BBQ Pulled Chicken Thighs

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I've been working on this recipe for a bit and I've got it pretty well figured out. It's always a crowd pleaser and I'll eat it 4-6 times a week for a couple weeks if I make it for myself.

I use bone in skin on chicken thighs (6-7lb packs from Costco), and I remove the bones and skins myself. This keeps it cheap, and I keep the scraps for stock (and air fry the skins as a snack). I drain them and pat them dry but I'm careful to not trim any fat and leave as much connective tissue as I can, except the stuff that won't break down. Adam Ragusea has a great guide to do this here.

I season with a BBQ dry rub by taste, but I suspect I used 1-1.5 cups. It takes a lot. My rub is based on Meathead's Amazing Ribs Memphis dry rub. I modify it to reduce the sugar and I use some other types of chili powder/flake for heat. Put more sugar in the rub if you're using a not very sweet bbq sauce. I use sweet baby rays.

You can use paprika, chili powder, any chili flake, etc. for heat. At minimum I'd use half a cup of paprika, but swap some paprika for something spicier (or add even more) if you want any real heat. I add an additional 1/4 cup of each gochujang and thai chili flake to the crock pot once it's done cooking.

Salt is not included here, so salt the meat directly when you add it to the slow cooker. There's gonna be too much rub probably but you can use the rest for any other BBQ stuff.

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 1/4 cup ground ginger
• 2 tbsp chili flake
• 2 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp msg

Then it's your call how to use it. I take most of it and freeze it immediately in several containers so I can move it to the fridge as needed. When I reheat, I do so in a pan to crisp it up a tad. I grab slider buns and tortilla chips as a carrier, and I'll have some pickled vegetable available for friends who like that.

Instructions:

• Bone and skin the thighs, pat dry with paper towels, and put them in the crock pot.
• As I lay them in, I salt the thighs on both sides, I go fairly heavy with it.
• Add 2-3 tbsp soy sauce (you won't taste this at the end)
• Add ~1 cup of the seasoning to thoroughly cover the thighs. Mix it all in with some tongs or your hands.
• Lid on, cook on low for 5-6 hours. Typically my mistake is overcooking. I don't have any luck with going close to 8 hours. Dont open the lid during cooking.
• When the thighs are done, just kinda mix them around with tongs and they'll fall apart. Don't overdo it (like I did), they'll automatically get shredded down plenty.
• Add 2 tbsp vinegar (I prefer white vinegar to apple cider vinegar). Taste as it all gets mixed up a bit and add salt/bbq rub until you like it. Add some butter if it's somehow dry.