First Time Wings - Ugly but salvaged

Teefus · September 2017

I've had my LBGE for a year now, but had yet to do wings on it. I've made them many times on my Weber and thought I'd give the Egg a whirl.

Historically, I start by breaking down the wings into Drummies and Flats. Tips go in the trash or are used to make chicken stock. I apply a dry rub and some olive oil, toss to cost evenly, and let them sit for a few hours. The cook is a simple indirect with a little smoke. Usually at 350+ for an hour or more. I like to render most of the fat off and get the skin nice and brown. They don't get crispy per se' but it makes for a nice chew. The Weber bakes with a dry heat that seems to work well. When done right the meat comes easily off the bone.

I tried to adapt this process to the Egg and had some issues. I went indirect with a plate setter and drip pans underneath. The Egg retains so much moisture that getting the wings brown and quasi-crispy was tough. After 90 minutes+ at 350-400, everything was falling apart done but the skin was rubbery and not browned much. I finished them in the convection oven at 325 for 30 minutes to get the skin firmed up. They tasted great as always.

Any suggestions moving forward on how to get these to crisp up a bit? Maybe omit the olive oil if using the Egg?

1voyager · September 2017

Rinse wings with water, pat dry and put in refrigerator uncovered for at least 24 hours. Coat with coarse Kosher salt and pepper 1 hour before cooking. Indirect with drip pan, no liquid, at 350-400 for 1 hour or so works for me. Results are crispy critters. Not as brown as fried but once they get drenched in Franks Red Hot and butter it doesn't matter.

Best of luck and have fun!

Eggcelsior · September 2017

Add baking powder to your rub mix and dry overnight in the fridge after rubbing. 4:1 or 3:1 rub/bs ratio. Even without the overnight rest, they will still be crispy. The bs interacts with the skin and makes it "puff" up, giving it a fried texture.

lousubcap · September 2017

Corn starch will do the same as the baking powder. A light dusting is all you need. For me, if I have enough advance planning, the over-night fridge air-dry is the easiest way to get the crispy skin.
I have been back and forth regarding direct vs indirect with wings. I settled on very raised direct a few years ago. Try that the next time-keeping experimenting til you find what works.

Hub · September 2017

I love my egg but I've never once been happy with the wings I've cooked upon it. Every time the end result is me wishing I'd used my deep fryer.

LesMo · September 2017

Wings are the most difficult to perfect of all of the things I have done in the egg. I follow the same time and temperature and one time they are undercooked and the next they are overcooked. I tried the 30-20-10 method of 375 degrees indirect for 30 minutes, flip and cook for 20 more and then sauce the last 10. They turned out perfect the first time I tried it. I did the same thing yesterday and the were way overcooked.

1voyager · September 2017

I've been thinking about trying elevated direct. Elevated to gasket level? What temp/time?

lousubcap · September 2017

My very raised direct set-up puts the wings around 4" above the gasket line on a LBGE. That arrangement achieves a couple of things- far from the lump (drippings and smoke) and the wings get the reflective heat from the dome.
I run around 350-400*F (wherever it settles) and flip around every 10-15 minutes til done. Done is generally 45-55 minutes and the eye-ball test. FWIW-

Stuss · September 2017

Direct….375 degrees and give it ten minutes then flip em. Start watching them and within ten additional minutes they will start to be crispy and some will need to be pulled. Tried indirect once, not a fan….not crispy and takes forever.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/ke/v0h27qrukjg6.jpg

Teefus · September 2017

I don't mind the time element of indirect. It helps render off the fat.

UncleBilly · September 2017

I'm doing 4 lbs of wings tomorrow. I lay them out on cookie sheet, salt them, let them sit uncovered in the fridge overnight. I'll cook them raised indirect at 275-300 for 1.5 - 2 hours with cherry chunks, flipping them 2 or 3 times. When they come off the Egg they go into the fryer 2 minutes. Finished product is crispy and delicious.

RedSkip · September 2017

@UncleBilly. I bet those are killer wings, sounds great. Next time you can take some pictures and post to the forum!

UncleBilly · September 2017

Here's a couple of pics of today's wings. They got devoured before I could get many pictures. About lost a finger reaching for one!

Hit 'me with Big Green Egg Kodiak River seasoning before they went on the Egg.

ChokeOnSmoke · September 2017

400º indirect for an hour. Rub them right before I put them on. Crispy skin and perfectly done every time.

YukonRon · September 2017

I mostly do legs anymore. Twice the meat, nowhere near the trouble. I let them sit uncovered in the fridge over night, use a kitchen strainer to lightly coat the legs with the rub and corn starch mix, raised, indirect, at 350F or thereabouts, for about 30 mins, turn once, another 15 to 20 mins, Done. Delicious. The pile gets decimated. Add any sauce you want. Killer.

Teefus · September 2017

YukonRon said:

I mostly do legs anymore. Twice the meat, nowhere near the trouble. I let them sit uncovered in the fridge over night, use a kitchen strainer to lightly coat the legs with the rub and corn starch mix, raised, indirect, at 350F or thereabouts, for about 30 mins, turn once, another 15 to 20 mins, Done. Delicious. The pile gets decimated. Add any sauce you want. Killer.

I've done legs a couple times and agree on the advantages. Boneless thighs are a favorite too.

THEBuckeye · September 2017

24 hours in fridge, rub/marinade/sauce of choice, 375 raised direct for 35ish minutes. Can turn halfway but not necessary.

First Time Wings - Ugly but salvaged

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