22.5" Kettle Wing Capacity?


 
C

ChadVKealey

TVWBB Pro
I'm cooking up a few things for a "Cub Scout Pack Committee Meeting" on Sunday and trying to plan out what I'm cooking where and when.

The first thing I'll be starting (which I've never done before) is a beef shoulder muscle. I figure that will be on my WSM for most of the day Saturday (starting ~7:00 AM).

I'm also making wings. I buy them as full wings, in packs of 30, and trim the tips (for stock-making later on); usually I don't split the flats from the drumettes, but for this, I might. My concern is how many I'll be able to fit on the kettle at one time. I think splitting them will give me a bit more flexibility for arranging them and maybe I can get them all on in concentric rings around the outer edge. I don't have a vortex, but I have an old grill wok I use to keep the coals in the middle of the grate.

So, is 60 separated flats & drummies on one kettle realistic? I suppose I could do multiple batches if needed, but since it's not the only thing I have to do on Saturday, I'd prefer to do 'em all at once.
 
I've got about 35 on there in this pic. 60 will probably be tough, depending on how much room your wok takes up. You may have to rotate the ones that are closest to the middle.

 
Ok , if ~30 is the reasonable limit, I'll just cook two batches of 30. I'm thinking of leaving them whole, too (well, other than lopping off the tips). Or, I might do one batch on the kettle and one on the top grate of the WSM.
 
I have 40 items here, half stuffed japs and half wings. The japs took up a little more space. Let us know how you do it.
 
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?), the local BJs only had a couple of the 30-wing packs they usually sell, and they were suspect (outer package was slimy and they smelled off). In the frozen section, I discovered that they also sell a 10# bag of separated wings there at a price that comes out about 30 cents less per pound. So, I lose the tips, but get more wings, I just have to thaw them.

To that end, I'm planning to take a page from Alton Brown and thaw them in a brine. I'm going to puree a can of chipotle peppers in adobo along with some salt, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin and a couple of beers - basically all the same flavors that go into my sweet bacon chili (except the bacon) - and soak them in that (inside a bag in a big drink cooler) so they'll brine as they thaw. I'll be sure to post some pics & the recipe (if they come out OK).
 
ChadVKealey said:
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?), the local BJs only had a couple of the 30-wing packs they usually sell, and they were suspect (outer package was slimy and they smelled off). In the frozen section, I discovered that they also sell a 10# bag of separated wings there at a price that comes out about 30 cents less per pound. So, I lose the tips, but get more wings, I just have to thaw them.

To that end, I'm planning to take a page from Alton Brown and thaw them in a brine. I'm going to puree a can of chipotle peppers in adobo along with some salt, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin and a couple of beers - basically all the same flavors that go into my sweet bacon chili (except the bacon) - and soak them in that (inside a bag in a big drink cooler) so they'll brine as they thaw. I'll be sure to post some pics & the recipe (if they come out OK).
Click to expand...

Everything about that sounds awesome and delicious!
 
The "sweet chili brine" (as I've name it) did the trick to thaw the wings and get some flavor down into the meat. It could have been stronger, though. I had to dilute it quite a bit to cover all of the wings (one shy of 7 dozen).

After 12 hours in the brine, I transferred them to a rack set inside a sheet pan so they could dry out a bit and sprinkled with a jar of Reb Robin's (yes, the fancy burger/sandwich chain) all purpose seasoning. I got it in a prize basket and have never used it because it's extremely salty, but on wings it seems to work.

Since the beef shoulder I was cooking finished sooner than expected, I ended up cooking 4 dozen (2 dozen per grate) on the WSM at about 300 and the remainder on the Performer at about 400-450. When the kettle batch was done, I transferred the ones from the WSM over to crisp the skin. Sampling a couple of them before saucing, I could taste a bit of the heat from the chipotles and was pleasantly surprised that the RR seasoning didn't make them overly salty. Here are some pics from the cook:

Wings on WSM:


Wings on Kettle:


First batch sauced with Frank's Wing Sauce:
 
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