Description
Pressure Cooker Lollipop Drumsticks. The BBQ circuit classic, brought inside to your pressure cooker.
Ingredients
Scale
INGREDIENTS
- 12 chicken drumsticks
Barbecue Rub (4 tablespoons of my Homemade Barbecue Rub plus some salt), or use your favorite store bought rub
- 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Barbecue sauce (1 cup of my Easy Barbecue Sauce), or use your favorite store bought sauce
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Franks Red Hot sauce
Instructions
- Lollipop the drumsticks: (Optional step) Cut through the skin and tendons where the meaty part of the drumstick ends, then pull the skin off of the drumstick, and clean up any stuck bits of skin. I cut through the skin about 1/3rd of the way up from the knuckle, rolling the drumstick on my board and cutting as I roll to get all the way around. Then I grab the skin with paper towels (for grip) and pull hard, cutting any sticking bits of skin and tendon away from the bone. Repeat until all the drumsticks are lollipopped.
- Season the drumsticks: Mix the spice rub ingredients in a small bowl until they are completely combined. Sprinkle the spice rub over the meaty part of the drumsticks - try to avoid getting it on the cleaned bone.
- Pressure cook the drumsticks: Pour 1 cup of water into the pot, then put in the pot’s rack. Set the drumsticks on the rack, meaty side down. (This works best for me when I do it in circles, like a bullseye.) Lock the pressure cooker lid. Pressure cook on high pressure (manual mode) for 15 minutes in an electric PC, 12 minutes in a stovetop, and then let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 more minutes. (Or Pressure cook for 20 minutes and quick release the pressure.)
- Sauce and serve: Whisk the barbecue sauce ingredients in a medium bowl until completely combined. Lift the drumsticks out of the pressure cooker one at a time, and brush the meaty part of the drumstick with barbecue sauce. Serve, arranging on a platter with the cleaned knuckle end pointing up. (Or in a spiral, with the cleaned knuckle pointing out from the edge of the platter.)
Notes
- Again, the lollipopping step is completely optional. I’ve done it twice, and I’m not sure I’m going to ever do it again, unless I wind up in a barbecue competition. But...if you want an impressive chicken drumstick presentation, these are hard to beat.
- If you are a chef, you call this “Frenching” the drumsticks, not lollipopping them. But…I’m not a chef. Lollipop, lollipop oooh lolli loolipop….lollipop!
- Yes, I’m re-using the BBQ Rub and BBQ Sauce recipes from my Pressure Cooker Baby Back Ribs. Those are my go-to recipes for rub and sauce.
Tools
- This recipe fits in a 6 quart or larger pressure cooker. (I love my 6 quart Instant Pot)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American