Drumstick Lollipops

Nothing says "GAME DAY" better than drumstick lollipops. This recipe is going to bring the "WOW" factor, to those game day cookouts with friends, and family. I do want to warn you though, once your family and friends taste these drumstick lollipops, they're probably never going to leave you alone ever again. So...... Proceed with caution! 

What You’ll Need

For the Drumsticks:

1. 15 or more chicken drumsticks, depending on party size
2. Little Lu’s Sweet Hog Hot
3. Baking sheet with wire rack

For the Glaze:

1. Sweet Peach or similar pepper jam / BBQ sauce
2. Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce
3. Organic 100% Apple Juice
4. Little Lu's Sweet Hog Hot

1. Fire up the Smoker
Preheat your smoker to 275°F. This low heat setup is key to building flavor low and slow before we finish these drumsticks with our glaze at the end. 

2. Prep the drumsticks
While your smoker is preheating, we're going to remove the knuckle meat, the skin, and remove the tendons from our drumsticks. Once we do that, we're going to push the meat down on the bone, to create that "lollipop" look. Once that's done, we're going to season liberally with Sweet Hog Hot. 

Once the smoker hits 275, it's time to get those drumsticks on a baking sheet with a wire rack, and let them roll for about 2 hours. 

3. Prep the glaze
While the drumsticks are rolling in their heat bath, we're going to mix equal parts Sweet Peach pepper jam, sweet baby rays bbq sauce, and apple juice into a cast iron mini pot. We're also going to mix in some Sweet Hog Hot to get a little extra heat on these lollipops. Once the sauce is mixed, get it on the smoker for about 30 minutes to thicken up. 

4. Glaze those lollipops up baby
After about 2 hours has passed, or when the drumsticks have hit 165 internal, it's time to dunk and glaze them about every 10-15 minutes for another 30 minutes or so until they hit 175 internal. 

Now it's time to enjoy some sweet, smoky, tender, juicy, drumstick lollipops. All greatness, no guesswork!