First time on a real grill "bbq wing advice"
- Thread starter Derek
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chowhound
New member
Are they going to be frozen or fresh/thawed?
And forget going by how many minutes. Check the temps when you start getting close. Sometimes it takes me 2 hours and sometimes one, depending on the heat and how much I want to babysit them, which means the heat can be higher if you're going to be watching them.
Or..... you could cheat and cook them in a pan on the grill like one of my posts here showed. It marinates and cooks all in one step and they won't need watched. Not until you take them out and set them over a low flame to give them that grilled look.
And forget going by how many minutes. Check the temps when you start getting close. Sometimes it takes me 2 hours and sometimes one, depending on the heat and how much I want to babysit them, which means the heat can be higher if you're going to be watching them.
Or..... you could cheat and cook them in a pan on the grill like one of my posts here showed. It marinates and cooks all in one step and they won't need watched. Not until you take them out and set them over a low flame to give them that grilled look.
Prethawed, And I will be using a basic dry rub.
chowhound
New member
Well, set them on the clean grill indirect with your temp guage reading 350 or so with the lid down. They can go on right after you light it as long as the grate is clean. Just keep your eyes on the temp ga. and don't let it peg. Season one side. Let cook. Flip. Season other side. Let cook. Stick a skinny thermometer in the meaty part as best you can and when they read about 160F, put some sauce on them. Flip. Put sauce on other side and bring them ALL up to around 180. Move them around during all this so they color about the same. If one looks more cooked than another, switch spots so you don't end up with any undercooked wings.
If you want, and I usually do, put a low flame under them after you sauce them to color up the sauce. Or you don't need to sauce them. Your choice. Some both ways would be nice. The wings I'm making tonight won't have sauce on them. I cook a lot of wings on the grill and really don't even think about what I'm doing anymore. Which is probably a good thing.
If you want, and I usually do, put a low flame under them after you sauce them to color up the sauce. Or you don't need to sauce them. Your choice. Some both ways would be nice. The wings I'm making tonight won't have sauce on them. I cook a lot of wings on the grill and really don't even think about what I'm doing anymore. Which is probably a good thing.
Thank you very much Chow, Il'' remember that! And I will show some pictures.
I actually dredge mine in a mixture of flour and spices then fry them. Next I put em on the grill smothering them in BBQ sauce. I always get raves over them.
I'll do half Chows way, And half Your way and I'll see which one is better tasting for me and my family.
Thanks again guys.
chowhound
New member
Bobby Flay did some floured wings on one of his shows where he competed against the owner of The Anchor Bar in Buffalo. He lost, but the folks still liked them. There is one place by me that serves them that way. Everyone says they are good, but different. Of course grilling at the end would help them out immensley IMO.
how i cook my wings depends on the mood i am in...
deepfry
marinate wings in buttermilk and hot sauce combo for at least 3-4 hours
take off excess moisture - dredge in highly highly seasoned flour. shake off extra flour, place on cookie sheet and put into freezer to firm up
fry until the chicken wings sound right.
grill
marinate wings in buttermilk and hot sauce
straight on the grill on low heat, turn turn turn turn did i mention turn.... sauce when they are just about done
grill #2
marinate wings in buttermilk and hot sauce
put my chicken pieces in a large cake pan, cook in the pan until the wings are just about done. place the wings directly on grill to crisp up and add sauce
deepfry
marinate wings in buttermilk and hot sauce combo for at least 3-4 hours
take off excess moisture - dredge in highly highly seasoned flour. shake off extra flour, place on cookie sheet and put into freezer to firm up
fry until the chicken wings sound right.
grill
marinate wings in buttermilk and hot sauce
straight on the grill on low heat, turn turn turn turn did i mention turn.... sauce when they are just about done
grill #2
marinate wings in buttermilk and hot sauce
put my chicken pieces in a large cake pan, cook in the pan until the wings are just about done. place the wings directly on grill to crisp up and add sauce
chowhound
New member
Jeff, you could eliminate all that turning in "grill" if you went indirect.
But I'm sure you know that ;^)
I think that's why so many people parboil chicken before they grill it, a popular method around here for more folks that I care to count, raw chicken over coals or a low flame is a PITB to watch with all the flare ups. If you aren't turning often, it's getting burnt and you're leaving skin behind when you flip. Indirect rocks if you don't need all the grill space.
But I'm sure you know that ;^)
I think that's why so many people parboil chicken before they grill it, a popular method around here for more folks that I care to count, raw chicken over coals or a low flame is a PITB to watch with all the flare ups. If you aren't turning often, it's getting burnt and you're leaving skin behind when you flip. Indirect rocks if you don't need all the grill space.
but i have such a big grill, i have to use it all..lmao
but yah i know what you mean... i cook poultry indirect all the time.. you never have to worry about flare ups..
FryBoy
New member
Exactly! The heat is always approximate at best and varies from spot to spot on the grill. Even the outside temperature can affect cooking, as can the temperature and thickness of the meat.
It's all something you learn to judge through experience -- which will probably include a lot of burned and raw food along the way.
