Wings on the grill

Here is the step by step story of wings on the grill.

1. Buy quality wings, tips removed. (Go to a butcher or anfarmer’s market vendor)

2. Season with favorite rub. I use several commercial brands…no real favorite yet.

3. Create a hot fire. I use lump charcoal. Burns about 150 degrees hotter than briquettes. You need the heat to crisp the skin. Also, use indirect heat…creating a safe zone for the wings after the grilling stage.

4. Begin grilling. This is not for the feint hearted or multi-tasker. You need to be focused like a laser beam during this 15-20 minutes of grilling, turning, switching. You want the skin crisp, not burnt. Chicken skin burns easily and is very problematic for many folks to grill. (regarding skin…sorry, skinless chicken is not the most flavorful. OK for fajitas and sandwiches, but not much good for grilling.  This blog is not about eating healthy)

5. Once you have skin crisp- move off the coals. I use a tin foil landing pad, but you don’t need too. I then put the lid on and then basically turn the grill into an oven. About 45 minutes. Or more. I will check the wings out and place back on the coals to crisp as needed.

6. Create the sauce. I used Frank’s and Cherry Jam. I small bottle plus about 4 oz. of jam. I warmed in a pan to get the jam to blend.
7. Take off the grill and toss with the Cherry infused Franks and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I would rate this batch of wings a 7 on a scale of 1-10. Good. Not perfect. I would recommend a little more crisping on the grill. Perhaps add another 5 minutes to direct heat and another 10-15 minutes to indirect. Chicken is very subtle. It needs a lot of attention.

Chicken Wings- on the grill

I am under pressure to deliver some grilled wings better than BW3…not hard but still must deliver the goods to my class.

I posted a question the bbq forum for great, Buffalo style wings, here is one comment I like:

 ”I rub/season to taste, grill slowly with a few wood chips or smoke in a hot smoker (300+) and toss in the hot sauce before serving. I like Franks, butter and honey to taste with maybe a little extra rub mixed in. I like that heat and vinegar with a little sweet, Smuckers seedless raspberry jam is also very good instead of the honey. Make a couple different batches, one hot honey and another hot raspberry. Guaranteed to be a hit.
Jon”

This is the ticket….

(At one time, I used a marinade called Rogue River Red. It was a product made for my business, The Outdoor Cook, by Carp River Trading Company in Traverse City. I liked the marinade, and private labeled it…but never knew the recipe. I know it was based on Frank’s and cherry concentrate. To make a long story short, this was the ULTIMATE marinade for wings….and I need to recreate the magic in the next 10 days…)