Dougherty's Wings


 
D

Dave Russell

TVWBB Honor Circle
Dougherty’s Wings…Arguably the best chicken wings on the planet.

Wings are the backbone of any great party. Cooked well, they will draw even the wariest chicken eater. There are lots of ways to cook wings – I have found a preferred method that requires indirect heat and a grill temp of about 280-300F for almost 3 hours. I can’t take credit for this style of wing cooking, that goes to my friend Tim Dougherty, who enlightened me in the art of the wing. Let me break it down for you.

Wing Selection: Recipe is for (1) “Family Pack” – No party wings – they must be whole wings. Make no compromises.

Trimming: Clip off the wing tip and you are left with a “V” shaped wing.

Seasoning: Santa Maria Seasoning* & Old Bay.

*Santa Maria Dry Rub:

5 Tsp. Kosher or Sea salt

2 Tsp. Black Pepper

2 Tsp. White Pepper

1 Tsp. Onion Powder

3 Tsp. Granulated Garlic

* To add more heat, add 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper or Red Pepper flakes.



Baste: Mix and reduce over medium heat: (1) Fosters Blue Oil Can Beer, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 4 Tbsp. Walkers Wood Wet Jerk Seasoning. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Use a mop to apply.

Cooker Setup: Weber Kettle Indirect. To date, this is the best wing cooker we’ve found. This is hard to say as we are hardcore Big Green Egg fans.

Charcoal Setup: Place a heaping full chimney 75% engaged charcoal on one side of the cooker.

The Cook: Set your cooker for a steady 280 to 300 degrees. Stack the wings in a pile opposite the fire. Apply the baste as described above every 30 minutes for the entire cook. After the first 30-45 minutes knock the wings down, Re-stack and then baste. The wings should begin to get sticky as this process is repeated.

Expected Cook Time: IF your temps have pretty much remained the same, this process will take just less than 3 hours.

Done Test: When the skin of the wing has lost some of its “puffyness” and seems to be pulled tightly against the meat itself. The yellow under skin of each wing will become golden brown and slightly crisp, but not crunchy. The wing will be leaking clear juices if you look closely.
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I got the above recipe off of Greenleaf BBQ's website, and it's a good one, especially for cooking a BUNCH of wings. I cooked a pile of 27, but could've cooked a few more with this technique.

No idea why the recipe calls for so much lit charcoal at a temp under 300*, but that's the only issue I noticed. Despite the use of a little jerk seasoning, I don't think the wings qualify as "hot wings". However, they tasted great, and the stacking/mopping technique really kept 'em moist til all were done.
 
welll ....

i would really much like to try this recipe ... the only problem is that i can't get hold of 90% on the ingredients lollll
 
Louis, bummer, man. There are some recipes for making your own jerk seasoning, but you could order off Walkerswood's online store if you wanted to.

The only other thing you might not be able to find is some OLD BAY seasoning, but that's just a dry blend of seasoning that's particularly good on seafood and poultry. Kind of surprised your grocers up there don't carry it, but there's probably some recipes online as well.

There's not that many ingredients, really, but good luck with it. I think you'll find it's worth the trouble....and like I posted earlier, don't sweat the Foster's. I'm sure there are a lot of other lagers available to you that would be as good or better.
 
I'm a disgrace to my German heritage (both sides). Beer is something that I can't find pleasure in...yet. My palate is sensitive to bitter flavors. But I did taste a brown beer from a local brewery in Bryson City, NC that I would like to try again. (Maybe a bit like Brown & Tan, but I'm the last person to use a comparison.) I'm getting there.

Anyway, can someone recommend a generally-available beer to use in this recipe?

Rita
 
Rita, just so you know, my wife hates beer and the inlaws are tea-totalers. Everyone LOVED these wings.

I'm relatively inexperienced with too many different beers, but really don't think it'll matter too much. If you can't find the Foster's, maybe try a Samuel Adams? The Foster's was convenient since Kroger sells the big blue "oil" can by itself. I've had Foster's on draft at Outback, but I can't remember enough about it and I didn't taste it last week before pouring it in the pot.
 
Dave, thanks for the good information. I do cook with beers often, but I'm not well informed about the differences and fine points. I just have to find one I can buy without dashing around Atlanta trying to find the exact brand if it's not available in this area.

I have Kroger and Publix, plus wine/beer stores handy, so I should be able to find what I need.

Quote: "I didn't taste it last week before pouring it in the pot."

