Hot Sauce Brined Wings

[BBcue-Z]

Here is one of my chicken wings experiments

I started with whole wings


Separated the three parts of the wings



I made the brine earlier in the day and chilled it. The Brine was made of water, chicken stock, apple juice, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, Buffalo wing sauce, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, brown sugar and other spices.
Soaked the wings over night


Here is how I know the brining process was successful

The liquid line dropped down about an inch, evident by the residue line from where it was the night before. That tells me how much liquid has been absorbed. I took the picture prior to removing the container out of the refrigerator so I wouldn't disturb the residue line. My wife thought I went crazy when she saw my head inside the fridge taking a picture   
Pulled the chicken out of the brine and placed them on a rack to drain. Left them in the fridge for 6 hours to dry out. I then applied some BBQ rub


Fried up the smoker using the SFB at 300 degrees and added a second grate using foil wrapped bricks to expand my cooking area.


Also made loaded potatoes to go with the wings


Wings smoking away



Dinner is served



The hot sauce flavor was prominent in the wings, and really didn't need additional sauce, but I served some on the side as an option. I would definitely use this brine again, and I may try on Turkey next time.

[MacEggs]

Seems like a lot of effort for wings ... but, I gotta say they look fantastic! I'm sure they tasted amazing. 

Plate-up looks delicious! 

[jcnaz]

Those wings look great!
I have never thought of brining wings. As they are now typically priced 150-200% per pound  over whole birds or other parts I should consider treating them as more of a delicacy than a quick and cheap appetizer.

[Winz]

Bbc-Z, Great post, thanks. 

I have been looking for something like this.  Every time I go to Buffalo Wild Wings, I always order "desert heat" wings.  I prefer the dry rub finish over messy sauces.  With the technique you posted of brining the wings first and then finishing with a dry rub, it seems you can get the flavor deep into the wings without having to rely on saucing.  Will definitely give this one a try.

Winz

[1buckie]

"My wife thought I went crazy when she saw my head inside the fridge taking a picture   "

I get that response a lot........

Another great experiment.....thanks !!!!!

[iCARRY]

What BBQ rub did you use? They look great.

[BBcue-Z]

What BBQ rub did you use? They look great.

Just basic rub I mixed my self made of Paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, little chili powder, Thyme and oregano powder, and heavy on the cayenne, since it's for hot wings

[wyd]

They look great.  I might have to try that when make wings again.

[Troy]

the brine level drop is really interesting

absorption alone won't cause that, as the total volume doesn't change

i wonder if there is air released from chicken wings? or air in brine?

[Craig]

All I know is I want to try this on my next batch of wings.

[BBcue-Z]

Thanks wyd and Craig

the brine level drop is really interesting

absorption alone won't cause that, as the total volume doesn't change

i wonder if there is air released from chicken wings? or air in brine?

Troy,
I've always noticed drop in liquid level whenever I brined. Based on all the articles I read, the meat does absorb liquid. 
Check out these links that talk about water absorption and uptake

http://www.finecooking.com/articles/why-brining-keeps-meat-moist.aspx

"Brining enhances juiciness in several ways. First of all, muscle fibers simply absorb liquid during the brining period. Some of this liquid gets lost during cooking, but since the meat is in a sense more juicy at the start of cooking, it ends up juicier. We can verify that brined meat and fish absorb liquid by weighing them before and after brining. Brined meats typically weigh six to eight percent more than they did before brining—clear proof of the water uptake."
http://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/assets/pdf_Files/FFH_Brining.pdf

http://bbq.about.com/cs/barbecuetips/a/aa112000b.htm

"The chemistry behind brining is actually pretty simple. Meat already contains salt water. By immersing meats into a liquid with a higher concentration of salt, the brine is absorbed into the meat. Any flavoring added to the brine will be carried into the meat with the saltwater mixture. Because the meat is now loaded with extra moisture it will stay that way as it cooks."

[Troy]

sorry, i'm not questioning the actual absorption or the science of brining.
I'm a huge fan of brining

I'm questioning why the level of the brine dropped.
When meat absorbs brine, the volume and mass should both increase.
The volume increase in the meat should be equivalent to the volume decrease in brine - which means the brine level should stay the same.

Unless of course the meat volume change isn't equivalent to the brine it absorbs - which would mean there's air loss or a pressure change or some other factor that i'm not aware of yet
i'm assuming the volume changes because the meat loses some air, but that seems like a lot of air for chicken wings

[BBcue-Z]

Thanks Troy,
Forgive me, I may have misunderstood your question. I think best example I could think of would be like putting a spong in a water bucket, the water drops by the amount of the liquid obsorbed. But that also could be due to loss of air??
I can't really explain it, but as I mentioned, I always notice a drop in liquid level.

[AnakiMana]

Maybe someone snatched some of the meat when you weren't looking. Or your family is messin with ya by removing some of the brine. Perhaps you should interrogate them....

Sent via smoke signals from my Weber kettle

[Troy]

Thanks Troy,
Forgive me, I may have misunderstood your question. I think best example I could think of would be like putting a spong in a water bucket, the water drops by the amount of the liquid obsorbed. But that also could be due to loss of air??
I can't really explain it, but as I mentioned, I always notice a drop in liquid level.

no worries

when I brine, or even marinade, I use a big zip lock bag. I always notice there's more air after than there was when I sealed. I always assumed it was a leaky bag... but maybe it's meat burp

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