Advisability of sous vide & smoked chicken wings

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dparker

Fire Starter
Original poster
Sep 12, 2016
33
17
'burbs of Dallas, TX
I did try a search on this subject but found nothing, so my apologies in advance if it's already been covered elsewhere.

I'm going to start a brisket in the SV24 tomorrow morning, but also would like to do some chicken wings so that we'll have something ready for lunch while waiting for the brisket to (hopefully) be finished by dinner time.  Given all the potential issues with that, like possibly over-smoking the wings because of the longer time they'll need to be in the smoker due to the lower temp the brisket is being smoked at...I thought I'd take an at least somewhat creative approach to avoiding all that.  Namely, I want to sous vide them so that they're already fully cooked, or at least very close to it (depending on how long it will take to smoke them), before they go into the smoker with the brisket.  When that's done I plan to put the wings in a fryer for about a minute just to crisp up the skin, then serve.

Since I understand that chicken absorbs smoke significantly faster than the brisket will, my question is:  Given the level of smoke (via mesquite chunks) used for doing the brisket, approximately how long will the wings need to stay in the smoker at 225 F in order to soak up enough smoke to be...well...properly smoked?  This will tell me not only how long I need to smoke them for, but also how close to the wings' finished internal temperature I need to get them before transferring them from the sous vide bath to the smoker.

Any thoughts, criticisms and/or just plain mean-spirited insults? 
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DParker,

I've done what your wanting to do many times before, but not with wings. I don't know what temp you're running the SV brisket at, but from the sound of things, you've got that segment worked out. Knowing what temp you're running the SV brisket at would be helpful.

Good luck.
 
 
DParker,

I've done what your wanting to do many times before, but not with wings. I don't know what temp you're running the SV brisket at, but from the sound of things, you've got that segment worked out. Knowing what temp you're running the SV brisket at would be helpful.

Good luck.
Oh, sorry.  That's what I meant by, "how long will the wings need to stay in the smoker at 225 F".  I probably should have been more explicit about that.
 
 
Oh, sorry.  That's what I meant by, "how long will the wings need to stay in the smoker at 225 F".  I probably should have been more explicit about that.
I understand. I may be too late, but if the wings are fully cooked, or close to it, after spending time (?) at 225F SV, I wouldn't leave them in the smoker more than 20-30 minutes. They'll take on the smoke quick, especially mesquite.

I'm curious about how long you're going to do the wings SV at 225F. When I SV wings by themselves, I run at 160F for 2 hours, then dry and fry or bake to crisp.
 
I understand. I may be too late,

Nope, just in time, actually. I'll be making everything tomorrow.

but if the wings are fully cooked, or close to it, after spending time (?) at 225F SV, I wouldn't leave them in the smoker more than 20-30 minutes. They'll take on the smoke quick, especially mesquite.

Thanks, that's exactly the info I was looking for.

I'm curious about how long you're going to do the wings SV at 225F. When I SV wings by themselves, I run at 160F for 2 hours, then dry and fry or bake to crisp.

That's the time and temp I had in mind as well, then into the smoker for a bit and, after that, into a Dutch oven with peanut oil at 375F for 1-2 minutes.
 
Well, all went as planned.



They were outstanding...exceptionally moist but not at all greasy, and the smoke was almost subtle, but definitely present. Oh, and the brisket wasn't bad either.
 
Well, all went as planned.

They were outstanding...exceptionally moist but not at all greasy, and the smoke was almost subtle, but definitely present. Oh, and the brisket wasn't bad either.

 
Glad it worked out for you. The wings and the brisket look perfect. Nice job, which deserves a point.

Once you the times and the temps dialed in, cooking sous vide initially with an complimentary finish such as in a smoker (or stove top, oven, fryer, etc.) yields consistently superior results that are hard to beat. 
 
 
Glad it worked out for you. The wings and the brisket look perfect. Nice job, which deserves a point.

Once you the times and the temps dialed in, cooking sous vide initially with an complimentary finish such as in a smoker (or stove top, oven, fryer, etc.) yields consistently superior results that are hard to beat. 
Thanks.  I'm already well sold on sous vide.  Although it's bordering on religious heresy in these parts (NE TX), I've already concluded that unless I'm pressed for time I'll never grill another ribeye, preferring instead a 1.5 hour bath at 139ºF to medium-rare perfection, followed by a 30 seconds per side sear in a hot-as-the-fires-of-hell cast iron skillet.

While I expected the wings to be good, I was blown away by just how perfectly cooked and moist they were.  Vacuum packing -> marinating -> sous vide -> smoking -> flash frying sounds like an overly-involved process for chicken wings, but I think the results are well worth it if you have the time.

As for the brisket, I think I over-did the mesquite smoke by a little bit, and will probably cut back on the amount of wood in the tray at any given time next attempt.
 
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