BBQ Baked Drumsticks
Drumsticks baked to render the fat, then sauced and blasted hot to set a sticky glaze.
Makes 4 servings · Prep 10 min · Bake 45 min
Ingredients
Chicken
- 8 Chicken drumsticks
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tbsp Neutral oil
Sauce
- 1 cup BBQ sauce — see the BBQ Sauce recipe or use a bottle
Instructions
Prep
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Bake
- Pat the drumsticks dry, rub with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake plain, without sauce, until most of the way done. (Tip: This gives the fat and connective tissue in the drumsticks time to render and soften before any sugar is exposed to the oven's heat.)
Glaze
- Brush generously with BBQ sauce and return to the oven, basting with more sauce halfway through. (Tip: Building the glaze in two coats gives a thicker, glossier finish than one heavy coat applied all at once.)
Check
- Confirm an instant-read thermometer in the thickest drumstick, away from bone, reads 74°C (165°F) before serving.
Tips
- Sauce burned in spots: Either the oven ran hot, or the sauce was on for too long a final stretch. Watch the last 15 minutes closely and pull as soon as the sauce is glossy and set, rather than waiting for deep char.
- Finish on the grill for real char: These can be baked most of the way and finished for a few minutes over direct grill heat instead of the oven's final stretch, for genuine smoky char rather than just an oven-caramelised glaze.