.