There’s really no good reason to boil drumsticks before grilling.
The whole purpose of boiling drumsticks before grilling them would be to make sure they are cooked to a safe internal temperature. We’ve already established that your chicken legs should be monitored and cooked to a minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, so pre-boiling is unnecessary.
How do you grill drumsticks without burning them?
If you don’t have a bun rack, we’ll discuss a method called “two-zone cooking,” which is the most effective way to grill drumsticks without burning them.
Step 1: Find a place on the grill, like the bun rack, where the chicken drumsticks can still get plenty of heat without being kissed by the grill’s flames.
Step 2: If your gas grill doesn’t have a bun rack, light one or two burners only and place the chicken over the area where the other, unlit burner would normally be blazing.
Step 3: With a charcoal grill, push the charcoal to one side of the grill and cook the chicken on the side opposite of the hot coals.
Step 4: Rotate the chicken legs frequently while grilling to make sure they cook evenly.
Step 5: Save the sauce for the very end. If you must add barbecue sauce, do so in the last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking, and keep an eye on it as the sugars in barbecue sauce can burn quickly.
