BBQ Chicken Lollipops are a cookout crowd-pleaser—smoky, sticky, and easy to eat with your hands. Trimming the drumsticks takes a little care, but the payoff is worth it: neat little handles for even the messiest eaters, and a bite that’s big on flavor.
Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl.
To prep the chicken, cut all the way around the drumstick with a sharp knife, making sure you cut through all the tendons and cartilage.
Remove the skin and cartilage from the joint of the drumstick, and push the remaining skin down around the meat. Use a pair of kitchen shears to get rid of any sharp bones or stray bits of meat or skin.
Use a large knife to cut a flat surface on the meat end of the drumstick so that they stand up straight.
Season the meat all over with the rub, doing your best to avoid getting any seasoning on the bones. If you have the time, let the rub sit on the chicken for an hour, or overnight.
Prepare the grill for indirect, low & slow cooking, 250°–300°F.
To prepare the grill for Indirect Low and Slow cooking, 225°–275°F, add a 1/2 chimney's worth of unlit coals to one side of the grill, layering a handful of chips between the coals. Light 10-12 briquettes and place on top of the unlit coals.
Set the grill to 250°F. Preheat for 15 minutes and brush the grill grates clean.
Place the wood chips in a smoker box over the lit burners. Preheat the grill until smoke appears and brush the grates clean.
Adjust the bottom damper for smoking, and the top damper about halfway open. Preheat the grill for at least 15 minutes to let the temperature settle in.
Place the chicken, standing upright, and cook, with the lid closed, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 1 ½ hours.
Meanwhile, thin the BBQ sauce out with the vinegar and juice.
Remove the chicken from the grill and adjust the burners so that the grill is set for Indirect Medium Heat cooking, 375°–425°F.
Remove the chicken from the grill. Adjust the top and bottom vents so that they’re fully open and let the grill heat to 375°–400°F.
Remove the chicken from the grill and adjust the temperature to 400°F.
Dunk the chicken in the thinned out BBQ sauce and place them back on the grill. Cook, with the lid closed, until the sauce has set and glossy on the chicken.
Remove the drumsticks from the grill and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
