Competition Chicken Thighs

Keyword: Chicken, Competition, Smoker

When purchasing chicken thighs for competition, we get 18. We brine 18, and cook 16 to ensure we have the best 6 thighs for turn-in.
When selecting chicken: purchase it as close to the cook date as possible, choose a 2 lb packages with 4 thighs (consistent, good size for turn-in), and look for skin and fat that is a white color (not overly corn fed; white fat will render out better and give a good bite).

Trim 4 at a time and keep the rest refrigerated.
Remove skin and set aside.
Trim thigh into a square, including cutting off the "knuckle" bone. Remove excess fat.
Lay out skin, trim into a square shape, removing fat and excess skin. Replace skin on thighs, folding skin underneath to secure.
Using a meat tenderizer, perforate top of thighs completely. This ensures the skin will release when bitten.
Place 9 thighs in a tin half pan. Always brine more than you expect to cook (brine 18, cook 16); this gives you a larger selection to choose from when you go to cook.

Mix ingredients in a large water bottle (like a Nalgene) and store in refrigerator for up to 4 days in advance.
After trimming, poor soak in half pan until thighs are completely submerged.
Brine chicken thighs in soak for 2 hours.
Remove from brine, do not rinse, and replace to half pan. Cover and refrigerator overnight (11-12 hours).

Choose the best 16 thighs to season - look for uniform size and shape.
Season underside, first. Apply medium coat of Cimarron Docs, medium coat of MOB Chicken Rub, and a light coat of Kosmos Q Honey Killer Bee. Flip and repeat.
Place 8 thighs each in 2 half pans.

Tuck skin under and make sure thighs are arranged close enough to hold their shape. Allow room along the outside of the pan for butter.
Slice a stick (1/2 c) of salted butter into 6 even slices. Place 4 slices on the long sides, 2 on the short. Repeat for the second pan.
Let chicken rest in pans with butter for 45-60 minutes.

Move pans to smoker heated to 300°-315°.
Cook for 45 minutes, flip and cook bottom-side up for 15 minutes, flip back over and finish for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Spritz with water as needed. Remove when internal temp reaches 190°.

Combine glaze ingredients in a pan and heat.
Dip thighs in sauce and replace to half pan. Reserve remainder of sauce for touch up as needed.
Place on pit at 300° for 10 minutes to set glaze.

When building a box, place 6 thighs in a 3 x 3 configuration, "knuckle" side in.