Chicken legs

I just did some with a little rub, and some stand alone. I actually like the rub better, but the ones by themselves were pretty good too.

marinade them overnight in some italian dressing then use any rub u like...

BBQchef33 said:

marinade them overnight in some italian dressing then use any rub u like...

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:shock: Of all the great tips I've seen you give time after time, I'm shocked that you'd put something in italian dressing more than a couple of hours. Acid "cooks" protein. Acid cooked protein placed in a pit overcooks protein. Result, inside is done, outside is overdone. Legs and thighs are more forgiving, but certainly don't try this with breast meat.

You still da man, Poobah!!

Plowboy said:

:shock: Of all the great tips I've seen you give time after time, I'm shocked that you'd put something in italian dressing more than a couple of hours. Acid "cooks" protein. Acid cooked protein placed in a pit overcooks protein. Result, inside is done, outside is overdone. Legs and thighs are more forgiving, but certainly don't try this with breast meat.

You still da man, Poobah!!

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Todd, an awful lot of folks do the overnight thing with Italian dressing. I do it often with excellent results. Always trying to give credit where it is due...back in 2000 or so I visited with a dude named Jumpin' Jim that was kind enough to share his take on his version of this method on another Q forum. I added a clarification of the sauce time which is in red, otherwise everything is in Jim's words.

For contests I only cook thighs and I cook 16 of them. I marinade them in Paul Newman's Own (Olive Oil and Vinegar) 4-8 at a time in a heavy zip lock bag depending on the size of the thighs. I start them marinating at approx. 4 pm on Friday. I have used various rubs but what I really like these days is Head Country (Ponca City, OK) tweaked for heat which I get by adding a small amount of Cayenne Pepper. The thighs come out of the marinade at 7:30 sat morning and I lightly and evenly dust them with the rub.

I put them on the smoker and cook them to 180 degrees internal temp in exactly three hours. If I am using the Ole Hickory I use pecan and if I am cooking on Traeger or a Fast Eddy Smokebox I use hickory pellets.
At the three hour mark I test each thigh with a toothpick for tenderness. I put my best 8 in one half size alum pan from Sams Club with one bottle of Head Country Original Sauce. I put the second best 8 in the other pan. I loosely tent the pans with foil and let them woller in the sauce for approx. one hour. (back on the cooker)

Half hour before turn-in I take 8-10 best thighs and put them on Weber Kettle or Cajun Grill indirect with a reasonably cool fire so I won't burn the sauce. I taste one of the worst thighs and make an assessment of how it tastes and if I think that taste can do well. If I need to make adjustments, especially with salt, I do it at this time and then set the seasoning with a light brushing of sauce. For turn-in I pick my best six thighs and put them in the box. No special arrangement because the thighs usually take up most of the room. Just try to have a decent looking box.

This process doesn't always work but it has been very good to me.
If any of you want more specifics please email me directly. I assume most of you are very good cooks and will be able to take this brief process and make it work for you. By the way Paul Newman's is a very good marinade for other meats, especially lamb when combined with Head Country Rub and Head Country Sauce.

I used to do something similar. I learned about acid based marinades from a local chef who also competes. Started using other low acid liquids for overnight marinades and italian dressing just for about 1-2 hours. I'm a believer in this. My product is juicier and my comp scores have increased as well.

Italian dressing overnight isn't going to ruin chicken. I admit that I've done it for years.

walkerswood jerk seasoning is great on legs as well.

Plowboy said:

:shock: Of all the great tips I've seen you give time after time, I'm shocked that you'd put something in italian dressing more than a couple of hours. Acid "cooks" protein. Acid cooked protein placed in a pit overcooks protein. Result, inside is done, outside is overdone. Legs and thighs are more forgiving, but certainly don't try this with breast meat.

You still da man, Poobah!!

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Something i guess you still need to learn about The BBQ Brethren. We are avid believers that There is NO ONE WAY. Your techique works well for you. Great.. But dont shoot down someone elses. If you feel the need to discuss this further, take it PM.

