Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for some Barbecue Chicken Lollipops. Sweet & smoky with a secret ingredient to set it over the top!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Cutting through the meat and cartilage at the joint, then pushing everything down to the fat end, turns an ordinary drumstick into a lollipop shape with a clean bone handle
- Locking the plate in place inside the Briner Bucket keeps every lollipop fully submerged in the brine for the full hour
- Standing the lollipops upright on the grill rather than laying them flat lets heat circulate evenly around each one
- Dipping the chicken into the glaze partway through the cook, rather than brushing it on, coats every side evenly in one motion before the chicken goes back on to finish
Category
Appetizer
Cuisine
American
Servings
8
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 1 minute
Calories
290
Tantalize your taste buds with this recipe for delicious BBQ chicken lollipops cooked to perfection on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill. With that signature sweet and smoky flavor, plus a secret ingredient to boost it even further, you'll be delighted with each and every bite.
Ingredients
- 12 chicken drumsticks
-
1 cup 2 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine
- 3 quarts water
-
Cimarron Doc's Sweet Rib Rub
-
1 (14 oz) bottle Firebug Grillin’ Sauce Mild
-
1/4 cup Curry Paste
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
-
2 tbsp Reida Wildflower Honey
For the glaze:
Directions
- To prepare the chicken lollipops, lay the drumstick on its side. Slice off a sliver of the cartilage and meat at the fat end, to allow the drumstick to stand upright. Next, where the meat meets the bone, cut down through the meat and cartilage down to the bone, all the way around the bone. Push the meat down to the fat end, and pull the skin and cartilage up to the skinny end, and remove from the bone.
- Add 3 quarts water to the 8 quart Briner Bucket. Mix in the (1 cup 2 tbsp) Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine and whisk to dissolve. Place the chicken lollipops in brine. Lock the plate in place to submerge. Brine for one hour.
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 325ºF.
Remove the chicken from the Briner Bucket and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with Cimarron Doc's Sweet Rib Rub.
- Stand the chicken lollipops upright on the second shelf of the grill.
- About 30 minutes into the cook, combine the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan. Whisk together the Firebug Grillin’ Sauce Mild, Jacobsen Entube Curry Paste, pineapple juice and Reida Wildflower Honey. Transfer the saucepan to the grill to warm.
- When the chicken reaches 155ºF-160ºF in the meat near the bone (roughly 1 hour), one-by-one dip the chicken into the saucepan, coating the meat. Return to the second shelf.
- Let cook until the internal temperature reaches 170ºF. Remove from the grill and serve the Barbecue Chicken Lollipops warm.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why cut through the meat and cartilage at the joint and push everything down to the fat end?
This technique turns an ordinary drumstick into a lollipop shape, with the meat pushed into a compact ball at one end and a clean bone exposed as a handle at the other.
Why lock the plate in place inside the Briner Bucket during the brine?
Keeping the plate locked down holds every lollipop fully submerged in the brine for the full hour, so nothing floats above the liquid and brines unevenly.
Why stand the lollipops upright on the grill instead of laying them flat?
Standing them up lets heat circulate evenly around each piece, rather than one side sitting directly against the grate the way a flat-laid drumstick would.
Why dip the chicken into the glaze instead of brushing it on?
Dipping each lollipop into the warmed sauce coats every side evenly in one motion, rather than needing multiple passes with a brush to cover the whole piece.
What internal temperature should the chicken lollipops actually reach?
This recipe uses 155-160°F as a checkpoint before glazing, then continues cooking until the internal temperature reaches 170°F, comfortably above the USDA minimum of 165°F for poultry — no correction needed here.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — a regular oven can roast the standing lollipops on a wire rack, and the glaze comes together on the stovetop; you'll lose the smoke flavor from the pellet grill.
Recipe Highlights
Lollipop-cut drumsticks: Creates a compact meat ball with a clean bone handle.
Fully submerged brining: Locked plate ensures even brine contact throughout.
Upright grilling position: Promotes even heat circulation around each piece.
Dipped glazing method: Coats every side in one motion.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 290
- Carbs
- 12 grams
- Protein
- 24 grams
- Fat
- 15 grams
- Sodium
- 395 milligrams
