Chicken Wings

[oddzilla]

Anyone done chicken wings in their Smokenator? I've been looking do some something for an upcoming family get together and chicken wings sound pretty good.

Thanks!

[jerkylips]

Nov 5, 2009 14:52:14 GMT -5 oddzilla said:

Anyone done chicken wings in their Smokenator? I've been looking do some something for an upcoming family get together and chicken wings sound pretty good.

Thanks!

You certainly can do it. Just like any kind of poultry, you'll want to smoke at a higher temp (325-350) to get crispy skin. If you keep the water pan in & keep the temp down to 250 or below, the skin will be rubbery.

there's a place my wife & I go to once a year for wings. They smoke the wings, then deep-fry, then toss in sauce. Best wings I've ever had.

[tikitigre]

oddzilla's gathering has probably already happened, but wanted to chime in and say chicken wings on my smokenator have been amazing. I smoked about 50 lbs of them at various bbq's this past summer. The first few times just a couple of pounds as afterthought appetizers for the main event (pulled pork, brisket); they were such a hit and so easy that by popular demand I later did a bbq of just wings, 20 lbs!

My technique, borrowed liberally from other sources:

- If buying whole wings, I don't bother cutting them or trimming the wing tips. The first time I did cut and lollipop about half of them and then gave up. The whole wings were just as fantastic as the cut ones, and folks were greedily gnawing on the tips.
- I usually marinate them overnight in nothing more than Frank's Red Hot (the regular sauce, NOT the oil-added wing sauce). The salt in the sauce acts as a brine, and they pick up just enough spice from the sauce to have a little bit of a bite.
- Using the smokenator as normal, ~ 225 degrees, they take 3-3.5 hours. At about the 1.5 hr mark, flip them and rotate position- move those closest to the coals to the outside. That's really easy if you have them going on the hovergrill over whatever else you might be cooking, just rotate the whole thing.
-They won't have super crunchy burnt on the grill or deepfried skin, but they're certainly crispy and not at all rubbery. If it doesn't look like all the fat has rendered from under the skin, leave 'em on a little longer. For being poultry, they're surprisingly forgiving on the exact cook time. If you don't trust your judgment on doneness, cut into the drumette portion of one to check.
- If I'm doing a lot (like the 20 lb cook), I do staggered batches. Start one batch on the regular grate, then at the half way point move those to the hovergrill and start another batch on the regular grate. Then every 1.5-2 hrs you've got another few pounds of hot wings to serve.
- If your guests can be patient, let the wings sit a few minutes after you take them off before serving them. That's not for the rest time like other meats; these are finger food and they're d**n hot when they first come off!
- Serve with LOTS of napkins available, and get out of the way quickly as your guests stampede.
- Leftovers keep well for a few days, and are still d**n tasty and not rubbery straight out of the fridge.