Wings on the Kettle...And Other Geeky Questions

[Eapples]

So, this is my first foray into cooking over charcoal, really cooking over charcoal.  Jamie Purviance's recipe for wings {Weber's Big Book of Grilling}.  For the indirect part I didn't use a water pan -- was that a mistake?  Also, I tried crisping the skin over direct heat, and it didn't come out quite right, as shown in the photos.  The flavor was spot on; but, I didn't get the crispiness or that "gee-I-remember-that-charcoal-taste-from-my-childhood-days" flavor that is the focus of my quest.  My wife says that it won't happen unless I use lighter fluid, which is what we used back in the day.

Anyway, here's what we decided, the wife and I -- for anything under an hour, it gets done on the gas grill.  Anything an hour or more, it'll get done on the charcoal grill.  Ribs, pork butt, brisket -- slated for the WSM.

I guess what I'm asking is -- what's your opinion, based on what you see and what I've told you?  I figure that maybe I'm still at the newbie stage, but past the diaper stage.  Is this about right, as far as "walk-before-you-run" is concerned?

I'm not giving up on cooking over charcoal.  But, maybe my focus has to be redirected.  Someone in this forum or in another forum said that if you like what you're doing, and it tastes the way you want it to taste, who cares if anyone agrees with what you're doing?  Maybe that's the way to go.

As always, I sincerely appreciate your input, and I thank you for your encouragement.

[gunner]

I agree it is preference on what you want to cook on whether it be gas or charcoal..but for me it really just depends on how much time I have. If I have the time, I am going to cook with charcoal or lump. The only time I fire up my gasser is if I need to cook quick during the week. 99% of the time I am cooking with charcoal or lump. Also, in my opinion you should never use lighter fluid. They make chimneys for a reason! When I do wings on the kettle or the WSM, I do it high heat like you did but mainly indirect to render down the skin. I usually will sear them after the skin is rendered down real quick just to crisp them up a bit more and get that char flavor. Have you tried to grill with lump as opposed to charcoal? It might be the flavor you are looking for? Also, you have to be careful with wings because they can cause mad flare ups from all the grease dripping down if cooking directly over the heat. Indirect is the way to go. Hope this helps a little? Don't give up just yet on the charcoal, it takes some time to learn what works for each cook, but well worth it in the end!

[pbe gummi bear]

Remember with wings you need really high heat or the skin won't come out crispy. Are you using lump or charcoal? To keep it real hot, light up some charcoal on a chimney, and once its lit, pout it on top of unlit. This will keep your temps high. Otherwise, the temp will drop fast as it ashes over. For that quantity of wings you don't need a drip pan- just keep the wings to the side of the charcoal or you will get flareups. Also, if you save some sauce when finishing over direct heat it will help keep the skin from burning if you are still figuring out the temps.

It is possible that the charcoal fluid adds that nostalgic flavor but imo there is no need to recreate it. The taste of smoke and the crisp of a slight char should be fine!

[1buckie]

If the sauce &/or rub has a high sugar content, it will tend to char quite a bit........you're doing fine.......just keep practicing up, it'll get to be 2nd nature sooner than you think !!!!

Wings (& I haven't done this for awhile) one way to go is cook up to 160f internal then deep fry the buggers = crispy skin.......then roll in hot sauce/ melted butter mixture for a final coating.....

[SlickedBack]

I made it a personal mission to perfect the chicken wing on the weber.
My beat so far was:
Salt and pepper the separated wings.
High temps on the grill and indirect them for an hour.  Then direct for a good crisping of the skin... Not too long just to your preference.
Melt a stick of butter and a half bottle or more of Louisiana hot sauce together.
Toss the wings with the hot sauce and back to direct to crisp them up again.
My thought is more done is better when it comes to the all mighty chicken wing.



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[Eapples]

Thanks, everyone.  I guess I needed to hear it from folks with the knowhow.

[Dave O]

Wings look good - I usually start by mixing mine in a bowl with some EVOO salt and pepper then I do them direct for about a minute each side then finish indirect for about 45 min to an hour. I am happy with my results keep trying til you find what works for you

[HankB]

IMO no need for lighter fluid. If you do use that, you risk getting the flavor of the fluid in the food. If that truly is what you like about BBQ then you need to move past that. (When I was a kid I used to like the smell of gasoline when we would get the car filled at the service station. I've tried to move on, really I have! )

Someone in this forum or in another forum said that if you like what you're doing, and it tastes the way you want it to taste, who cares if anyone agrees with what you're doing?  Maybe that's the way to go.

Your grill, your food - your decision! (Aside from food safety issues...) My cutoff between charcoal and propane is more like a couple minutes but you need to decide for yourself. I often do veggies like spuds that take a little more time so even when I'm doing something like salmon that cooks pretty fast, I'm usually doing it over charcoal.

The wings look a little charred but that's not to say they don't taste good. I'm not familiar with the recipe but I will echo Buckie's comment that the sauce likely has sugar in it that will caramelize from the heat. Often recipes call for the sauce to be applied during the last few minutes of cooking to prevent excess caramelization.