The overnight italian dressing marinade has been used by many sucessfully for years. If the question was a competition question I would answer it differently with brining/marinading, etc, but....

1 - This is Qtalk, NOT Competition. The answer was quick for backyard cooking. Also, he uses a reverse flow cooker, so I figure hes coasting at 225.
2 - He specifically said Legs
3 - Hes cooking for his kid, not judges.

The question was regarding LEGS and thats what the answered addressed.

Legs will easily hold up overnight in italian dressing. Even thighs will to a lesser extent.. but he asked about LEGS. No one said anything about breasts(except you).

Additionally, I use Wishbone for overnight soaks, which is more oil, less acid. Even Newmans(for a marinade) is a little high in vinegar for my tastes. White meat gets a few hours in a different marinade.


Anyway, since i have time now...heres some details.

Put the legs in a bag and add just enuf dressing to coat heavily, but not submerge them.. add a touch of your rub to the marinade,(or some rosemary if u like that stuff)... soak them for about 8-10 hours. Remove them and let drain.. I like to dab them with a paper towel to soak off the excess oil before letting them drain and dry a bit.. then I sprinkle them with the rub.

Cook at 225-250 till 165-170 inside, then raise the heat to 300 to help things get crispy.. or since its for the family, hit the grill for a few minutes. My kids like a crispy char on the outside.


If you want to experiment with high heat techniques, start at 300-350 and treat them like your roasting in the oven. They cook much faster and come out crispier.

BBQchef33 said:

Something i guess you still need to learn about The BBQ Brethren. We are avid believers that There is NO ONE WAY. Your techique works well for you. Great.. But dont shoot down someone elses. If you feel the need to discuss this further, take it PM.

The overnight italian dressing marinade has been used by many sucessfully for years. If the question was a competition question I would answer it differently with brining/marinading, etc, but....

1 - This is Qtalk, NOT Competition. The answer was quick for backyard cooking. Also, he uses a reverse flow cooker, so I figure hes coasting at 225.
2 - He specifically said Legs
3 - Hes cooking for his kid, not judges.

The question was regarding LEGS and thats what the answered addressed.

Legs will easily hold up overnight in italian dressing. Even thighs will to a lesser extent.. but he asked about LEGS. No one said anything about breasts(except you).

Additionally, I use Wishbone for overnight soaks, which is more oil, less acid. Even Newmans(for a marinade) is a little high in vinegar for my tastes. White meat gets a few hours in a different marinade.

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LOL, I figured I had this coming, Phil.

I know it was about legs. Yes I brought up boobs, but I was still addressing legs, even though I did say they are more forgiving.

I also understood that this was about backyard. I only mentioned comp as my own proof for myself.

You are right that the dressing with higher oil is going to help, too.

I wasn't trying to bust your balls, Phil. Was a poor attempt to be cheeky. I CERTAINLY know that there's more than one way to Q. :biggrin:

Smoke on.

Hey Phil,

Those are some good pointers especially about adding some herbs (I like sliced garlic in them too)...Mrs thirdeye mostly buys the Lite Italian dressing so I just add oil to it when using as a marinade.

i use either wishbone italian, or wishbone country italian..(both low in vinegar.. you can tell when they seperate). The country italian is very low acid and also a little lighter. if I am not using a traditional BBQ type rub, I like to add additional oregano, garlic and a rosemary sprig and, then go more savory on the seasonings. Needless to say, when done like this, i dont use BBQ sauce, but brush them with some dressing and lemon juice at the very end.


on edit:
oh.. forgot.. theres always a place for some franks red hot in any chicken marinade, or in the final brushing sauce..

Roaster said:

Thanks to all your replys. Did some with the italin dressing. My son went to the pantry and mixed his own rub. had a little to much heat for dad. I like mine sweet. But it was very good. Again thanks for the replys.:-D :-D :-D

http://www.imagecave.com/albums.asp?album=January

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That's pretty cool that he kinda did his own thing.

Great Post !!! VERY informative,Cant wait to try some chicken done this way!!!