Chicken Wings - How to questions

[YoDadio]

I love hot wings and with football season approaching, the idea of having a lazy-Q wing (and ABT) feast has me drooling already. But I have a number of questions for you seasoned veterans.

Typically buffalo wings have the tips removed and are separated into drumettes and flats. Seems to me a bag of frozen wings from Costco/Sam's would be cheap and easy while providing more surface area for smoke and sauce. Yet I my research on the interwebs almost universally shows the whole wing being smoked, some sights even insist upon leaving the tips on. So I have to ask "is there any particular reason for this"?

Crispy skin is an absolute must, or at least rubbery skin is a complete bust... Short of grilling/broiling the wings after the smoke, is there a good way to get the skin crispy/bite through? (preferably without violating the lazy-Q life style, though sacrifices can be made for crispy skin)

When should I apply the hot sauce - begining, middle, or end? I fear the sauce may impair the crisping of the skin, so I am inclined to add it once the wings are done but am interested to find out if saucing them earlier would yield greater penetration of flavor.

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jcboxlot]

You will not get crispy skin using the smoker only.  You'll have to experiment but a way is to broil in the oven just after the smoke.  If your racks fit in the oven you would not have to transfer to another pan.

Sauce a bit before the smoke and another coating before you broil to get crispy skin.

 

[drains]

I have deep fried wings before then added a rub or just sprinkle with seasoned salt and then served the sauce or sauces on the side. The skin was crisp and it must have been good because there sure weren't any left. Give it a test run and see what you think.

 

[flying smoker]

Dadio, there's a guy in Memphis who serves smoked wings.  Doesn't bake them or fry them.  They are fall-off-the-bone tender and have GREAT flavor.  Not trying to change what you want, but I thought all wings were served crispy until I tried those.  Definitely lazy q...

 

[Pork Belly]

Separate wing flats and drumetts while removing the tips.
Soak overnight in buttermilk and Franks Red Hot.
Drain and smoke at 250 until cooked through.
Remove from smoker and crisp in deep fryer prior to service.
Immediately season with rub or salt when the come out of the oil.

 

[BedouinBob]

+1 on Brian's method. The quick drop into a fryer results in nice crispy skin. 

 

[Sum1]

Allow me to give you my method.

Note that I don't use any sauces since they usually contain a lot of sugar, and, besides, I strive to create smoked meats where the meat itself shines, not the added layers of sauces and the like. Each to his/her own.

Try to find the biggest wings you can. The meatier they are, the more fun to eat them and the better the flavor profile.

I generally buy Murray's chicken, but their wings tend to be small with hardly any meat on them. Once I discovered the huge, meaty wings in my local butcher shop in Brooklyn (Paisanos), I never turned back, and now I recommend using the biggest wings you can find.

Remove the tips and keep them in the freezer for chicken stock.

Separate the wingettes and drumettes.

Place the pieces in a bowl, add some olive oil, mix well so all pieces are coated (but not drenched) in oil, and add your rub. Mix well so all the pieces are seasoned equally. You can do this several hours before you smoking, but I don't know if seasoning them earlier makes a difference.

Smoke for 1.5 h on 225F (2oz wood, such as oak or pecan), then finish in then oven 10 min @ 425F.

Alternatively, smoke them for 1.5h on 225F, then allow to cool completely (first at room temperature, then for several hours in the fridge). When you're ready to serve, bake on 375F for 35min., flipping them midway.

Both methods work. The nice thing about this method is that if you're throwing a party and you'll be busy with other things, you can smoke the wings hours in advance, and just finish in the oven when you're ready to serve. I've even smoked a large quantity, froze them, defrosted what I needed, and finished in the oven just before serving. Oddly, the frozen-and-then-defrosted ones tasted even better!

This is the rub I use:

2.5 tbs pepper
2 tbs salt
2.5 tsp granulated garlic
2.5 tsp powdered onion
1 tsp hot paprika
1 tsp mild paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika

I think this yields enough for 5 pounds, possibly more.

Hope this helps!

 

[BedouinBob]

Sounds tasty Zvi.

 

[SmokinSusie-Q]

Allow me to give you my method.

Note that I don't use any sauces since they usually contain a lot of sugar, and, besides, I strive to create smoked meats where the meat itself shines, not the added layers of sauces and the like. Each to his/her own.

Try to find the biggest wings you can. The meatier they are, the more fun to eat them and the better the flavor profile.

