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BBQ Chicken Drumsticks with Beer & Honey Glaze

BBQ chicken drumsticks cooked in a sticky beer and honey glaze are just as awesome cooked on the barbecue as they are in the oven.

With instructions for both cooking methods, this recipe will have you licking those sticky fingers all year around.

BBQ chicken drumsticks with a beer, paprika and honey glaze served with pickles.

Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks

As far as I am concerned chicken drumsticks are perfect finger food, lets face it, they come with a handle!

Just grabbing hold of the knuckle and gnawing down on the sweet juicy meat is wonderfully primal. The sticky fingers are a wonderful reminder of childhood before we got so prissy about appearances too.

Usually my recipes involving drummers use a whole chicken leg broken into two pieces, much like my Jamaican brown stew chicken.

This BBQ chicken drumsticks recipe is all about the drummers though.

This recipe is not the first here to play with these ideas! This sticky chicken drumstick recipe was one of the first on my site. To this day it remains one of the most popular recipes here on Krumpli.

The flavours on these bad boys are very different. Sure the sweetness remains but there is a very grown up flavour on these beer glazed BBQ Chicken Drumsticks.

That flavour comes from a wonderfully simple beer syrup made with a dark lager. This is fortified with Worcestershire sauce, honey, treacle, paprika, garlic and a decent pinch of chilli.

BBQ chicken drumsticks with a beer, paprika and honey glaze cooking on the grill.

Frequently Asked Questions

What beer should I use?

I use a dark beer, Staropramen dark to be specific. I have tested this recipe with stout, porter and a ruby porter, all work really well and give the drummers a different vibe.

Can I use a different cut of chicken?

Yes, this works just as well on both wings and thighs, timings will naturally vary.

In fact, if you wanted to chop up a whole chicken (see below) and drop it on the grill you can use the cooking timings on my BBQ Tandoori Chicken recipe.

Is this recipe better cooked on the grill or in the oven?

The flavour is definitely better on the grill, those crispy caramelised bits are just magic. But the flip side of that is that cooking then and eating them in November in sideways rain kinda ruins the magic.

Do I have to make them spicy?

No, simply omit the chilli powder and dial back the black pepper and you are good to go.

Close up bbq chicken drumsticks with a beer, paprika and honey glaze.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve these sticky BBQ chicken drumsticks with loads of pickles and a cold beer. Especially if I am cooking them on the barbecue.

Hungarians and Central Europe in general have the best pickles I have ever tried and I have a pickle “problem”, I cannot get enough of them!

I never make my own as there are only two of us. But every market has a pickle store & verything from pickled cucumbers and cabbage to garlic and baby watermelon gets the treatment.

My wife likes to eat them with a mountain of potato salad.

If I am cooking them in the oven, I am much more likely to through some potato wedges in the air fryer or some fried potatoes. My fried polenta chips also make a great side dish for these drumsticks.

If you wanted to add some veggies then air fryer asparagus would work really well alongside these BBQ chicken drumsticks.

Grilled BBQ chicken drumsticks with a beer, paprika and honey glaze.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • BBQ or Oven.
  • Stovetop if you are cooking the drummers in the oven.
  • 17cm or 7″ saucepan.
  • Kitchen tongs.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring jug, cups and spoons.
  • A quick read meat thermometer, optional but I believe that they are an essential piece of kitchen kit.
Grilled BBQ chicken drumsticks with a beer, paprika and honey glaze with a beer in the background.
Yield: 2-4 Servings

Beer and Honey BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Dark Beer and Honey form the base of the glaze on these BBQ chicken drumsticks, perfect cooked on the grill or in the oven.

Ingredients

  • 8 Chicken Drumsticks
  • 250ml (1 Cup) Dark Lager
  • 50ml (3 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Worcestershire Sauce
  • 75g (4 Tbsp) Honey
  • 25g (1 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Black Treacle
  • 1 Tbsp English Mustard
  • 1 Tbsp Sweet Paprika
  • 1 Tsp Chilli Powder
  • 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tsp Pepper
  • ½-1 Tsp Salt

Instructions

BBQ or Grill Instructions:

  1. Heat a 17cm or 7" saucepan over a high heat and when its hot add the beer.
  2. Add the honey, treacle and Worcestershire sauce and reduce by two-thirds.
  3. Whisk in the mustard, paprika, chilli powder and pepper and set aside to cool.
  4. Peel back the skin of the chicken drumsticks and season with lots of salt, then roll the skin back up, then dip them into the glaze and rotate to coat.
  5. Oil up your grill grate and then drop on the chicken drumsticks over a direct heat.
  6. Keep basting the chicken and keep them moving to get a nice colour on each drumstick.
  7. Move to the indirect heat and close the lid, then cook for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 70°C or 158°F.
  8. Rest for 5-10 minutes and check that the internal temperature has reached 73°C or 165°F before serving.

Oven Instructions:

  1. Follow steps 1-5 above.
  2. Place the drumsticks onto an oven rack that allows air to circulate underneath.
  3. Heat a fan-assisted oven to 220°C or 450°F and place the drumsticks in and cook for 20 minutes.
  4. Reduce the heat to 180°C or 350°F and switch off fan assist mode.
  5. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 70°C or 158°F.
  6. Rest for 5-10 minutes and check that the internal temperature has reached 73°C or 165°F before serving.

Notes

Nutritional values refer to a single chicken drumstick.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 333mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 22g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Danielle

Thursday 26th of July 2018

These sound just incredible. I love a good grilled chicken leg. I don't make mine fancy (I'm lazy), but your look so good! The flavor just sounds amazing!

Brian Jones

Sunday 29th of July 2018

lol, not massively fancy, it only takes a couple of extra minutes :)

Jacqueline Meldrum

Thursday 26th of July 2018

We've been enjoying a lot of BBQs here in Scotland, which is unusual as our summers are usually quite wet. Love grilled corn.

Brian Jones

Sunday 29th of July 2018

Yeah I have been giggling at the melting comments from my British friends on my FB with much amusement ;)

Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry

Thursday 26th of July 2018

These drumsticks sound divine! Such delicious flavours, perfect for the BBQ.

Brian Jones

Sunday 29th of July 2018

Thanks Bintu!

Alina | Cooking Journey Blog

Thursday 26th of July 2018

What a great summernight dinner! It has poultry, veggie, grilled, sweet, peppery, buttery - totally delicious! :)

Brian Jones

Sunday 29th of July 2018

They definitely float my boat!

[email protected]

Thursday 26th of July 2018

These drumsticks are absolutely stunning especially when they are getting roasted on fire.

Brian Jones

Sunday 29th of July 2018

Thanks Pooja

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