Ok thanks L2Q, Here a coke, drink up you sound like you need a little caffeine
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GotGarlic
New member
Derek, I think you tend to take things a little too personally 
I'm sure Q didn't mean anything by what he said.
Do you have an instant-read thermometer? It's a small investment that would be a big help with all of your cooking. As FryBoy said, there are a lot of factors that affect how long it takes to cook something on a grill, so using a thermometer, and knowing the correct temperature you want your finished meat to be, is the best way to know when it's done. It will take practice and experience before you'll be able to estimate about how long, but you should still check doneness with a thermometer.
I'm sure Q didn't mean anything by what he said. Do you have an instant-read thermometer? It's a small investment that would be a big help with all of your cooking. As FryBoy said, there are a lot of factors that affect how long it takes to cook something on a grill, so using a thermometer, and knowing the correct temperature you want your finished meat to be, is the best way to know when it's done. It will take practice and experience before you'll be able to estimate about how long, but you should still check doneness with a thermometer.
I don't think he was being snobby. It's just a fact that you can't cook food on a grill like you are putting into an oven.
Thank you GotGarlic, I'm still trying to shed my troll day's.Derek, I think you tend to take things a little too personally
Do you have an instant-read thermometer? It's a small investment that would be a big help with all of your cooking. As FryBoy said, there are a lot of factors that affect how long it takes to cook something on a grill, so using a thermometer, and knowing the correct temperature you want your finished meat to be, is the best way to know when it's done. It will take practice and experience before you'll be able to estimate about how long, but you should still check doneness with a thermometer.
I've never found a bunch of people nicer then most of you guys and all of the gals. So this is a very different feeling for me!
Well I didn't mean to use snoby, I meant badmood or just a little snipity
It's all cool thanks again gang.
Derek - For grilling, or any other cooking for that matter. The only way to know when the food is really done is by temperature. There are just too many variables. When you go to the market look at several different pieces of the same kind of meat. They all weigh differently. They all have different amounts of fat. I presume the actual density of the meat varies.The temperature of the stove or grill can vary. How many times you open te cover or doo to check can vary.
In short you need to get a good electronic probe thermometer and check the meat when you think it is done. There are charts available on the net as to what temperature is right for different kinds of meat.
Love 2 Q was not being snobby,just saying that cooking tim is not a fixed number.
Andy
In short you need to get a good electronic probe thermometer and check the meat when you think it is done. There are charts available on the net as to what temperature is right for different kinds of meat.
Love 2 Q was not being snobby,just saying that cooking tim is not a fixed number.
Andy
Will an old fashion stick threw thermometer work?
FryBoy
New member
Yeah, but....
There's no substitute for experience. If you know what you're doing (i.e., you've screwed it up 100 times before), you can test a cake by it's look and feel. With practice, you learn to pretty accurately estimate how many minutes per side a steak will PROBABLY take on YOUR grill, and you can judge whether it's done to your liking by pressing on it (which is how I observed the grill masters at the famous Bern's Steakhouse do it).
Some might say that thermometers are for amateurs! I have about a dozen of them, including several "instant read," a roast thermometer, a candy/fry thermometer, one that goes in the meat in the oven and sends you a remote reading, and a super-accurate, super-fast Thermapen.
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exactly everybody... derek you can go to meijers and buy a digi thermometer...the last time i bought one there, they were reduced from $40 to $16...i bought 3
i have thrown 2 pork butts on the smoker, exact same size, exact same weight... one was done, the other took another 2 hours b4 it was done...
outside cooking is an artform, you never really master it because things change all the time. one day it is warm but windy, the next its not windy, things change from hour to hour... some meat has lots of fat, some has more connective tissue...etc etc...
you just have to learn to adjust your personal cooking each time... biggest,safest, best investment is a digi thermometer or instant read thermometer... takes the guess work out, let the thermometer and meat tell you when its done.
i have thrown 2 pork butts on the smoker, exact same size, exact same weight... one was done, the other took another 2 hours b4 it was done...
outside cooking is an artform, you never really master it because things change all the time. one day it is warm but windy, the next its not windy, things change from hour to hour... some meat has lots of fat, some has more connective tissue...etc etc...
you just have to learn to adjust your personal cooking each time... biggest,safest, best investment is a digi thermometer or instant read thermometer... takes the guess work out, let the thermometer and meat tell you when its done.
FryBoy
New member
If you mean a roast thermometer, the kind you stick in the meat and leave it there while it's roasting, I don't think that would be the best choice for the grill, but it would probably work.
One problem is that things you grill tend to be kind of thin (like a steak or ribs). With an instant read thermometer, you can check the meat at several points. You'll find that the temp will vary a lot, depending on where you insert it -- if it's a thick spot, or near a bone, or near the edge of the meat, the termerature can be as much as 20 degrees different. You also have to learn to insert it to about the middle, pull it out a bit, and push it back in to find the coldest spot. Can't do that very well with a slow-reading roast thermometer.
FryBoy
New member
The most important thing is to have plenty of wine on hand to keep your guests busy while you stand and scream at the BBQ!