Garlic Butter Smoked Thighs

[La Quinta]

I was testing a recipe for a cookbook and came up with a slightly different version...

So here is what I did with 5 bone in chicken thighs...

Compound Butter...

1 stick of unsalted butter
7 cloves of garlic minced (ok...so I like garlic...you could cater this to your own taste)
5 large fresh basil leaves chopped or more culinary would be chiffanaded (I'm sure I "spelt" that wrong) but rolled up tightly and sliced. I used 1 large basil leaf for every thigh in the mixture. (Any more I think would overpower)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (same)
Schmush it all together (I'm sure schmush is a cooking term) :)


I made the butter and let it sit for maybe 45 min to an hour...(let all the flavors get married)

Take the thighs and lightly lift away the skin from the flesh and take a nice large dollup of the butter mixture and push it under the skin. Spread the skin back over and massage the butter all the way around the flesh under the skin.  This is messy but well worth the trouble!! :) Salt and pepper...for me pepper liberally...salt...not so much when you read the next step...

Wrap the thighs in bacon, toothpick the bacon in place, and smoke with your favorite "chicken wood" for 1.5 to 2 hours I used hickory and...(I hedge on the time because we all know you can get big fat thighs...or scrawny ones) :)

Take the thighs out of the smoker and put them on a baking sheet with a rack...broil for 2 to 3 minutes per side to crisp the skin and the bacon.

The chicken is flavorful, moist and tender (and the garlic and basil flavors are killer). The bacon and skin get crispy under the broiler. See Note...

I served this with a chuncky veggie risotto (used yellow squash, onions, garlic, zuchinni, mushrooms, red peppers, cream and romano cheese...salt pepper...yada yada...we're all cooks here...). My Dad went thru the roof...Mom got teary that her little girl grew up!!! I'm only 46...ya know how Moms are!!! :)

Anyway...if you have some spare thighs laying around...and you like garlic...give it a whirl?

Note: Have you ever wrapped stuff in bacon and only the "outside" gets cooked and the inside is still kinda "raw"...thus... the 6 minutes +/- of broiling...
If anybody gives this a try...let me know what you think...I can take it!!! :)


LQ

[Smoking Duck]

Wow, LQ, that dish sounds absolutely awesome.  I may try that this weekend.  Got the brother in law visiting and he wants smoked food every day.

I don't mind telling you however that the title of your post had me thinking other things................... :o ;D

SD

[La Quinta]

Does that big man like garlic...cause ya gotta like garlic to make this dish...remember...he would make my brother run away like a giggling girl!!! :)

[Smoking Duck]

Well, heck, I'm not sure if he does or not but I sure as heckfire do.  Plus, I'm married to his sister......if he doesn't like something I make or say, I just start telling him about his sister and I having secks (had to fool the board filter) and that makes him forget about anything else.  He is definitely a big boy, but he's also a trucker......he probably eats at so many greasy spoons along the way that he would never complain about a home-cooked meal.  And if he does, well, heck, I've gone over guys bigger than him just to get to breakfast  ;D

I forgot to mention in my first reply that the reason it sounded so good to me was because of the garlic.....and I've got a dozen smoked cloves in the refer calling my name

[La Quinta]

AS WE ALL KNOW...UGH...I can't cold smoke garlic...I used raw...so if you make it SD let me know how it works with smoked garlic...Okay? I happen to like a strong garlic flavor...but anything smoked is good to me!! :)

[Smoking Duck]

Will do, LQ....it is definitely on my short list.  However, do I have to let the flavors marry?  I don't have good memories of that word :o ;D

[La Quinta]

Try not to be a putz...yes...you know what I mean...let everything get "cozy" (if you prefer that) and I think it does make a difference to let the compound butter get...well compound...but...and if others are reading this post...the water pan and V tray get butt ugly...all the butter melts as well as the bacon fat...but man...it's good!!

[Gizmo]

LQ, I have some smoked garlic here for you as well.  Did a whole tray along with the 2 trays of cheese. ;D

[Smoking Duck]

I do prefer cozy....can't help the putz part (just born with it, I guess).....man, melted butter and bacon grease.....it really doesn't get any better than that.  Of course, my heart surgeon calls that job security  ;D

[Smoking Duck]

LQ, I have some smoked garlic here for you as well.  Did a whole tray along with the 2 trays of cheese. ;D

Giz, you may never get her to leave!  You are absolutely a top-notch guy!

SD

[La Quinta]

VA is a lucky woman Giz!!! Thanks...don't really deserve all of your efforts but glad you're doing it none the less!!! Looking forward to Saturday!!!

[Gizmo]

Nah, she can't hang here very long.  It gets below 90 alot.   ;)

LQ, and Hubby are a 2 very  8) folks and a pleasure to know and exchange chow.  

[Habanero Smoker]

Looks like a great recipe. I may give this a try, without the bacon (I think I am the only person on earth that does not like the combination of bacon and poultry :)).

[La Quinta]

Ya know what Habs...I did make them, the first go round, without bacon and they were good...the problem was the skin tends to curl as they cook...and especially broil...so bacon was my solution...I have also toyed with wrapping them in blanched chives and making a little "package" (Like a bow around a Christmas present) that worked too. I guess I was trying to figure out (to solve that curling issue) what do most people have in their house... (fresh chives is not one of them)!!

But heck...you could rub them with spices and just toothpick the skin down too?

Anyway...if you try it let me know what you think...I value your opinion especially...

LQ

[Habanero Smoker]

I never thought about the skin curling. When I make a batch, I'll let you know how the skin turns out. By looking at the recipe, I already know the flavor will be great. :)