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Recipe Type
Poultry
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Skill Level
Medium
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Grill Time
1-2 hrs
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Method
Grilling
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Servings
Serves 3
♪Lollipop lollipop oh lolli lolli lolli, lollipop! ♪
Now that the song is stuck in your head, let’s talk chicken. This week we take a normal, sort of boring and often overlooked piece of chicken and turn it into something beautiful and delicious. Yes, that’s right, the drumstick. Memories of Mom rolling them in breadcrumbs and baking them in the oven is enough to make me never want to eat them again. So, we took these legs and turned them into something special, chicken lollipops.
Now when you see them, you’ll understand just why they are called lollipops. The way that they are trimmed down and shaped, they resemble a delicious lollipop. Now, before you try figuring out how many licks it takes to get to the center, (remember the old commercial?) lets get to just how to make these tasty, juicy and saucy treats that your family and guests are sure to enjoy.
The process is a bit daunting but don’t be a chicken, try it out! As you trim each one, it will get easier and you will become much faster at it. Before you know it you will become a chicken lollipop master and be able to dazzle your friends with your new found knife skills. Take your time at first and don’t get frustrated (easier said than done), it will get easier.
Video Recipe
Directions
- Fill your grill with FOGO Premium charcoal and set it up for indirect grilling at 350°. Let your grill come to temperature while you prepare the lollipops.
- Using a sharp knife, cut a slice off of the bottom of the leg so that it will stand up straight. Then, begin cutting the meat around the bone approximately and inch or so below the knuckle. Make sure to cut through the meat and tendons completely so your knife is to the bone. Next, you want to remove the skin and little bit of meat off of the top of the leg. Clean it up as best as you can, removing any meat and remains that may still be on there. If you’d like, you can remove the hard white cartilage at the top but it is not necessary. I like to do this as I feel that it makes for a nicer presentation.
- Once that you have that completed, push down on the meat and skin at the bottom of the leg. Push it down so that it creates a “ball” at the bottom of the leg. There is a bone or tendon that you can also remove using your fingers or a pair of kitchen shears. Now the hard part is complete. You can take a breath and relax.
- Tear or cut your aluminum foil into small pieces and wrap the bone on your lollipop. This will prevent the bone from burning and becoming unsightly during the cooking process. Now, liberally apply your rub or seasoning to the meaty part of the lollipop. Cover it completely and let them sit out at room temperature for a little bit.
- When your grill is ready, place the lollipops on the grate, leaving space between each one so the heat and smoke can fully penetrate each one. Let them cook for about half an hour to 45 minutes, until they reach 165-170°, remove them and sauce each one liberally. I use a hard sided can koozie filled with barbeque sauce. It’s very easy to just dunk it in and spin it to ensure full coverage. Place the lollipops back on the grill and finish cooking until they hit 175-180° and remove. By this time, the sauce should be nice, sticky and tacky.
- I like to allow them to cool a bit before digging in. These are very juicy and the juice and sauce are very hot at this point. Remove the aluminum foil wrappers and serve. You can add a bit of fresh parsley for presentation.
This is a bit of a labor of love to make these as they are quite labor intensive. I think you’ll find that it is well worth it though as your guests will be very impressed with your presentation. I hope you will try these out and let us know what you think.
Thanks for checking this out and I look forward to seeing you next time on The FOGO Life!
Ron
@cptnron302
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