Vortex Wings & Cigars

[PapaLlama]

With some extra Christmas money, I decided to splash that cash on a Vortex. Wings are my favorite thing to make, but I've always been unhappy with the skin on smoked wings so I have stuck to primarily grilling them. To make smoking them work I've had to lightly fry them afterwards or work hard to get the smoker heat up, which can be inconsistent and challenging sometimes. I've heard the Vortex is a good middle ground & it surely was a perfect cooking method for wings. Nice crispy skin, with a great smoky flavor & tender meat. I'll definitely be using the vortex going forward.

Meat: 3 pounds of whole wings
Brine: 6 cups of water, 1/2 cup of kosher salt, copious amounts of Frank's Red Hot Sauce for 4 hours
Rub: Killer Hogs Hot BBQ
Wood: Pecan
Cook: 1.5 hours at 300-325F, flipping once
Sauce: Cholula Chili Garlic Hot Sauce

 

[sawhorseray]

Looks good! I cut off that section of wing with no meat on it, takes up grill space and doesn't get eaten. RAY

 

[PapaLlama]

Looks good! I cut off that section of wing with no meat on it, takes up grill space and doesn't get eaten. RAY

That small section of wing is my spoon for ranch dipping.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Wings look great man nice job on those! Congrats on the new vortex everyone around here seems to love them.

 

[Sowsage]

Those look great! Ive been looking at the vortex as well. Everyone seems to love them for wings.

 

[chef jimmyj]

The wings look really good and I like Cholula...

Looks good! I cut off that section of wing with no meat on it, takes up grill space and doesn't get eaten. RAY

Doesn't get Eaten? When the Wing Tip is nice and Crispy, I eat the Skin off it. I'll then bite the Wing Tip off and the Dogs, sit quietly waiting to chew the tiny bones up...JJ

 

[HalfSmoked]

Yes sir crispy wings is my style too.

Warren

 

[gmc2003]

Cook: 1.5 hours at 300-325F, flipping once

Those wings look really good, but 1.5 hours Wow. Maybe it's because your brining them. I do full wings(including the tip) and they only take 35 mins..

Point for sure
Chris

 

[PapaLlama]

Those wings look really good, but 1.5 hours Wow. Maybe it's because your brining them. I do full wings(including the tip) and they only take 35 mins..

Point for sure
Chris

The internal temp read 165-168F on most of them, so I'm not sure what the difference could be. I'll be trying this again this weekend & timing my results more thoroughly. I'll have to see if it is the same timing.

 

[JCAP]

They do look quite awesome! Wings only take about 45 min for me

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Tasty lookin wings! The vortex is an awesome addition to the grill!

 

[phatbac]

Looks good! love my vortex. I cooked a top round roast with one!

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[crazymoon]

CL, Nice job on those wings and congratz on your Vortex!

 

[danbono]

Can the Vortex work with WSM 22"? Wings look great!
Dan

 

[phatbac]

Can the Vortex work with WSM 22"? Wings look great!
Dan

I guess you could, but why not buy a weber kettle for it. you can get one used for $50 or less and a new rack for $20 or go brand new and spend a whole $110. $25 for the vortex and you can sear and then med grill all day. here is a pic of Pork chops and chicken I did with a vortex...

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[danbono]

Hi I already have a Smoky Joe & gas grill. I was just wondering "IF" the vortex would work with my WSM 22". I did make a home made vortex for the Smoky Joe. Didn't work out so good, only tried it once.I think I needed more HOT coals.

Thanks Dan

 

[danbono]

With some extra Christmas money, I decided to splash that cash on a Vortex. Wings are my favorite thing to make, but I've always been unhappy with the skin on smoked wings so I have stuck to primarily grilling them. To make smoking them work I've had to lightly fry them afterwards or work hard to get the smoker heat up, which can be inconsistent and challenging sometimes. I've heard the Vortex is a good middle ground & it surely was a perfect cooking method for wings. Nice crispy skin, with a great smoky flavor & tender meat. I'll definitely be using the vortex going forward.


What did you cook the wings on? Kettle or WSM?
Thanks Dan

 

[PapaLlama]

Those wings look really good, but 1.5 hours Wow. Maybe it's because your brining them. I do full wings(including the tip) and they only take 35 mins..

I followed the same method again this past weekend & it definitely took 1.5 hours at 300-325F. Not sure if it's the brining, cold weather, etc... but 1.5 hours seems to be the correct timing for me.

 

[danbono]

What did you cook the wings on? Kettle or WSM? Do think the Vortex would work on WSM 22"?
Thanks Dan

 

[PapaLlama]

What did you cook the wings on? Kettle or WSM? Do think the Vortex would work on WSM 22"?
Thanks Dan

I did it on the kettle. I have doubts about the WSM working for 2 reasons. The first is that the space between the top of the vortex and the grates above it would be much further apart. Secondly, I can't predict if the vortex would be able to create the same heat distribution in a WSM which is much larger than a kettle.