Need Advice On Holding Wings To Keep Skin Crisp

Money_Hillbilly

Doing a big Super Bowl party expecting 60 people.  One of my proteins includes wings.  I have a great method to get crisp skin but I need to do several batches and keep them warm.  I don’t like to tent with foil since the moisture softens the skin.  Any ideas?  My oven goes down really low but unsure if they will dry out in an oven uncovered.  Thoughts??

ColtsFan

I’ve never had to do this but the oven sounds like it would work. Mine (gas) goes down to 170*. I’d place them on wire racks on sheet pans. 

lkapigian

I’ve had good luck smoking holding them ( un sauced ) then a quick fry just before serving , extra crisp skins

Jstroke

Smoke, then fry them quit on a turkey burner. 

Money_Hillbilly

I won’t have time to fry I am also doing hanger steak, tritips, brisket chili, sausages and strawberry bourbon pork belly burnt ends.  I will be pretty busy having 2 eggs and the Lang going.  Frying is out of the question. 

nolaegghead

Open tray and a heat lamp, let them breathe.  

TideEggHead

Do y’all have an air fryer? SWMBO has one and our newer oven has an air fry setting… we’ve done wings in the air fryer and they are pretty good if you don’t have time to egg them.

dmchicago

TideEggHead said:

Do y’all have an air fryer? SWMBO has one and our newer oven has an air fry setting… we’ve done wings in the air fryer and they are pretty good if you don’t have time to egg them.

I did wings in our Air Fryer last weekend,
Excellent but could only fit 8 at a time.

nolaegghead

OP: I want to keep my super crispy skinned wings crispy while 60 hungry ass people people chow down an all the food, any suggestions?

Forum: Use an air fryer to get super crispy wings!

I love this place!

lousubcap

Once this is history, please share your crispy skin method.  I agree that stand alone in your oven will dry them out.  I would opt for the oven (sounds like the only choice) but lightly spritz 'em with water before going in.  The duration of time being held will clearly dictate how much water will evaporate but you could run a test cook a few days ahead to  see how this works with your oven.
That's all I've got.  FWIW- (and not much)

caliking

I vote for "don't worry about it".

With the menu you have, and the number of folks, let the crispy skin bit go. Just this once. 

After all the effort you're about to put in to feed them quality grub, whoever holds "but the wings weren't THAT crispy" against you should be defriended/unscribed/not invited again.

Money_Hillbilly

I think I will cook the wings in smaller batches and just keep them coming.  I agree with @caliking my worst is much better than most of them can do.  LOL

lkapigian

That’s when things go south 

TideEggHead

@nolaegghead True haha, I guess my brain was connecting dots that didn’t need connecting. I figured he could crank out some wings in short order and serve immediately vs cooking and trying to keep crisp. 

GrateEggspectations

Whenever finish time is essential, sous vide is my friend. Wondering if you could SV all of them and then just quickly torch or cook at night heat for the finish?

nolaegghead

TideEggHead said:

@nolaegghead True haha, I guess my brain was connecting dots that didn’t need connecting. I figured he could crank out some wings in short order and serve immediately vs cooking and trying to keep crisp. 

No worries man, I’m an equal opportunity ball buster!  😂🤪

Money_Hillbilly

@Great_EGGspectations I have done a big batch of wings in the SV for a previous party.  I forgot about that.  I will have several grills going and won’t have time to operate the fryer.  I now plan to cook the wings last so I can put them on multiple grills at the same time.  I have 2 larges, one with CGS adjustable rig and one with a raised rack.  If necessary I have a hybrid Lang with a chargrill on one side.  I think I can get it all done.  

HendersonTRKing

Same issue here, but on a much smaller scale -- I'm egging wings for 20 or so rabid eagles fans (plus me quietly hating on the birds, pulling for KC).  It's possibly a bit worse at my end bc I've got to transport the wings to a SB party about 15 minutes away.

Given the logistics and what I deem to be an impossible task ("crispy wings for 20 at/around kickoff"), I'm channeling Peyton Manning's enormous forehead for some help:  "Omaha!  Omaha!  Sticky Buffalo Wings on 3!!!"  As I write this, I'm not exactly sure what sticky buffalo wings are, but I'm thinking I'll add some Mike's Hot Honey to my traditional Franks/butter sauce and glaze them til they set rather than just toss.  If they're not warm enough when I get to the event, I'll commandeer the hosts' oven, use the convection setting for 10 minutes at 400 and cross my fingers for good results (including a Chiefs win, which seems less likely than good wings).

nolaegghead

Get your guests nicely marinated and soaked in beer and anything you serve them will taste great from their perspective.

gamason

Once you sauce them they wont be crispy anymore anyway after a few minutes.. JS

Money_Hillbilly

@HendersonTRKing I have been skipping the sauce lately.  I dry them in the fridge overnight, oil them, then coat with Elk Creek jalapeño/garlic rub and Heath Riles Simple Citrus and grill @425 raised direct.  This combination is awesome. 

fishlessman

Serve some with sauce, some dry. Then make some hot sauce with butter heated up there for a redip for those that want it