60 grilled wings, lots of questions please???.

[jjdbike]

Hello pit-masters,

I am hosting a neighborhood gathering this coming Saturday. I ordered approximately 60 pre-seasoned wild fork wings. I’d like to grill them with a kiss of smoke. I’d also like to get them a little crisp with out burning them if possible.

I’d like to have them done ahead of time so I can relax and hang out with our guests. I plan on holding them in my oven.

1. I have an 18” Weber and I do have a Vortex. I don’t think it’s possible to do 60 wings at one time on an 18” Weber with a Vortex. Will 30 wings fit in one shift on an 18” and a Vortex?

2. I plan to keep them warm in the oven between shifts and hold them in the oven at 140 -150 degrees until the guests arrive. I’m thinking if I start to grill the first shift an hour before guests arrive I can have the second shift done and holding in the oven by the time the guests arrive. Is my timing sound correct ?

3. I think grilling them super hot will the Vortex full to the top, I’ll spray them with duck fat just before grilling ad a moisture barrier and to help crisp them. I think I can get that crisp and touch of char and kiss of smoke without overcooking so they won’t dry out during the oven hold. Am I correct with this assumption?

4. The other option is I could just do them all in the oven. The down side is I won’t get the grilled flavor, crunchy touch of char, or smoke. Is baking a safer option in this scenario?

5. Getting back to the Vortex, can I add a handful of cherry wood pellets to the Vortex for that touch of smoke without overpowering the flavor of the wings and seasoning? I’ve always thought about this but never tried it.

6. Finally, since they are frozen and pre-seasoned, I’m thinking I need to thaw them in fridge starting Thursday morning, Thursday evening I’ll lay them out on baking sheets to dry the skin in the fridge. That way I’ll have a better chance of a crisp skin. Is that a good idea or am I thawing them and drying them too long?

Any other considerations or suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

Respectfully,
JD

[Jfrosty27]

1. Yes, thaw and dry them.
2. each shift will take 35-40 min to cook. Plus a charcoal reload with heat up time. So you need more than an hour if you want to be done before guests arrive.
3. I don’t know how many will fit per shift on the 18” But you’re holding them in the oven anyway. Plan your timing for three shifts and if it only takes two you’re still golden.
4. Yes on the cherry wood. I use it for every wing cook. Very tasty.

[jjdbike]

1. Yes, thaw and dry them.
2. each shift will take 35-40 min to cook. Plus a charcoal reload with heat up time. So you need more than an hour if you want to be done before guests arrive.
3. I don’t know how many will fit per shift on the 18” But you’re holding them in the oven anyway. Plan your timing for three shifts and if it only takes two you’re still golden.
4. Yes on the cherry wood. I use it for every wing cook. Very tasty.

Thanks so much brother!

I like the idea of 3 shifts. A crowded grill is challenging to work with. Less room for flipping and adjusting. More chance of uneven cook.

Greatly appreciated!!!!
JD

[jfmorris]

You will for sure need 3 batches at a minimum with that small grate - maybe more, if using the Vortex on a 18 inch grate.

Personally, my thought is that if you are grilling in a WSM 18, I would be tempted to skip the Vortex, build the fire down in the bottom, and use the top cooking grate to just direct grill them to the point they look good, then move to the oven on a wire rack to finish. Your fire is probably 18 inches lower than the grate that way, at least, and you don't really need the Vortex, as the heat is far enough away to prevent burning, and can use the entire grate.

I direct cook wings a lot on my Genesis using Grillgrates, and have done it on the Weber kettle as well, also using Grillgrates, to avoid flareups and burning the wings when direct grilling. I wouldn't go direct over charcoal for long on my kettle, but the coals are much closer than on the WSM.

[TripleB]

If you have a larger smoker, why don't you smoke them all for a short period to give them that "taste of smoke" and then finish them in a 450d oven. 60 whole wings (not drumettes or pieces) is a lot. Especially if they are large wings. I can get like 20 whole wings on my 22" Weber with a Vortex.

FWIW....

[shify]

I smoke my wings on my PBC and don't think I can fit more than 30 wing parts on the grate at one time leaving a tiny bit of space between the wings for airflow and that is using the whole grate which you won't be able to do using a vortex. So you are looking at likely 3 batches to cook all 60 wings.

I would not cook this volume on such a small grill with a vortex nor would I want to keep the cooked wings in an oven for 2-3 hours.

