Foil-Packet BBQ Chicken Thighs
Canned or precooked chicken doesn't hold up here. Bone-in thighs, a tangy glaze, and a fire.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 12 oz
- cal / oz
- 52
- protein
- 45 g
- serves
- 3, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Chicken drumsticks | 2 1/2 lb | about 8, frozen solid at the trailhead so they thaw in the cooler |
|---|---|---|
| Barbecue sauce | 1/4 cup | whatever you already buy |
| Honey | 1/4 cup | |
| Yellow mustard | 2 tbsp | |
| Worcestershire sauce | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Heavy-duty foil | 2 arm-lengths |
Method
- Stir the barbecue sauce, honey, mustard, and Worcestershire together in the jar you carried them in. Salt and pepper the drumsticks.
- Tear two arm-lengths of heavy foil and stack them crosswise. Pile the drumsticks in the middle, pour over about two thirds of the sauce, and turn them until coated.
- Fold the foil into a sealed packet with a little air inside. Crimp every seam twice.
- Set the packet on a grate over coals raked flat, or directly on coals that have burned down to grey. Cook 25 minutes, flipping the whole packet once.
- Open the packet, watching for steam. Brush on the rest of the sauce and cook uncovered on the grate another 8 to 10 minutes, turning, until the glaze sets and darkens.
- Cut into the thickest drumstick at the bone. Juices should run clear and the meat should pull off easily. If it is pink, close the packet and give it another five.
The original is a slow cooker recipe finished on a grill. There is no slow cooker at camp, so the foil packet does that job: sealed, it traps steam and cooks the drumsticks through gently, which is what keeps bone-in meat from going leathery over an open fire. Opening the packet at the end is the grill step, and it is the only way the sauce turns into glaze instead of staying wet.
Honey and mustard are doing more than flavor. The sugar is what browns and sticks; the mustard’s acid and the Worcestershire keep it from reading as pure candy. Hold back a third of the sauce for the open stage, because anything brushed on early will burn black before the meat is done.
Packing
Freeze the drumsticks flat in a zip bag and pack them at the bottom of the cooler; they thaw over the first day and keep everything else cold. Premix the sauce at home in a small screw-top jar so camp is one pour, not four measurements.
Variations
- Bone-in thighs cook in the same time and pack flatter.
- A spoonful of chipotle powder or hot sauce in the mix cuts the honey.
- No grate: cook the packet the full 35 minutes on coals and skip the glazing step. Less crust, same dinner.
https://mealswithmaria.site/slow-cooker-drumsticks