WOOD FIRED WSM FOR WINGS!

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SmokinAl

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Jun 22, 2009
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Well I have really been liking the wood fired flavor that I have been getting with the Lang!

However I wanted to smoke 9 chicken wings for dinner last night.

Firing up the Lang for 9 wings seemed really dumb.

So I thought, I wonder if I can run the WSM on just wood.

So here goes the experiment.

I also saw a cooking show on TV where on of the cooks coats his wings with corn starch & then smokes them.

He said the skin comes out crispy. I thought here is another experiment.

So here we go.

I mixed up corn starch with S&P.


Got it ready to coat the wings.


I have been injecting everything with Creole butter lately, so why not the wings too.


I used about 8 ounces in the 9 wings.


Ready to coat with the corn starch. There was enough liquid on the skin to hold the corn starch mix.


Just a little dredge.


Shake off the excess, then a light dusting of Tony C's


All ready for the smoker.


I started out with a chimney of lump to get a good coal bed going.


Put a couple of splits on & waited for them to get going good. I left the water pan out & I also left out the charcoal ring.


I put the middle & top sections on & the temp was running about 325.


I put a pan of water on the second grate to shield the wings from the direct fire.


On go the wings.


The temp dropped below 300 as soon as I put them on.


I was getting nice TBS.


The temp settled in around 275.


They took about 1 1/2 hours to cook.


Served them with spinach souffle, celery, & blue cheese dressing.


They came out tender & juicy with bite thru skin.


I had a few problems with the WSM keeping the fire going. I don't think there is sufficient air flow to keep a wood fire burning.

I had to open the access door a couple of times to get more air to the fire to keep the temp up.

Also I did not get crispy skin with the corn starch, however I did get bite thru skin, which was perfectly acceptable.

I usually finish my wings on the grill, but this time we ate them right off the smoker.

They were very good, and yes they had the wood fired taste.

What I thought was going to be easy turned into a lot of work. Next time I may just fire up the Lang for 9 wings!

Thanks for looking!

Al
 
Nice smoke Al...good experiment! I'd hit them wings. Thumbs Up
I probably agree with you about firing up the Lang the next time. Just throw another 9 wings in, or toss a baby back rib on too.
 
Throwing my 2 pennies in.

possibly the injection kept the skin to moist,to crisp the skin

water pan may not have been needed,like in a UDS 

Would the Guru have helped to supply enough air 

See now ya have a reason to try again Points for trying

Richie

points.gif
 
Nice smoke Al...good experiment! I'd hit them wings.
icon14.gif

I probably agree with you about firing up the Lang the next time. Just throw another 9 wings in, or toss a baby back rib on too.
Thanks Doug!

I knew you'd say to fire up the Lang!

Al
They sure look good! I just picked up 10 lbs of wings that I am going to smoke. Thanks for the corn starch tip!
Thanks B!

Al
 
I guess if splits work in a UDS, they should work in a WSM. Looks mighty fine..
That's what I thought too, but maybe a UDS gets a better air flow.

Maybe next time I may try smaller splits.

Al
 
Throwing my 2 pennies in.

possibly the injection kept the skin to moist,to crisp the skin

water pan may not have been needed,like in a UDS 

Would the Guru have helped to supply enough air 

See now ya have a reason to try again Points for trying

Richie

points.gif
All good points Richie!

I was going to leave out the water pan, but the WSM is not as tall as a UDS & I was afraid the fire would be right on the wings.

As it turns out you may be right & the pan was not needed.

I thought about the Guru too, and once again you may be right about that too. I have 2 fans & the big one would surely supply enough air. I think?

I have injected wings before & got crispy skin, but I finished them on a grill.

Anyhow thanks for the point!

Al
 
Tasty wings! I have a batch going in tonight. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to your cornstarch. I like to do a mix of flour and cornstarch.

I have never used the water pan in my WSM. Never had a problem.
 
Last edited:
Tasty wings! I have a batch going in tonight. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to your cornstarch. I like to do a mix of flour and cornstarch.

I have never used the water pan in my WSM. Never had a problem.
Thanks Case!

Next time I'll try the baking soda.

You leave the water pan out completely?

I was thinking of doing that so the juice from the wings would drip on the fire.

But I thought the fire would burn the wings.

Al
 
Even in the mini-WSM I leave out the diffuser when doing wings. Direct drip is the only way to go with wings.

1/4 corn starch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons kosher salt. This dredge is about enough for 1 pound+. I mix in plastic bag add several wings shake. Remove and place on rack. Repeat. Put in fridge to air dry for at least 1 hour, overnight is best. Season and cook.
 
Even in the mini-WSM I leave out the diffuser when doing wings. Direct drip is the only way to go with wings.

1/4 corn starch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons kosher salt. This dredge is about enough for 1 pound+. I mix in plastic bag add several wings shake. Remove and place on rack. Repeat. Put in fridge to air dry for at least 1 hour, overnight is best. Season and cook.
Thanks Case!

I'll try that next time.

Al
 
Wings look slammin Al!    Nothing beats good clean wood smoke.     Hey I'll get you C.A,.D  drawings if you ever want to build a 007 like Adam and I have...the thing rocks and you'll end up cooking most of your home meals on it....there will never be a need to use a water pan to shield the direct fire unless you want to collect drippings say for a pork butt.   Let me know if you're ever interested in getting one made...It'll change your BBQ world.   Keith
 
 
Wings look slammin Al!    Nothing beats good clean wood smoke.     Hey I'll get you C.A,.D  drawings if you ever want to build a 007 like Adam and I have...the thing rocks and you'll end up cooking most of your home meals on it....there will never be a need to use a water pan to shield the direct fire unless you want to collect drippings say for a pork butt.   Let me know if you're ever interested in getting one made...It'll change your BBQ world.   Keith
That sounds great Keith, I don't know if I have the skills or tools to build one but it sounds like a worthwhile project.

Al
 
The wings look great Al! A wood fired WSM, huh? Sounds intriguing. Just got my WSM and have already fallen in love with it after only one smoke!

Got to try wings on it-they are my wifes favorite smoked food.  And thanks Case for the dredge recipe-will try that too!

Thanks Al for another great smoke, David.
 
Even in the mini-WSM I leave out the diffuser when doing wings. Direct drip is the only way to go with wings.

1/4 corn starch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons kosher salt. This dredge is about enough for 1 pound+. I mix in plastic bag add several wings shake. Remove and place on rack. Repeat. Put in fridge to air dry for at least 1 hour, overnight is best. Season and cook.
Dirt:  If you do it your way are we talking a temp of around 325 or so for maybe 50-60 minutes versus Al's that are done at the lower temp with the water pan?
 
 
Dirt:  If you do it your way are we talking a temp of around 325 or so for maybe 50-60 minutes versus Al's that are done at the lower temp with the water pan?
Yes I do all of my poultry at the higher temps. If you look at my Mega link, check out the smoker fried chicken recipes and the smoker fried pork.
 
Tasty lookin wings Al, I'd have been all over that plate ! Thumbs Up

I owe ya a point, I'm over my limit I guess !
 
Thanks Justin!

No prob, I go over my limit all the time too.

Too much good smoking going on these days!

Al
 
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