I generally buy Murray's chicken, but their wings tend to be small with hardly any meat on them. Once I discovered the huge, meaty wings in my local butcher shop in Brooklyn (Paisanos), I never turned back, and now I recommend using the biggest wings you can find.

Remove the tips and keep them in the freezer for chicken stock.

Separate the wingettes and drumettes.

Place the pieces in a bowl, add some olive oil, mix well so all pieces are coated (but not drenched) in oil, and add your rub. Mix well so all the pieces are seasoned equally. You can do this several hours before you smoking, but I don't know if seasoning them earlier makes a difference.

Smoke for 1.5 h on 225F (2oz wood, such as oak or pecan), then finish in then oven 10 min @ 425F.

Alternatively, smoke them for 1.5h on 225F, then allow to cool completely (first at room temperature, then for several hours in the fridge). When you're ready to serve, bake on 375F for 35min., flipping them midway.

Both methods work. The nice thing about this method is that if you're throwing a party and you'll be busy with other things, you can smoke the wings hours in advance, and just finish in the oven when you're ready to serve. I've even smoked a large quantity, froze them, defrosted what I needed, and finished in the oven just before serving. Oddly, the frozen-and-then-defrosted ones tasted even better!

This is the rub I use:

2.5 tbs pepper
2 tbs salt
2.5 tsp granulated garlic
2.5 tsp powdered onion
1 tsp hot paprika
1 tsp mild paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika

I think this yields enough for 5 pounds, possibly more.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the recipe.  Great suggestions.  Have you attempted putting them on the grill after smoking rather than finishing them in the oven?

 

[Sum1]

I did try grilling (in the oven broiler, not gas or coal grill), and oftentimes the skin would shrink and rip. Perhaps I didn't get the temperatures right, or they were too close to the fire (doubt it) or did something else wrong, but I found that roasting them 10 min @ 425F yields the best results.

Look, for me it's a work in progress. I can't say that I've come up with the final recipe. There was a time that I tested close to 10 rubs/methods (some rubs based on what others have done, some my own experiments), tweaking and tweaking, but never being 100% satisfied. I would still need to revisit the method&rub above, but I think it yields solid wings. If anyone tries my method, I'd be curious to hear what they thought about it.

Perhaps in the upcoming weeks I'll run a few tests, methodically, trying the same recipe with different woods, and then using the winning wood with different recipes. But it'll take some time. Stay tuned...

To me, one of the best wings I've tasted came from Morgans BBQ in Brooklyn. See a photo here: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/morgans-barbecue-brooklyn?select=CRggaMHb5KNJFxq5csv9Rw and here: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/morgans-barbecue-brooklyn?select=aokLGffwN9ooefbL_MB9Yg
That's what I strive for...

 

[SmokinSusie-Q]

I did try grilling (in the oven broiler, not gas or coal grill), and oftentimes the skin would shrink and rip. Perhaps I didn't get the temperatures right, or they were too close to the fire (doubt it) or did something else wrong, but I found that roasting them 10 min @ 425F yields the best results.

Look, for me it's a work in progress. I can't say that I've come up with the final recipe. There was a time that I tested close to 10 rubs/methods (some rubs based on what others have done, some my own experiments), tweaking and tweaking, but never being 100% satisfied. I would still need to revisit the method&rub above, but I think it yields solid wings. If anyone tries my method, I'd be curious to hear what they thought about it.

Perhaps in the upcoming weeks I'll run a few tests, methodically, trying the same recipe with different woods, and then using the winning wood with different recipes. But it'll take some time. Stay tuned...

To me, one of the best wings I've tasted came from Morgans BBQ in Brooklyn. See a photo here: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/morgans-barbecue-brooklyn?select=CRggaMHb5KNJFxq5csv9Rw and here: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/morgans-barbecue-brooklyn?select=aokLGffwN9ooefbL_MB9Yg
That's what I strive for...

OMG!  Those pictures from Morgans make me want to take a road trip to Brooklyn!  Do you think they'd provide you, a great customer and interested smoker, with some recipe details?  Even their sides look delicious.

 

[Sum1]

I mostly order take out from them, so even though the take-out guy knows me by now, the rest of the staff doesn't. I might need to bribe someone to reveal their secret... 

 

[SmokinSusie-Q]

I mostly order take out from them, so even though the take-out guy knows me by now, the rest of the staff doesn't. I might need to bribe someone to reveal their secret... 

bribe, bribe!