I'm In Love (A Vortex Story)

[WNC]

My wife got me a Vortex for my birthday last week. She gets me...
So first off, lover her for the gift!!! Today I tried it out for the first time, wings of course.

Wings all prepped up. I followed the directions that came with the Vortex, and drizzled them with some oil, and then a generous sprinkling of Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning (Our go to for wings)



Ring of wings around the new Vortex



Hard to tell in this pic, but the color change on the '83 red was quick and awesome!



This was about an hour and twenty minutes (a bit too long, but I got caught up in other things)





Tossed with some red hot wing sauce



This thing is a game changer for wings!!!They came out SUPER CRISPY!
I over cooked them a little bit, but I think getting them off around the hour mark would have been perfect. It was cold and windy today, so I was a little doubtful if the Vortex would have been able to pull off crispy wings, but it totally worked perfectly. I also think getting bigger/fatter wings would have helped too.

My overall impression, best wings I've ever had coming off the grill. I was thinking about flouring them, but I prefer naked wings and they could have not been better. They totally had the crispy fried skin I was hoping for.

So to sum up: love my wife, love the Vortex! My wife already suggested we make wings tomorrow for MNF.

[weldboy]

Nice! Hoping for a vortex for Christmas, been throwing hints to the wife. The wings look very tasty

[mrbill]

I love my vortex

[pbe gummi bear]

The vortex is alot of fun to use. I would pull your gourmet grate center off if you can- The heat from the vortex can cause premature wear on it's coating.

[Jon]

Nice job. I haven't gone past 35 minutes with wings on the Vortex, maybe I should to experiment a bit.

But yeah, the Vortex is definitely a keeper. Even if all you do with it is chicken wings.

What really surprises me is that none of us have mentioned how proficient the Vortex is at removing forearm hair. I've changed grilling technique to walking to the other side of the grill, rather than reaching across the Vortex.

[indy82z]

Nice job. I haven't gone past 35 minutes with wings on the Vortex, maybe I should to experiment a bit.

But yeah, the Vortex is definitely a keeper. Even if all you do with it is chicken wings.

What really surprises me is that none of us have mentioned how proficient the Vortex is at removing forearm hair. I've changed grilling technique to walking to the other side of the grill, rather than reaching across the Vortex.

Totally agree with all of this. First time I did them, I went to flip them halfway through the cook and realized they were done 

Ya, also same cook..I learned to not reach over the center of the grill when using the vortex. Lesson learned quick as I have not made that mistake again..

[MikeRocksTheRed]

YES YES YES!!!!!

I have only really used my vortex for wings and I am totally fine with that.

I have burned some arm hair flipping wings over the vortex for sure.  Now have a pair of the extra long Ove Gloves.  Someone needs to come up with a donut shaped grill basket thingy so you can just flip everything at once!

@WNC - An hour and 20 minutes?  I usually flip mine twice after about 10-11 minutes and cook for a total of 30-35 minutes.  If I am doing thight or legs, they usually get an extra flip then another 10-11 minutes.  You should really try flour on a couple of them the next time just to see if you like it.  I think the flour absorbs some of the drippings giving them a little extra flavor.

[Jack Fate]

30-40 min cook for me . Recommend you try flour also

[THUNDERDOME]

Wow. Awesome!

[WNC]

Hmmm...so 30-40 mins for you guys?

I found that after 30 mins the skin didn't appear to have that crispy texture to it. I mean I like me crispy.

I tried some bigger wings yesterday, still took about and hour twenty, but because they were bigger, they weren't as overcooked.

Are you guys getting really crispy skin in 30 mins?

[WNC]

Oh, and I'm not rotating the vent lid. So far my ring of wings hasn't made all the way around the grill, so I just leave the vent above the space with no wings. Could that be to issue?

[Jon]

Oh, and I'm not rotating the vent lid. So far my ring of wings hasn't made all the way around the grill, so I just leave the vent above the space with no wings. Could that be to issue?

I have filled the grill with wings on a day when wings were on buy one get one free for the big trays. They all got crispy. The lid thermometer always stays pegged through the cook.

I don't rotate the lid, I don't turn the wings anymore - they seem to brown on the bottom faster than the top. I do light on the Performer by setting the Vortex over the gas and filling it over the brim with new charcoal. The charcoal usually touches the grill. All vents WFO. I have used KBB, lump, and Stubbs, and leftover charcoal from previous cooks.

Maybe it is the flour.

[MikeRocksTheRed]

Hmmm...so 30-40 mins for you guys?

I found that after 30 mins the skin didn't appear to have that crispy texture to it. I mean I like me crispy.

I tried some bigger wings yesterday, still took about and hour twenty, but because they were bigger, they weren't as overcooked.

Are you guys getting really crispy skin in 30 mins?

I get cripsy skin everytime!  I don't oil mine so maybe that is the difference.  Or a combo of not oiling and using flour.  You'll have to do a few with no oil and with flour next time to see if you get the same results as your oiled wings or if the time is cut in half for those.  I've never thought about the location of the top vent and have never noticed the chicken at any section of the grill being different than the rest.

[jamesnomore]

Those look great! I'm putting a vortex on my list. Too many success stories not to. We make lots of wings here and it seems that might step up my game.

[WNC]

I just went with the oil because that what the instructions that came with the vortex said to do, and it seemed to make sense, but I'll try it without oil next time.