Chicken wings


 
H

Harrison Patrick

TVWBB Member
Since the invention of Buffalo wings, people have had wings served in many variations. Some will say lemon pepper is the best or Buffalo or teriyaki but we like it simple. This is our take on chicken wings with S-n-P.

Prep begins the night before with a thorough rinse, pat dry, place wings on baking rack and add seasoning. Into the fridge for an overnight stay for 2 reasons: 1) allow the salt to dry brine and 2) allow the skin to get dry enough that it will become crispy during the cooking process.
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Next day, fired up the Weber Performer with KBB until it reached 450 degrees.
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Placed the chicken indirect and let her rip until the desired texture was achieved, usually between 180-190 degrees internal.
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Wings came out nicely crisped, great color and bursting with juices.
 
Hmmm.....not to discount the dry brining process and overnight in the fridge process for LARGER proteins (pork belly etc) with very thick skin etc, do you really find it makes much difference in the smaller things like wings?

Reason I ask is that we do wings quite often, and the process is simply pull them out of the freezer (I vacuum seal them as we buy them in bulk and split them up into meal sized portions) and just throw in sink to thaw. From there just straight into a large bowl with lots of olive oil (or fat of choice) and a whole bunch of seasoning of choice (Cajun, buffalo, BBQ etc) and smush them around really well. Let them sit there for a couple hours or so (if that) and onto a 450 degree (indirect) BBQ.

They always come out super crispy and flavorful.
 
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GrantT said:
Hmmm.....not to discount the dry brining process and overnight in the fridge process for LARGER proteins (pork belly etc) with very thick skin etc, do you really find it makes much difference in the smaller things like wings?
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Yes, I do. Because I want it to.;)

But does overnight make a noticeable difference compared to your method? Maybe, maybe not...wings are thin enough so that any significant amount of time spent marinating, brining, etc. is going to have an effect in the early stages. There's probably a law of diminishing returns at work with longer times, but they make for good TVWBB writeups.;)
 
Food science/chef Kenji says salt plus baking powder plus overnight in fridge. But I just do overnight and (sometimes) salt.

The other trick (haven't done it yet but will try soon) is to work your wings over with one of those needle meat tenderizers. Idea being that all those little puncture holes will better allow the fat under the skin to render out. Leading to more crispy.

www.seattletimes.com

Here’s the secret to making super-crispy chicken wings at home — no frying needed

Not ready to go to a restaurant, too lazy to pick up takeout, but craving some hot, crispy chicken wings? You can make your own. The secret? Brine 'em and then roast 'em.
www.seattletimes.com www.seattletimes.com
 
GrantT said:
Hmmm.....not to discount the dry brining process and overnight in the fridge process for LARGER proteins (pork belly etc) with very thick skin etc, do you really find it makes much difference in the smaller things like wings?

Reason I ask is that we do wings quite often, and the process is simply pull them out of the freezer (I vacuum seal them as we buy them in bulk and split them up into meal sized portions) and just throw in sink to thaw. From there just straight into a large bowl with lots of olive oil (or fat of choice) and a whole bunch of seasoning of choice (Cajun, buffalo, BBQ etc) and smush them around really well. Let them sit there for a couple hours or so (if that) and onto a 450 degree (indirect) BBQ.

They always come out super crispy and flavorful.
Click to expand...
Certainly, dry brining helps crisp the skin to almost crunchy consistency yet the meat remains incredibly moist during the cook. Without dry brining I either achieve crispy skin and overcook the meat or it’s just the opposite.
 
Jim C in Denver said:
Food science/chef Kenji says salt plus baking powder plus overnight in fridge. But I just do overnight and (sometimes) salt.

The other trick (haven't done it yet but will try soon) is to work your wings over with one of those needle meat tenderizers. Idea being that all those little puncture holes will better allow the fat under the skin to render out. Leading to more crispy.

www.seattletimes.com

Here’s the secret to making super-crispy chicken wings at home — no frying needed

Not ready to go to a restaurant, too lazy to pick up takeout, but craving some hot, crispy chicken wings? You can make your own. The secret? Brine 'em and then roast 'em.
www.seattletimes.com www.seattletimes.com
Click to expand...
Kenji is quite accurate, from several articles I’ve read baking powder is basically an alkaline which does 2 things: raises the pH level in the skin and breaks down the protein resulting in fantastic crispness and great color. Be sure to post your cook after getting the tenderizer. I’d really like to see how the skin renders out the fat.
 
I tend to simplify more than I used to.
The last batch, widely proclaimed by the family as amazing, was turnip truck simple.
Threw a bunch in a large Ziplock bag put a handful of McKormick maple smokehouse seasoning let it sit roughly 18-24 hours, fire up the Vortex, using the leftover coal from previous cook in the bottom of the Vortex and topping that off with about half a chimney of fresh. Put them on, wait(the hardest part) remove and eat.E5A0E330-2C09-4F3A-A51A-720B74D567F2.jpeg
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The cook from fall, here is how the area looks this morning!
 
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Harrison, those wings look amazing. Yours too Timothy. Wings are going on the grill as soon as the weather breaks.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I tend to simplify more than I used to.
The last batch, widely proclaimed by the family as amazing, was turnip truck simple.
Threw a bunch in a large Ziplock bag put a handful of McKormick maple smokehouse seasoning let it sit roughly 18-24 hours, fire up the Vortex, using the leftover coal from previous cook in the bottom of the Vortex and topping that off with about half a chimney of fresh. Put them on, wait(the hardest part) remove and eat.View attachment 22813
View attachment 22814
The cook from fall, here is how the area looks this morning!
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Tim, great looking wings, the color is fantastic....
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Thanks but...View attachment 22820
For whatever reason, I couldn’t get this photo to load before, these are the finished product!
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Lookin' so tasty, Tim. In fact, they got my wing thing going. Did another batch tonight. I roughly use Steve Raichen's Buffacue Wings recipe with some personalization. I do them indirect between charcoal baskets for about 35 minutes, then char them direct to finish them. Sauce and dressing get added at the table. Always satisfying.

Jeff

On the grill
Wing setup by Jeff Hasselberger, on Flickr

On the table
Wings by Jeff Hasselberger, on Flickr
 
J Hasselberger said:
Lookin' so tasty, Tim. In fact, they got my wing thing going. Did another batch tonight. I roughly use Steve Raichen's Buffacue Wings recipe with some personalization. I do them indirect between charcoal baskets for about 35 minutes, then char them direct to finish them. Sauce and dressing get added at the table. Always satisfying.

Jeff

On the grill
Wing setup by Jeff Hasselberger, on Flickr

On the table
Wings by Jeff Hasselberger, on Flickr
Click to expand...
My wing loving 11 year old daughter just said, "those look good!", I would have to concur!!!
 
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