Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Whole chicken wings, marinaded in Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce, smoked, then glazed with a honey and Franks based sauce.

 

Guess it’s ok

 

My wife stopped by Costco and picked these up.











I added 1/2 stick of butter and Salt/Pepper/Garlic powder to the taters. That marinade on the beef is perfect.

 

just out of curiosity you notice any different cooking between doing them whole or splitting them? And do you or anyone else have a preference?

I usually split them pre cook. Just curious if there’s any sort of preference from anyone one way or another.

 

I've smoked and fried in the air fryer both split and whole. In my opinion they retain more juices if cooked whole. Plus they are alot easier to split after they are cooked if you want to serve them that way.

 

I think it’s a waste of time splitting beforehand. I’d also like to think it helps keep the skin stretched out to crisp up

 

I left these whole for the presentation with the glaze. I didn't glaze the wing tip so it gives you a non messy "handle" to pick the wing up by. Since this pan went to the neighbors whole wings was the best choice

My "normal" is to buy whole wings and cut them down myself. I'm a fan of super crispy skin and last year discovered that Sake Wings are my now preferred way to cook them.

Sake Wings are wing pieces soaked in Sake for 30 minutes or so then patted dry and seasoned only with salt and pepper, air fried at 400F skin side down for 10 minutes, then flipped skin side up and air fried for another 8-10 minutes.

 

I’ll definitely be trying to sake “brine” this year.

my normal for wings is on the grill with whatever marinade or seasoning. I usually split them though I’ll get whole wings and then cut them down. Tips go to freezer for stock, and I split the drumette and flat and do whatever. Whenever I have a new rub I try it on wings first - they’re small and I get to try a lot of different rubs and cooling methods all at once with one meal.

I’ve also adopted something from either Gordon Ramsay or bourdain. Can’t remember which - if I’m doing roasted bits I’ll put them in the pan skin down cold and let the pan warm up with the chicken in there, then flip. Comes out great.

sounds like I have some stuff to try out this year!





while I’m on here - everyone’s favorite wing joint anywhere in the US? From Amarillo to LA, and then LA to Jacksonville FL, via San Antonio > Austin > Houston (not a direct route). San Antonio is almost certainly picked for some tacos from el milagrito and then straight to Austin for browns so other than San Antonio and Austin, I don’t really have a game plan for food.

this trip I’m letting the locale dictate my food stops. Not “it’s noon gotta get lunch” it’s “it’s only 3 but I’m in Austin so it’s time for browns”. Problem is that’s like 2 hours after stuffing my face with tacos.

anyway I’m off on a tangent - wing (or anything really) suggestions from anyone? I know when I’m down south I’ll want to get some gator so I have to look at where to go for that.

 

Duff’s

 

noted for this summer when I go out to Michigan. I’m going through nyc though

 

I only know about them through their random location in Southlake. Best restaurant wings I’ve had and the history is cool.

edit: fun story - The wife took me out for my birthday three years ago here and I did the “afterlife challenge”. 5 wings with the hottest stuff they could find, I suppose. I made it through four, had six glasses of milk, and violently squirted bodily fluids out of every orifice for 12 hours. The Buffalo wings were fantastic.

 

Ah no shit didn’t see that one.

unfortunately I think DFW is the only city in Texas I’m not hitting this time. That and padre but that’ll be a good one to hit once we move there. Seems like a party city - I grew up in old orchard beach and it seems very much similar to that.

 

Southlake is expensive and terrible. Imagine Beverly Hills with more constitutional freedoms. It sounds awesome until you get sued for getting rear ended at a stoplight. Nothing you can do to fight an attorney on retainer with the guy pulling 6+ million a year.

Happened to a buddy of mine. Live somewhere else, enjoy their community at your leisure.

 

Tips go to the dogs. That is what game scissors are for. Well and cutting up phesants and grouse in the field. Birds.

I then split them before going on the grill. Using the sissors.

My place. Kettle with Vortex.

Back in the 70's the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, duh LOL. Then they expanded and went to the airport and other places.

But you still need to wash them down with Labatt's Blue

Franks was always a main ingredient for heat you need to add pepper, never been a huge fan of suicide wings. Well if enough beer was ingested maybe but should never burn as much going out as going in, IMO.

What has changed over the years is the ratio of butter to Franks. Butter is expensive so most everyone reduces the ratio. Trust me we got paid for milk fat content out of the bulk tank. One of the first boy scout merit badges I got. But I would spin milk in a centrifuge and use sulfuric acid to separate it as a young boy. Easy merit badge LOL.

It is the cheapening of Buffalo wings by reducing the ratio of butter to Franks that has caused the decline in popularity of Buffalo Wings, at least IMO.

More butter or bacon grease, how the hell can you go wrong?!

Gator? There was a time you couldn't be caught throwing a gator on the barbie without going to jail. Might just be, maybe, in the 70's and 80's I could have one caught and skinned then thrown on the heat before anyone would notice. Although most looked other way, if they could see you.

While the tail is not bad prefer beaver tail and the fat in it. YMMV. Gator is not even close to the top of my favorite meats. But I have gotten real picky over the years. After almost 100 years the generation of my sisters and I will be the first ones to not retire in Florida. Was stationed there enough in Jax, Orlando, and Pensacola. Too damn many blue haired Yankees invade it in the winter

 

If there's a better food on earth than grilled seafood, I haven't found it yet. I will admit, when I do crab or lobster, I do a bit of a half pouch of foil so the butter and lemon can be recovered to dip in.

If I'm splitting shells before I throw them on the grill, I'll put the lemon/butter/pepper into the split and then wrap it all up in foil and sorta bake it.

 

Love cooking on my offset smoker!

 

I'm with you on the making your own wings part. Back in the day I ordered buffalo wings any chance I got when I was out at a bar or restaurant and almost always loved them, but now that I've mastered my own version on the kettle with the vortex (because of your recommendation a few years back) I have found that nothing compares. The only place I'll eat buffalo wings nowadays is at my house.

 

Stuffed venison steaks with honey habanero glaze 220* for 3 hours smoked with pecan wood

 

Yeesh. That's why I have a dash cam too, helps figure out fault pretty easily.

Yeah we're looking at moving down to ATX, I liked Dallas when I went through and I could see us there but realistically we'll probably move to ATX and then explore the other cities - San Antonio, Houston (Houston has one of the best dog parks I've been to), El Paso.

Right - I forgot you went to the scissors method. I still use a knife, but no big difference.

Funny story - When I went through in July, I went by the one at Niagara falls. I went right by it - F THAT I want the original. Parked outside the original, called to place an order....I was there around 8, they closed at 7. >:| so I went and got subway. I'll probably go there on my way out to Michigan this year and plan around that.

I've had it before up here, but it's more so: I'm letting the location dictate what and when I am eating, not the time of day. If it's 3 PM and I'm going through Nashville, hot chicken time! If it's noon and I'm in BFE, oh well - maybe grab a bag of chips and then wait until I'm somewhere good.

Not really my favorite but see above - if I'm in the area, might as well y'know when in rome

Haven't always been a huge fan of seafood. Sea cockroaches (shrimp and lobster), but I grew up in Maine so fish hasn't been a big part of my diet either but lately, I'm starting to get more into it but still not my favorite.

 

Anyone have a hot Italian sausage recipe? Bratwurst? I'm open to ideas.

We are making our family recipe Polish kielbasa on Saturday and I'm getting extra meat to try hot Italian sausage and maybe something else. Been wanting to try this for a while.