Chicken wings with vortex

[MikeRocksTheRed]

I finally ordered a vortex after seeing a previous post of the floured chicken wings that come out just like they were fried.  Last night a broke it in and couldn't be happier.  I used a full chimney of Kingsford briquettes and added more once it was dumped into the vortex.  I let the new coals get going for 10-15 minutes before putting the wings on. I also threw in a thigh and two legs to see how they cook using this method.

Chicken coated in flour that had cayenne, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder mixed in.

Temperature was maxed out on my lid thermometer.   Cooked the wings for 30 minutes, flipping once.  I think next time they will get 3-4 flips.  Legs and thighs went another 5 minutes.  Everything turned out great!!!!












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[Jon]

Those look perfect. I like how evenly the chicken browns. I gotta get a Vortex. Is that the medium?

[Santo]

Nicely done, wings look delicious.  What size Vortex is that?  How many more "rounds" of wings do you think you could have done off that burn?

[austin87]

I have a small and medium. The medium is too big to use on my 18" but the small still works fine on the 22". So I think the small is probably a little more versatile unless you are only cooking on 22" or 26".

[MikeRocksTheRed]

It is a medium vortex.  The grill got hotter and hotter as the wings were cooking and was still smoking hot for another hour.  So I definitely could have done 3-4 rounds without adding coals, and if I used my second grate I could double that without a problem.  I'm excited to see that the thigh and legs came out just as good.  The next chicken cook is probably going to be all thighs and legs using this method.

[jd]

nicely done, those look really great

[WNC]

Man those look great!
Did they come out like fried? Also, wondering about not floured wings and how they would come out.

[MikeRocksTheRed]

@WNC - If I served these to you any you didn't know how I cooked them, you would probably guess I grilled them until partially done, then breaded them and finished them in a fryer!  It's basically fried chicken with out any oil!

[austin87]

Man those look great!
Did they come out like fried? Also, wondering about not floured wings and how they would come out.

@WNC I think the key to the fried-like skin is that it is completely dry going into the kettle. I've read that leaving a chicken or turkey uncovered in the fridge on an elevated rack for 24-48 hours will help dry the skin and result in a crispier bird. I've tried this, and it works well, but takes time.

If the wings are wet, the moisture in the skin needs to dry out before the fat can render and the skin can start to crisp up. Similar to how it's hard to get a good sear on a wet steak, and why it's good to pat it with paper towels before searing. Oil would also probably help, as long as the wings aren't too damp underneath. I think the flour is a good hack to the surface dry as quickly as possible. I for one don't have the patience to leave a batch of wings in the fridge overnight to dry. If you or someone you are cooking for can't eat wheat or gluten then rice flour would also probably work well.

[MikeRocksTheRed]

@austin87 - Your flour hack is a game changer!!!!  Thanks for posting that last week!

[WNC]

Alright guys, I'm gonna have to try it!

I don't have the vortex, but I'll see what I can do with the baskets and flour. Not sure when I'll get wings again, but I'll be sure to post it up.

My whole thing is, I don't usually bread/flour my wings, I prefer them naked. So if the vortex can get me fried like wings that are naked, well that will be money well spent.

I can get good wings off the grill, but never as good as fried.

[1911Ron]

Good looking wings!

[MikeRocksTheRed]

@wnc - my first attempt was with my charcoal baskets and it worked pretty much the same as the vortex.   I think the advantage of the vortex is that is stays hot longer so you could do a few batches.    I have pictures of that cook on the vortex chicken and salad post @austin87 started last week. 


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[THUNDERDOME]

Looks awesome. Nice cook

[JDD]

Cool, looks like deep fried chicken!