Davy Crockett Smoked Chicken Thighs – Phoenix AZ

posted in: Chicken 2

Spent a few days enjoying the sights and sounds of Phoenix, Arizona. Discovered, of all things, Canyon Lake just a short drive from Phoenix - great day trip - who knew! The sunsets were majestic and provided a wonderful backdrop while smoking Chicken Thighs for dinner.

Canyon Lake

Canyon Lake, about 40 miles east of Phoenix is one of the four lakes created by dams on the Salt River. Unusual rock formations, scenic red rock canyon walls combine desert flora create its southwestern natural beauty. 

The Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett Tailgater is ideal for the two of us while on the road and/or at home. A Pellet Grill requires power and this unit allows me to use a 12 Volt deep cycle battery, or a 120V AC/DC converter plugged into my RV or generator. Makes it great for those times when you're Boondocking too.

Chicken Thighs, like Pork, are sponges when exposed to smoke. Hickory, Cherry, Walnut, or Apple pellets are wonderful for chicken. I prefer to rub Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a variety of rubs/spices on and under the skin before smoking the chicken thighs for an hour first.

Preheat the Davy Crockett to 230ºF and smoke for an hour. Bump the pit temp to 375ºF and roast until the internal temperature reaches 180ºF. Always cook to internal temperatures and use recipe times for planning purposes only. The thighs should take about 2 hours. Rest the thighs under a foil tent for 15 minutes before serving.

2 Responses

  1. Stuart
    | Reply

    I enjoy my Davy Crockett,, I’ve had it for 5 years with few issues other than communication.
    The problem I have is trying to move it alone . It is very back heavy for one person. I assume you have two people moving it in and out.

    • Peter Jautaikis
      | Reply

      You are correct Stuart – moving the Davy Crockett is very awkward and heavy for one person. Plus, there’s no easy way for 2 people to really share the load. What I started doing years ago was to take all the pellets out and all the guts inside the Davy Crockett. It makes it a LOT lighter and easier to handle. I store the insides of the grill in a plastic tub.
      But now, I keep the Davy Crockett at home with the handles off and set it on a hot water heater stand. I bought myself a GMG TREK to use on the road. It’s an upgraded version of the Davy Crockett except a lot beefier. Not only did they get rid of that silly handle which turns into feet and needs 2 people to set it up but they now have 4 regular strong feet with a handle on each end for use to carry. Yes, I still remove all the pellets (10 lbs or so adds up after a while) and I remove all the inside guts and store them in a separate plastic tub.
      The TREK is really a nice unit. GMG did a great job upgrading the Davy Crockett. You can see a picture of a TREK on the sidebar of my Blog. Thank you for following my Blog and I hope you’ve enjoyed some of my cooks. FYI … I’ve now sold over 66,000 copies of my Pellet Cookbook!

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