SMOKED CHICKEN WINGS
Serves 4 to 6
We prefer to buy whole wings and
butcher them ourselves because they
tend to be larger than wings that come
split. If you can fi nd only split wings,
look for larger ones. Twelve whole
wings should ideally equal 3 pounds and
will yield 24 pieces (12 drumettes and
12 fl ats, tips discarded). Do not brine
the chicken for longer than 3 hours in
step 1 or it will become too salty.WINGS
¼ cup table salt, for brining
¼ cup sugar, for brining
3 pounds chicken wings, cut at joints,
wingtips discarded
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
1¼ teaspoons dried oregano
1¼ teaspoons pepper
1¼ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups wood chipsSAUCE
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
¼ teaspoon table salt- FOR THE WINGS: Dissolve salt
and ¼ cup sugar in 2 quarts cold water
in large container. Submerge wings
in brine, cover, and refrigerate for at
least 1 hour or up to 3 hours. Combine
paprika, chili powder, oregano, pepper,
garlic powder, 1 teaspoon sugar, and
cayenne in bowl. Measure out 1 table-
spoon spice mixture and set aside. - FOR THE SAUCE: Melt butter
in small saucepan over medium-low
heat. Add reserved 1 tablespoon spice
mixture and cook until fragrant, about
30 seconds. Carefully add vinegar
(mixture will bubble up). Bring to quick
simmer, then remove from heat. Whisk
in ketchup and salt. Cover and set aside. - Remove wings from brine and pat
dry with paper towels. Sprinkle wings
all over with remaining spice mixture.
4. Just before grilling, soak wood chips
in water for 15 minutes, then drain.
Using large piece of heavy-duty alu-
minum foil, wrap soaked chips in 8 by
4½-inch foil packet. (Make sure chips
do not poke holes in sides or bottom of
packet.) Cut 2 evenly spaced 2-inch slits
in top of packet.
5A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light
large chimney starter mounded with
charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When
top coals are partially covered with ash,
place wood chip packet on 1 side of
grill and pour coals evenly over half of
grill, covering wood chip packet. Set
cooking grate in place, cover, and open
lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot
and wood chips are smoking, about
5 minutes.
5B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Remove
cooking grate and place wood chip
packet directly on primary burner. Turn
all burners to high, cover, and heat grill
until hot and wood chips are smoking,
about 15 minutes. Leave primary
burner on high and turn off other
burner(s). (Adjust primary burner [or,
if using 3-burner grill, primary burner
and second burner] as needed to main-
tain grill temperature of 400 degrees.)- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place
wings, fatty side up, on cooler side of
grill, arranging drumettes closest to
coals. Cover and cook until wings are
darkened in color and meat registers
at least 180 degrees, about 40 minutes,
fl ipping wings halfway through cooking.
7A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Slide half of wings to hotter side of
grill and cook, uncovered, until charred
in spots, 1 to 3 minutes per side. Trans-
fer wings to platter and tent with foil.
Repeat with remaining wings.
7B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all
burners to high and cook, uncovered,
until wings are charred in spots, 5 to
7 minutes per side. Transfer wings to
platter and tent with foil. - Reheat sauce over medium heat,
about 2 minutes. Toss wings and sauce
together in bowl. Serve.
Soak the wood chips in water, and then
enclose them in an aluminum foil packet.Place the wood chip packet on one side of
the bottom grill grate when the charcoal
is almost ready.Pour the lit coals over the packet, keeping
them on one side of the grill.Smoke the wings on the cooler side of the
grill, and then fi nish them directly over
the heat to create fl avorful char.Only One of the Brushes We Tried
Made Cleaning the Grill Easy
by Emily PharesTHE CLEANER YOUR grill grate, the less food will stick to it. A good grill
brush should allow you to scrub the entire cooking grate, even the hard-to-reach
grate ends, and remove debris with minimal eff ort.
Our previous winner has had some availability issues, so we
set out to fi nd a widely available brush for both charcoal and
gas grill grates. We bought eight models, priced from about $
to almost $35 and made from a variety of materials.
Then we got to grilling: chicken thighs coated in barbecue sauce on charcoal
grills and hamburgers on gas grills. In the end, every brush got the cooking grates
on both types of grill satisfactorily clean, but some required a lot more work than
others to get the job done, and some lacked the durability we want.
We generally like brushes with stiff bristles, and we found that shorter bristles
(about ½ inch long) worked best. Brushes with triangular heads could get into cor-
ners and between grill grate bars better than those with square or rectangular heads.
Models with scrapers had limited reach, as the scrapers got in the way. And shorter
handles gave us better leverage without putting our hands too close to the heat.
Our new winner, the Weber 12 Inch Grill Brush, has metal bristles and a trian-
gular head that made cleaning gunky grates a breeze. If you’re worried about the
risk of ingesting a loose bristle, our second-place brush, from Kona, is bristle-free.
Web subscribers can read the full story at CooksCountry.com/grillbrush19.EQUIPMENT
TESTING RECOMMENDED NOT RECOMMENDED
Triangular Head
Has greater versatility
and easily cleans
between grill grate barsShort Handle
Off ers better leverage
and mobilityDesign
Lack of scraper
allowed us to clean
right up to edges
of grateShort Bristles
Easily glide over
all areas of
grill grateWeber 12 Inch Grill Brush
Model: 6494
Price: $7.
Type: Stainless-steel bristle brush
Bristle Length: 0.5 in
Handle Length: 7.5 inOur FavoriteJUNE/JULY 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 13Best Bristle-Free Brush