Bacon Wrapped Smoked Chicken Lollipops
Drumsticks are amazing in the smoker. They absorb the smoke really well and do not dry out at all. The one downside to smoking chicken drumsticks is that the skin can be a little rubbery coming out of the smoker (unless you finish them off on the grill to crisp up the skin). A great thing to do with chicken drumsticks is to peel off the skin and wrap them with bacon.
Everything is better with bacon right??
Have you ever heard of chicken lollipops? This is done with either chicken drumsticks or drummettes where the meat is cut around knobby end and pulled down to pack the meat into a little ball. The bone is cleaned up and, once cooked, resembles a lollipop.
Lollipopping the drumsticks is not all that difficult! Peel the skin off the chicken drumsticks, Cut around the bone close to the knobby end of the drumstick. Cut through the meat tendons and sinews and then press the meat down firmly to form a lollipop. Pull the skin and cartilage off the knobby end of the drumstick and clean it up with a knife or kitchen scissors.
Wrapping the chicken lollipops with a slice of bacon keeps the meat from drying out and it provides a lot of flavor into the chicken.
Smoke them at 250F for about 2 hours. The bacon should be brown and crisp.
If desired, brush them with your favorite bbq sauce once they come out of the smoker.
These are great for a party and perfect for game day or tailgating. They are always a big hit for both kids and adults!
Bacon Wrapped Smoked Chicken Lollipops
Ingredients
- 10 chicken drumsticks
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp oil
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 10 slices of bacon
Instructions
- Peel the skin off the chicken drumsticks.
- Mix together the soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, garlic and cayenne. Pour over chicken and toss to coat evenly. Place in the fridge to marinate for 1-2 hours.
- After marinating, drain the chicken.
- Cut around the bone close to the knobby end of the drumstick. Cut through the meat tendons and sinews and then press the meat down firmly to form a lollipop. Pull the skin and cartilage off the knobby end of the drumstick and clean it up with a knife or kitchen scissors.
- Wrap a slice of bacon around the meat of the chicken drumstick. You should be able to wrap the bacon around twice.
- Set the smoker to 250F.
- Gently place the lollipops on the smoker rack so that the bacon does not unwrap.
- Smoke the chicken for about 2 hours, or until the bacon is browned and the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.