Fathers Day Wings with the Vortex

[Robert McGee]

My wife and I decided to celebrate Father's Day by cooking some wings on the new Vortex. The wings were brined for a few minutes, then wiped dry. A light coat of EVOO was applied then a modest coat of Weber's Kick 'N Chicken rub. One small Weber Chimney of Kingsford Original went into the Vortex (small end up). The gas ignition was lit on the performer just before pouring the briqs into the Vortex. After three minutes, the gas was shut off, and fifteen minutes or so and was time to put the wings on:



Wings ready to sauce (after forty minutes):



Wings sauced and left for five minutes to set the sauce (with lid on):



Wings on the platter and ready to serve.



We sauced with an Apricot Preserves, Honey, and Chipotle in Adobo (a really terrific "home mix" glaze recipe from "The Reluctant Entertainer").

Critique:
First of all, these wings were the best I have made and I have made some FINE wings in the past. The skin was "crackly" crisp. The wings were maybe five minutes over cooked (slightly dry) because I misjudged the heat that the Vortex put out (I would put them at a "9" out of a possible "10". Flavor was outstanding. The glaze really gives the wings, not only distinctive flavor but terrific eye appeal. I used one chunk of cherry wood for a bit of smoke.

One of the things outstanding about using the Vortex, is that I only flipped the wings at the end to sauce. They were absolutely perfectly cooked on both sides to the same degree. This as if they had been cooked in a high heat convection oven. Outstanding!

OK, I am SOLD on the Vortex. It is now a permanent part of my grilling set up. I have no connection with the people that make and market these but I am an enthusiastic customer. I even have another cook planned that is a bit out of the ordinary. If it works out, you'll hear about it here.

Thanks for looking,
Keep on smokin',
Dale53

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

Those wings look outstanding!

 

[Pat G]

Looks great Robert. The vortex rocks for sure. I use mine a lot. I'm thinking about adding it to my signature line.

 

[Cliff Bartlett]

Gorgeous wings. Thanks for your critique on the Vortex.

 

[Rich Dahl]

Gorgeous wings. Thanks for your critique on the Vortex.

Same here.

 

[Robert-R]

Love the wings. However..... you didn't cook enough of them.

 

[Robert McGee]

Love the wings. However..... you didn't cook enough of them.

Yeah, I know, but there was just the two of us to cook for.

Thanks for the kind words. The Vortex makes it easy!

Keep on smokin',
Dale53

 

[Jim Lampe]

...these wings were the best I have made...

and they look PERFECT!
but Dale, only 6 wings??!! i'd eet those in 3 seconds, burp and look for more

They REALLY do look PERFECT!!!

 

[Michael C.]

Great color on those wings!!!!! I need to buy one of those vortex!

 

[Robert T]

Great looking wings Dale. The vortex looks like the real deal. Have you ever had a probe inside the grill to see what the temp is with the lid on? That would be interesting to know.

 

[Robert McGee]

Robert T;
The first time I used the Vortex, I used my Maverick to check the indirect temperature. It was 439 degrees shortly after getting the heat up. This was with all vents wide open. After fifty minutes it was still at 387 degrees. It was quite windy out and that could have skued the results a bit. Most of us will probably want to close the bottom vents a bit for many of the cooks we do. It will probably help our consistency if we monitor the temps with our Maverick thermometers.

Incidentally, those temps were with the Vortex with the little end up and one SMALL Weber chimney of Kingsford original briqs.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53

 

[Robert T]

Thanks for the info. That's a lot of heat for a small amount of charcoal. Very efficient piece of equipment!