Chicken Wings for the First Time


 
R

Robert T.

TVWBB Super Fan
Want to do some wings for the first time for a Football party tonight. Doing them on my WSM. Thinking I would do them on high heat (300-350) for around 1-1.5 hours then throw them on my gasser to crisp them up and sauce them. Couple of Questions:

* Any problem with using the frozen wings from Costco? Do I need to defrost first?

* Thoughts on rub? I have heard good things about the Montreal Chicken Seasoning and thought I might try that.

* Any sauces in particular you especially like?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Buckeye Bob
 
Bill,

Thanks for your help. I am going to use a combination of things I read on there. I will let you guys know how they come out.

Bob
 
I guess I'm just lazy...I toss 'em in the WSM at about 260 for about 4 hours, and sauce 'em at the end. Easy, and my kids love them!

My daughter requested them for her birthday.

I make sure I cook them plenty long as I don't like them sticking to the bones at all. Seems pretty hard to ruin them.

wings.jpg
 
Wings are hard to mess up.

You can cook them frozen. They'll take longer, but they'll be just fine.

They'll handle almost any sauce and/or rub you can throw at them.

Most folks would agree that Buffalo wings are made with hot pepper sauce. I refer to all the other wings as hot wings (even if they aren't hot).
 
I went on a buffalo wing binge a few months back and collected literally several hundred recipes, and three books dedicated to them.

I bought the countertop frier at Costco, and made some amazing buffalo wings during the Superbowl to take to work. Well, they were amazing right after I made them. They were quite mushy and unexciting when I reheated them several hours later at work.
 
The wings came out great and everyone loved them.

I cooked them high heat on the WSM using lump with some cherry wood for smoke. I cooked about 45 minutes and then flipped them and then cooked another 45. I rubbed beforehand with the Montreal Chicken Seasoning.

For sauces, I ended up doing a Buffalo Wing sauce from this site, the one labeled as the original sauce from the Anchor Inn in Buffalo. While I can't vouch for the authenticity of the recipe, it was really good. See the first link by Bill Berg above to find it. I also did a teriyaki sauce, just out of the bottle. It was the Sweet Baby Ray's Sauce/Marinade. It is really good in a pinch and I have used it before. For the Buffalo wings, I just dipped them in the sauce and put on the plate. For the Teriyaki, I dipped them in the sauce and then threw them back on the WSM to glaze them up a little.

I did do a couple of things wrong. I overcooked them and they got a little charred on one side. I think that at the high heat, probably 70 minutes is probably better than 90 minutes, especially using the smaller frozen wing pieces like I used. Also, the Montreal seasoning seemed to have a high level of salt. Will cut back on that next time.

Thanks again to all for your help. Here is a picture mid cook although I did not get any pictures at the end. I was running late for kickoff.

DSC_0004.jpg



Bob
 
In the future, I would let them completely thaw, so that your cook time isn't extended, and you can get more consistent results. Plus, once they are thawed, you can clean, trim, and generally pick over them before they go on. You would be surprised the amount of pin feathers you will find on them. Also, I then trim off a bit of the fat and any exess skin. This works for frying, but if I were to use the WSM, I'd probably forgo cutting off any fat, due to the prolonged cook time.
 
They look good, but I agree with Tom, in fact I would nuke them in defrost mode in the <gasp> microwave which I am not crazy about using.

None the less, sounds like an enjoyable cook.

One other thing, I notice much better tasting meat when using organic wings, but they cost about 3x the cost in my neck of the woods. Still, wings are cheap and worth it to me.
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I do lots of wings, and like the results on the kettles as opposed to the WSM. I do them with an indirect fire, but a pretty hot one. Usually they only take about an hour. I marinate mine in a mix of chopped up chipotles, adobo, crushed pineapple, and southern comfort. Makes a damn fine wing, with great color as well.
 
That sounds phenominal.

I've only done wings a few times, and have usuall just done them on my OTS. I always flip flop back & forth, but really can't come up with a reason to use the WSM unless I just feel like using the WSM. Which is perfectly fine. I usually go with teriyaki sauce myself cooking, as you say about an hour flipping every 20 mins. or so.
 
Wings are not something I do often but when I do they are a last minute thing. That being the case they come right out of the freezer. I do them like Mike R, on the kettle indirect but quite hot. I just stick them in there frozen and let them thaw/cook 15-20 while I toss together a rub in a large bowl. Then I truck out to the grill, scoop up the wings, chuck them in the rub in the bowl, toss well and return to the kettle. Then I make whatever sauce I'm making, tighten it up well on the stove, and return to the kettle with the sauce in the same big bowl. Wings off and into the bowl, toss-toss to coat, back on the grate to seize/tighten for a few minutes; serve.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">...chipotles, adobo, crushed pineapple, and southern comfort. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>This is right up my alley. What a terrific combo; excellent idea. Though I don't marinate, this would make a great glazing sauce.
 
Thanks Kevin! I have done it with canned peaches and juice too, but I like the pineapple better. I may have to give it a whirl as a sauce. I use my stick blender to really pulverize everything and baste it on at the end. Chipotles and the accompanying adobo are a wonderful thing!
 
"Akio Stribling
New Member

Posted May 09, 2008 12:22 PM Hide Post
I cook mine in the WSM minus the water pan at 350-375, 90 minutes, flip after 45 minutes, toss with 50/50 Franks+melted butter. All the fat melts away, leaving a crispy, almost deepfried skin. I throw wet wood chunks on if I want a smokier flavor. Or I just toss them with salt and pepper. I never have any leftovers."


I tried this last night with only below par results. My 15 minute lid temps were: 290°, 312°, 345°, 375°, 365° and 350°. The wings had way too much "Mr. Brown" (Mr. BLACK) and the meat was dry. Perhaps I misunderstood the instructions "minus the water pan". I took the pan right out of the WSM. Was I supposed to leave the DRY pan in the smoker?
 
Apparently there are several who claim to have invented the buffalo wing, as always. I use Frank's hot sauce from the store, one of those who says they created it.

Fry/grill, toss in sauce and butter, eat.
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Sandee,

When I did mine, I also took the water pan out. Mine were a little more "crispy" then I would have liked and will probably only do 30-35 per side instead of 45 minutes.

Bob
 
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