Chicken Thighs on the Yoder Smoker
We have covered how to get the best chicken thighs on the Kamado Joe and the Weber Kettle. Now we close the loop with an episode on how to cook them on a Yoder Smoker, or any pellet smoker!
Things to know:
Why are chicken thighs so cheap?
Chicken thighs are traditionally cheaper than chicken breasts due to historical supply and demand dynamics, though this trend is shifting.
Key Reasons for Lower Pricing
Consumer Preference for White Meat: For decades, health trends favored low-fat, low-cholesterol white meat, creating a massive U.S. demand for chicken breasts and leaving a surplus of dark meat (thighs and legs).
Whole-Bird Processing: Chickens are processed as complete birds. Because people buy far more breasts, producers historically generated an oversupply of thighs. Lowering the price of dark meat helped clear that excess inventory.
Bone-In vs. Boneless Labor: Traditional bone-in, skin-on thighs require less factory processing and labor than pre-deboned cuts, making them cheaper to stock on shelves.
Is it better to buy chicken breast or thighs?
Choose chicken breasts if you want a lean, high-protein option for quick cooking or low-fat diets. Choose chicken thighs if you want more flavor, a juicier texture, and a forgiving cut that will not dry out easily during long-cooking methods.
Why do chefs prefer chicken thighs?
Chefs prefer chicken thighs because they offer superior flavor, moisture, and forgiveness during cooking compared to chicken breasts.
Why do people love Yoder smokers?
People love Yoder smokers because they are built like commercial-grade steel fortresses and engineered for pro-level performance, durability, and versatility.
Is Yoder better than Traeger?
Yoder is generally considered better in build quality, durability, and high-heat searing performance, while Traeger is considered better for plug-and-play ease of use, tech apps, and budget flexibility.
Are chicken thighs good for smoking?
Yes, chicken thighs are an exceptional cut to smoke because their dark meat and higher fat content keep them juicy, tender, and far more forgiving than lean chicken breasts.
Ingredients:
Family pack of bone in skin on chicken thighs
1 cup BBQ sauce (we used Sweet Bandida brand)
apple cider vinegar (optional)
1. Fire up your smoker to 220F.
2. Carefully peel back the skin on the thighs and season the meat with a SPG type rub. Replace the skin and season the outside of the thighs also.
3. Chuck your chicken, skin side up, onto the smoker for 2 hours.
4. Spray the skins with the duck fat, remove the cover from the fire box, raise the smoker temp to 325F, and place the thighs, skin side down over the fire box. Let them cook for another 30 minutes and pull them when you are happy with the looks of the skin and the internal temp is 190-200F.
5. Add your BBQ sauce to a bowl. You want a relatively thin BBQ sauce, so if it is too thick, mix in apple cider vinegar until you are happy with the consistency. Dunk the thighs in the sauce and return them to the smoker for about 10 minutes to allow the sauce to set.
6. Remove the thighs from the smoker, serve and ENJOY!
Equipment used:
Yoder YS640S Smoker
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