When it’s too cold outside to barbecue, I drum this up in the oven for family gatherings! The dry-rub barbecue has so much flavor versus using the sauce. And when you make your own dry rub, you’ll never buy it in the store again. This is a must-try, family-favorite dry rub.
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs 40 mins
Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 5 pounds chicken leg quarters
Steps
- Mix water, sugar, salt, and vinegar for brine in a food-grade, nonreactive container.
- Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place it in the brine, cover, and let sit for 2 hours.
- Mix brown sugar, paprika, chile powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, cumin, and nutmeg for dry rub together in a small bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking dish with foil.
- Remove chicken from the brine and pat dry. Place it on a tray and generously sprinkle dry rub all over each piece, rubbing it into the skin and meat. (You will have some dry rub remaining.)
- Place chicken, skin-side down, in the prepared baking dish,. Cover with foil, making sure not to wrap it too tightly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven. Increase the temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- Remove the foil cover and turn chicken over. Sprinkle more dry rub onto the skin and return to the oven.
- Bake until skin is crispy, chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear, about 20 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
