Breaded Slow-Grilled Almost-Fried Chicken Wings
These crunchy breaded wings are awesome. I had my doubts about breading wings to be cooked on the grill, but was amazed how the coating cooks up crunchy and golden brown. I have tried several different cooking methods, and have settled on cooking between 1.5 and 2.5 hours at a low 250 degrees direct over the coals (indirect Id go 275). Seems to work best on an elevated grate, about 12-15 inches from the coals. The long cooking time helps render the fat in the skin, and produces a crunchy exterior, and a moist juicy interior.
These crunchy breaded wings are awesome. I had my doubts about breading wings to be cooked on the grill, but was amazed how the coating cooks up crunchy and golden brown. I have tried several different cooking methods, and have settled on cooking between 1.5 and 2.5 hours at a low 250 degrees direct over the coals (indirect Id go 275). Seems to work best on an elevated grate, about 12-15 inches from the coals. The long cooking time helps render the fat in the skin, and produces a crunchy exterior, and a moist juicy interior.
- Carbohydrate 72.8275066689593 g
- Cholesterol 99.0600000050721 mg
- Fat 5.89817333498177 g
- Fiber 6.17766650454203 g
- Protein 9.06010000163322 g
- Saturated Fat 2.08551333427928 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (264g)
- Sodium 58.2693333536217 mg
- Sugar 66.6498401644172 g
- Trans Fat 0.941953333525059 g
- Calories 358 calories
Step-by-step
- First thing I do is clip off the wing tips, and reserve for making chicken broth.
- And trim any hanging pieces of skin at the other end.
- Mix the egg and milk in one bowl. In another, the flour, corn meal, Dizzy Pig Rub, and salt, and mix well.
- Cover the wing in the eggwash, and shake off excess.
- Roll the wing in the flour mixture, and try and cover fully and evenly. Shake off excess, as you just need a thin even coating.
- Refrigerate breaded wings for an hour or more to set coating.
- Spray (or wipe) cooking grid with oil, and place wings on oiled grate of a 250 degree established fire, approximately 12-15 inches above the coals. Close cooker, and wait 30 minutes before flipping (assuming fire is low). Oftentimes I will rotate the grate 180 degrees after the first 15 minutes, just to compensate for any hot spots in the fire.
- Once coating has started to set up on side one, they are ready to flip. CAREFUL!!! This is the trickiest part. If you simply pick up the wings to flip, you could lose some of the coating, so I came up with a little trick that works well for me. Gently slide the wings back and forth parallel to the grate bars without lifting. Just enough to break lose any areas that might be sticking. Once they are free, then gently flip to the other side.
- Another half hour (rotating grid halfway if you want) and they are ready to flip again.....CAREFULLY! You can see they are starting to brown nicely...and evenly.
- After the first hour, I start flipping every 20 minutes, and moving the pieces around to finish all pieces evenly.
- Cooking times will vary depending on the conditions in your cooker, but when they look like they are almost done, I sometimes sauce with a real thin coating. 20-30 more minutes and the sauce caramelizes into the crunchy breaded coating. Great without sauce too, so I change it up to keep things interesting!
- The kids like ranch dressing, so this is what we dipped the wings in tonight.
- Rip em apart at the joint, and savor the crunchy skin and sweet juicy meat!
- Enjoy, everyone! And thanks for the inspiration Ron!
Swapping the standard buttermilk for plain milk in the initial liquid dip drastically reduces the acidity required to tenderize the meat, meaning the structural integrity of the wing depends entirely on how thoroughly the flour and cornmeal adhere during the resting phase. Establishing a reliable temperature of 250 degrees Fahrenheit over direct coals requires careful management of airflow, because excessive heat will burn the fine layer of cornmeal before the interior fat has time to properly render. Cooking these wings on an elevated grate positioned twelve to fifteen inches above the heat source prevents scorching while allowing the prolonged thermal exposure necessary to crisp the exterior. Refrigerating the breaded pieces for at least one hour allows the starch molecules to hydrate fully, creating a resilient barrier that withstands the delicate flipping process required on traditional grill grates. Sliding the pieces parallel to the metal bars before attempting to lift them breaks any initial protein adhesion, preventing the crust from tearing away and exposing the raw skin underneath. Rotating the entire cooking grid every fifteen minutes compensates for uneven hot spots within the firebox, ensuring uniform browning across all pieces without requiring constant repositioning of individual wings. While these crunchy morsels require no additional moisture, pairing them with a cooling dip like ranch dressing offers a necessary textural and thermal contrast to the heavily seasoned, caramelized exterior crust.
