Another wings post

[tamidw]

I got a bag of frozen wings since my husband is wanting some wings (who doesn't!). Anyway, I really have never done wings from ground up. What is the best way to do these? Obviously, they're frozen so I am guessing I need to thaw them and do some kind of rub before cooking? I've gone through several posts on here and they talk about the rubs and sauces, but not too much on technique or at least techniques I can do. I saw some posts talk about drying them before cooking and some double dipping into sauce.

I have a smoker and griddle that I use regularly. I do have a gasser that hasn't seen much love in recent months too. .

Any direction or thoughts for me to start would be awesome and much appreciated.

[Guttenberg]

Mmmm wings. Definitely thaw. I'd then try brine for an hour or two with some kosher salt, and then apply a rub before putting them on the smoker. Anything goes with the rub. I've used Meathead's Memphis Dust, I've used salt and pepper, I've used the Simon & Garfunkle rub, I've used Hawaij which is a middle eastern rub common where my fam is from. Depends on your sides

I usually default to smoking my wings in my RecTec. Conventional wisdom is temp of 325, but I like to go a little higher around 375-400 to try to get a little crispy - Wings are fatty and forgiving when it comes to cook time. I usually will go about 25 minutes, flip them, and then do another 20 or so and pull them when they look crispy and delicious.

Good luck!

[Steve B]

Agreed with the higher temps. 375-400

[tamidw]

Thanks Guttenberg I have a RecTec as well. That's where I was thinking of starting for sure. Temps and times sound reasonable for them too.

[shify]

Definitely thaw them. I like to smoke and then finish on the grill to get the skin super crispy. Here is my approach:

• Salt and leave uncovered on a rack overnight to dry out the skin. Some people add baking powder to help crisp the skin up for non-fried applications but I personally don't like the results. I don't use anything besides salt on my wings and prefer to coat with sauce at the end.
• Smoke smoke at around 275 for about 45 minutes until done
• In the meantime, heat up the grill over high heat. Take wings off smoker and finish on grill over direct heat for a min or two per side to get the skin crispy. You could also fry at this point instead of finishing on the grill but I haven't taken that step yet.
• Toss in favorite sauce - I usually go straight buffalo sauce (Franks Red Hot sauce and melted butter) or a honey sriracha sauce (honey, sriracha, soy, maybe some lime)

[tamidw]

My go to is a buffalo sauce as well. Normally just Franks and butter. A short cut we always do when we have them is get boneless chicken bites from Schwans since they're decent quality and cook them in oven, then coat in buffalo sauce.

[Jfrosty27]

Thaw for sure. Considering the cookers you have, I would smoke at around 275 until done then fire up that gasser screaming hot and grill a couple min per side to crisp them up. Or if your smoker will get hot, like to 350 or so, just do them the whole way on that. Wings are hard to screw up really. So go for it!

[tamidw]

Thanks for the tips!

[Huskee]

Great minds. I've been craving wings and asked my wife to bring home a 10-lb bag of frozen ones from Sam's (their frozen ones are actually good, not old & gross like many).

I won't have time to thaw them tonight before cooking, so I will plop them on the kettle frozen, and salt them after 10-20 mins when they're thawed and moist, flip 'em and salt the other side. Dry brining ahead of time is way less important in thin meats in which you eat all layers in one bite anyway. Cook 'em hot, north of 350, they'll crisp up just fine.

[Huskee]

Doing them from frozen as we speak! tamidw

[holehogg]

My way too.

[jfmorris]

I too cook wings from frozen on either the kettle or gasser at medium-high heat. Glad to hear I'm not the only one!

I like to hit them with "Butt Rub" or seasoned salt, then toss in buffalo sauce after the cook - usually just a mix of Frank's and butter.

[Brewmaster]

My wife and I loves these and you can cook them on the grill instead of the oven.

https://www.thechunkychef.com/epic-dry-rubbed-baked-chicken-wings/

[tamidw]

Thanks! I'll check them out.

[tamidw]

Sounds like there's really quite a variety of ways to do them. Guess I will be experimenting for a while to determine what works best. Thanks for all the advice.

[Stuey1515]

Dry brine with baking powder for few hours makes a big difference imho

[Rod]

Definitely the hotter the better for cooking temp. I put thawed wings in the fridge uncovered (after drying them off with paper towels) for about 2 hours to help dry the skin out before I put them on the cooker.

[Dadof3Illinois]

So many different ways of cooking wings. I use my 26” kettle and vortex most often for wings. But I have sous vide them then finished on the gasser I’ve steamed to render the fat and finished in the oven with an Asian glasze. Also I’ve smoked then deep fried which gives you the best crispy skin.