Kettle Fried Wings on the Vortex a la Hooters: An Experiment (with lots of pics)

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worktogthr

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
SMF Premier Member
Nov 3, 2013
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Massapequa, NY (Long Island)
Well, the wife was getting home from work late tonight so it's just me and my daughter.  I decided to play around a bit and try some "Hooters" style breaded wings.  My wife loves Hooters wings so my thinking was I was experimenting for her.  I'm such a good husband that I am willing to cook and eat wings for her haha.  So here is the list of the steps I took:

1.  Mixed a 1/2 cup of flour with some salt, paprika, and cayenne in a ziplock

2.  Shook the wings in the bag to coat

3.  Put the wings on a wire rack in a foil pan in the fridge to help the breading adhere.  Prior to doing this I shook off any excess flour

4.  Got a chimney of lump going to pour into the vortex

5.  Once the chimney was ready, I poured it in the vortex, put the grate on, and closed the lid to get it nice and hot in there.

6.  After about 5 minutes I arranged the breaded wings around the vortex.

7.  Cooked 20 minutes, flipped the wings and gave the lid a 1/4 turn to make sure the heat evened out.

8.  At about 38-40 minutes in, they were looking crispy and delicious so I took them off the grill

9.  Tossed them in some warm Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce

10.  Topped with some crumbled blue cheese

11.  Shoved them in my face.

Here are some pics, followed by a couple of things I learned from this experiment:






















So what I learned:

1.  I still hate lump...the little pieces fall through the chimney, they clog up the lower vents in the kettle and they are too unpredictable

2.  The breading adds a great texture that reminds me of Hooters wings

3.  The breading needs a bit more flavor.  I followed a recipe that is supposedly a clone of the Hooter's recipe for the breading and I just think there is something extra in the Hooters breading that makes it more flavorful.

4.  I really like the crumbled blue cheese as opposed to the dressing.  Nice textural contrast.

4.  My wife is going to love these.  Husband of the year! haha

Thanks for looking!

-Chris
 
1.  I still hate lump...the little pieces fall through the chimney, they clog up the lower vents in the kettle and they are too unpredictable.

I hear you Chris!  I am not a huge fan of lump but can't resist picking up bags when it is on sale.  The trick in the chimney is putting a bottom layer of briquettes, THEN add the lump.  Problem solved of hot lump pieces falling through the chimney's lower vents.  I actually do the same thing in my smoker. 

GREAT LOOKING WINGS BTW! 
drool.gif
  
 
Wow. Them wings look incredible.

I just deal with the lump, works so much better in the vortex I think.
 
Those are some good looking wings Chris!

I like the crumbled blue cheese on top. 

Will give that a try next time, I smoked some wings yesterday too.

Wish I saw this before I ate them!

Point!

Al
 
Chris that looks fantastic I have never tried breading on the grill,think its time to try

Richie

points.gif
 
 
1.  I still hate lump...the little pieces fall through the chimney, they clog up the lower vents in the kettle and they are too unpredictable.

I hear you Chris!  I am not a huge fan of lump but can't resist picking up bags when it is on sale.  The trick in the chimney is putting a bottom layer of briquettes, THEN add the lump.  Problem solved of hot lump pieces falling through the chimney's lower vents.  I actually do the same thing in my smoker. 

GREAT LOOKING WINGS BTW! 
drool.gif
  
Thanks so much!!  That is a great tip!  I always have a few bags of briquettes around with only a few left!  I'll try that next time!
 
Wow. Them wings look incredible.

I just deal with the lump, works so much better in the vortex I think.
Thanks so much!  I can't help myself but buy lump when it is on sale.  So I will give it another chance.  Unfortunately I might have to do the unthinkable soon and <gasp> pay full price for charcoal.  I underestimated how much I would use during the big sale times.
Tasty looking wings!
Thank you sir!
 
 
Those are some good looking wings Chris!

I like the crumbled blue cheese on top. 

Will give that a try next time, I smoked some wings yesterday too.

Wish I saw this before I ate them!

Point!

Al
Thanks so much Al!  I have never just thrown some crumbles on top but I was out of blue cheese dressing and was too lazy to whip up some from scratch.  Laziness pays...sometimes haha
 
 
Chris that looks fantastic I have never tried breading on the grill,think its time to try

Richie

points.gif
Thanks so much Richie!  I tried it a while back with thighs and drums to make kettle "fried" chicken and everyone loved it, so i figured I'd try it with some wings to try to replicate that Hooters breaded wing.  Really does give a fried like texture
 
 
Wings look great points!

I like to add white pepper and garlic powder to the dredge to add extra flavor.

To go a whole different directions look into ginger, five spice, garlic white pepper and pair with a sweet heat sauce like the one I make for the Korean wings.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/250344/korean-style-hot-wings#post_1596040
Thanks so much for the points and kind words!  The garlic and pepper would have been great.  Next time!  I have a korean marinade I use for wings sometimes but I never thought about breaded marinated wings! I will definitely check out that thread!
 
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