Keeping those wings crispy?


 
R

RyanB

New member
Hi all,

I've been doing smoked and deep fried chicken wings like described on this site for years. Always a crowd pleaser. The trouble is, sometimes I travel to parties, especially on super bowl Sunday, and I've always found that sometimes the wings are a little soggy after I sauce them and put them in foil trays for transport. I suppose I could put the sauce on right before serving, but that would involve making it there, or making it separate and keeping it warm, and I think the wings might still get soggy under foil.

Does anyone have any tips on avoiding this?
 
They will always get a little soft under foil but, I think I’d make the sauce take it in a thermos or some sort of container and reheat it when you get there. I don’t know of any way to keep the wings really crisp but, maybe a couple of minutes under a broiler on arrival then sauce them?
 
Timothy's advice sounds good to me.

Wings don't have to be super crispy imo. Sounds like you can make a good wing so all I have to say is good luck!
 
I tried the Korean Fried Chicken Wings from ATK a couple years ago, it was interesting & worth a repeat.

I'm trying to think of my best/crispiest wings on reheat.


A thin, crispy exterior and a spicy-sweet-salty sauce are the hallmarks of Korean fried chicken. The biggest challenge is preventing the sauce from destroying the crust. We dunk the wings (which cook quickly and offer a high skin-to-meat ratio for maximum crunch) in a loose batter of flour, cornstarch, and water, which clings nicely to the chicken and fries up brown and crispy. To help the coating withstand a wet sauce, we double-fry the wings, which removes more water from the skin than a single fry does, making the coating extra-crispy. The Korean chile paste known as gochujang gives our sauce the proper spicy, fermented notes, while sugar tempers the heat, and garlic and ginger—cooked briefly with sesame oil—provide depth.
 
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The issue with crispy wings is it requires them to be fresh. They react like french fries, when they're fresh they're crispy but as soon as you try and retain heat, or re-heat the crispyness goes down. Really the only other way around it would be to do a flash re-heat in an air fryer at the final destination. But literally the moment you cover them in foil for transport, even if the sauce isn't on them yet, they're going to start to soften up.
 
So, I marinate the wings overnight in a mix of wing sauce, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and spice rub. then when I very first put them indirect on the kettle I use a silicone brush to sauce each wing liberally with the marinade they were just sitting in that is left in the bowl. The sauce flavor cooks in and what I end up with is a flavorful yet crispy wing. When I serve them I provide fresh sauce and ranch separate so if people want to sauce their wings, they can... or dip.... or as most people do with my wings..... just enjoy them as they are. That great wing sauce flavor is cooked into those bad boys.
 
RyanB said:
Hi all,

I've been doing smoked and deep fried chicken wings like described on this site for years. Always a crowd pleaser.
Click to expand...

Last night, I had wings at Creekside Cookers, our local (excellent) barbecue restaurant. Smoked, flash fried and doused in Thai chili sauce. Awesome. The deep smoke was highlighted by the crispiness that only frying can deliver. The Thai chili sauce was a great finishing touch that brought out the sweetness of the smoke. I may have to go back tonight.

Jeff
 
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