Uh, oh..."Taste and smell everything! - Kevin Kruger" (gentle kidding, but a truism)

Rita
 
I hear ya, Rita, but for some reason I had pulled the can out of the fridge earlier in the day and left it on the counter.
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Rita had some suggestions for making the wings hotter on the BBQ forum so I thought I'd just quote her here real quick:



"You might consider any of the pure chile powders (not a mix) - New Mexico red will give you quite a bit of heat, some of the smoked chiles (toasted & ground) might be nice. Aleppo (ground) will add a bit of fruitiness but isn't quite as hot as cayenne. Of course, you could add more jerk, and there's the really high end of the spectrum, habañeros and even Scotch bonnet. I love Scotch bonnets for their fruitiness, and it doesn't take much to get that fruity flavor. But then, it doesn't take much to blow your head off either."

THANKS, Rita! Chiliheads gotta have their heat.
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Dave, did use all of the rub (13 Tsp)...doubt it but if so, is "Tsp" tablespoon or teaspoon? I'm assuming tea but sometimes the "cap t" means table...anyway, the ratios work either way, just trying to figure out how much to rub them. How much Old Bay?
 
Dean, you don't have a Weber kettle grill?

No idea how hot your wings will be. I just followed the recipe. Walkerswood is supposed to pretty good stuff anyway, and it's imported from Jamaica.
 
thanks for the santa maria recipe, I have a batch of wings on the kettle now, couple of questions:

- the original recipe says the seasoning is santa maria and old bay. Is that a rub? Or is it applied after the wings come off?

- How thick was the mopping sauce? Ours is pretty thin perhaps because we used a different jerk seasoning (grace instead of walkers...I did find some good reviews for grace and it has a picture of the jamaican jerk center on the label).

- also, I've been breaking down the stack, mopping both sides of each wing and then building the stack. I'm thinking that might not be right as it says to re-stack and mop?
 
Rita, no problem. Just let us know what you think of the technique and recipe. Also, let me know what you'd suggest to make 'em HOT. For now though, it's the wings I'll grill when my father-in-law is over for supper. Even my wife can tolerate more heat than he does.
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Dean is exactly right. The mop is what makes these wings fantastic, and that's why it calls for cooking a big "family pack" in a pile...so the mop stays on the wings better. Think I might try using my grilling basket next time and see how that works.

Folks in California rave about anything Santa Maria though, so no surprise they say to use the seasoning. I believe I mixed it 50/50 with OLD BAY, but as long as whatever seasoning you use works with the mop, it's all good.

I've read that Walkerswood is the best jerk seasoning you can buy, and it's available online or at World Market, as well as many Krogers and Publix. Like Dean said, it's Caribbean so anywhere that carries that kind of stuff...and hot sauce specialty shops often carry it as well.

Santa Maria Dry Rub:

5 Tsp. Kosher or Sea salt

2 Tsp. Black Pepper

2 Tsp. White Pepper

1 Tsp. Onion Powder

3 Tsp. Granulated Garlic

* To add more heat, add 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper or Red Pepper flakes.
 
Thanks, Dean. Know exactly who you're talking about. Seen 'em cooking a mountain of cut ribs on one youtube video so I'll check out the wing video as well.
 
Thanks for the idea on these Dave I'm going to give them a try this weekend for football. I was able to grab both the regular and hot&spicy version of the Walkerswood in Virginia Beach. Maybe I'll use the hot&spicy version if you were thinking they need a bit more kick or did you use that?
 
Glad ya liked 'em, Dean. I suggest this recipe for anyone that has completely dismissed mopping. The mop MAKES this recipe.

I was thinking of turning them into "jerk-Dougherty Wings" by marinading them overnight as well.
 
I'll certainly let you know hot it works for me.

I'll have to keep the heat low for the grandsons (2 3/4 & 4), but you might consider any of the pure chile powders (not a mix) - New Mexico red will give you quite a bit of heat, some of the smoked chiles (toasted & ground) might be nice. Aleppo (ground) will add a bit of fruitiness but isn't quite as hot as cayenne. Of course, you could add more jerk, and there's the really high end of the spectrum, habañeros and even Scotch bonnet. I love Scotch bonnets for their fruitiness, and it doesn't take much to get that fruity flavor. But then, it doesn't take much to blow your head off either.

Rita
 
Doughtery wings are the bomb! I have had them straight off of his Weber. I have also done my own version a couple times. One of those times was in a small competition and I didn't take first......but I didn't take last either.
 
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