Don't know what cookers you have available, but I agree with TripleB that if you have a smoker available, I'd smoke them and then you can finish over direct heat (not too high or you'll get massive flare ups) or even fry them to crisp up the skin.

And yes, thaw at least a day in advance and leave on a wire rack on the baking sheet uncovered overnight to dry out the skin to maximize crispiness

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I would smoke 'em all to 170ish the day before, chill and just drop batches in a deep fryer to serve.... but all the other ideas are probably more conducive to the cooker options you provided.

[jjdbike]

You will for sure need 3 batches at a minimum with that small grate - maybe more, if using the Vortex on a 18 inch grate.

Personally, my thought is that if you are grilling in a WSM 18, I would be tempted to skip the Vortex, build the fire down in the bottom, and use the top cooking grate to just direct grill them to the point they look good, then move to the oven on a wire rack to finish. Your fire is probably 18 inches lower than the grate that way, at least, and you don't really need the Vortex, as the heat is far enough away to prevent burning, and can use the entire grate.

I direct cook wings a lot on my Genesis using Grillgrates, and have done it on the Weber kettle as well, also using Grillgrates, to avoid flareups and burning the wings when direct grilling. I wouldn't go direct over charcoal for long on my kettle, but the coals are much closer than on the WSM.

Thanks,
I don't have a WSM, just a Weber kettle.

[jfmorris]

Ok, my bad. Not sure where I got WSM from. Maybe that 18" in the original post threw me off, and I thought WSM 18. Yeah, you will need 3 batches probably with the Vortex and an 18" kettle. I think I could do it in 2 batches with the 22" kettle and Vortex.

If as you do the first 2 batches, you transfer to a 170F oven, that will help bring the wings the rest of the way to 170 (i.e. safe temps) while the 3rd and final batch gets done.

Use a wire rack in the pan in the oven if you can.

[jfmorris]

The wire rack will help keep the surface of the wings dry and crispy, whereas if you just drop them in a pan, they will tend to lose some of the crispiness during the hold, just from moisture and grease coming out of the wings and them sitting in it.

[jjdbike]

If you have a larger smoker, why don't you smoke them all for a short period to give them that "taste of smoke" and then finish them in a 450d oven. 60 whole wings (not drumettes or pieces) is a lot. Especially if they are large wings. I can get like 20 whole wings on my 22" Weber with a Vortex.

FWIW....

Thanks,
It is 60 pieces, winglets and dummies, not 60 whole wings. I thought about the smoker, but the Weber kettle is much simpler. I don't want to deal with the smoker on Saturday because there is a lot going on. I figure, if get a touch of char, w/ a lava hot vortex filled to the top a kiss of smoke, internally they should be close, but not all the way unto temp. with carryover they'll come unto appropriate temp transferred quickly to a 150 oven for an hour or so.
JD

[jfmorris]

It takes my wings about 40 minutes to get done on the kettle with the SNS. If you do 2-3 batches... and possibly refuel the vortex.... that is a long time messing with the kettle, versus just firing up the smoker and getting them all done at once.

[jjdbike]

#jfmorris
You know, you make a really good point. I'm going to kick that around a bit. My KBQ tops out at 320. I'd be afraid of rubber skin. If I did that I would finsish them in the morning. Cool them. Hold in fridge. Reheat in oven. I suppose I could hit them with the broiler for a couple mins to firm the skin but I'd be afraid of drying them out.

[jjdbike]

I would smoke 'em all to 170ish the day before, chill and just drop batches in a deep fryer to serve.... but all the other ideas are probably more conducive to the cooker options you provided.

Thanks.
That's a great idea. I do not have a deep fryer. I'm working the day before, i.e. Friday then hanging with the grand kids.

[jjdbike]

Hello everyone,
I changed direction. I put them in fridge on Thursday morning to thaw. I laid them out on 4 cooling racks in fridge to dry on Thursday afternoon. I’ve been flipping and toweling them to dry them every 6 or 8 hours. After my last pat dry, I’ll touch up the seasoning and spray with duck fat. Then I’ll crank up my KBQ to full throttle. I lay a good bed of lump down first for a lava hot coal bed, then cherry mini splits on top for flavor.
I’ll take them to nearly 200 internal which should take approximately 20 mins. The KBQ is a wood fired convection oven. I’ll serve right away.

Thanks for the tips and instructions #spinnaker!

I’ll repot back.

Best regards,
JD

[barelfly]

Can’t wait to see those wings!

[PGH_RAM]

I hope we get some pictures!