Wings are the backbone of any great party. Cooked well, they will draw even the wariest chicken eater. There are lots of ways to cook wings – I have found a preferred method that requires indirect heat and a grill temp of about 280-300F for almost 3 hours. I can’t take credit for this style of wing cooking, that goes to my friend Tim Dougherty, who enlightened me in the art of the wing. Let me break it down for you.

Wing Selection: Recipe is for (1) “Family Pack” – No party wings – they must be whole wings. Make no compromises.

Trimming: Clip off the wing tip and you are left with a “V” shaped wing.

Seasoning: Santa Maria Seasoning & Old Bay.

Baste: Mix and reduce over medium heat:  (1) Fosters Blue Oil Can Beer, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 4 Tbsp. Walkers Wood Wet Jerk Seasoning.  Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Use a mop to apply.

Cooker Setup: Weber Kettle Indirect. To date, this is the best wing cooker we’ve found. This is hard to say as we are hardcore Big Green Egg fans.

Charcoal Setup: Place a heaping full chimney 75% engaged charcoal on one side of the cooker.

The Cook: Set your cooker for a steady 280 to 300 degrees. Stack the wings in a pile opposite the fire.  Apply the baste as described above every 30 minutes for the entire cook. After the first 30-45 minutes knock the wings down, Re-stack and then baste. The wings should begin to get sticky as this process is repeated.

Expected Cook Time: IF your temps have pretty much remained the same, this process will take just less than 3 hours.

Done Test: When the skin of the wing has lost some of its “puffyness” and seems to be pulled tightly against the meat itself. The yellow under skin of each wing will become golden brown and slightly crisp, but not crunchy. The wing will be leaking clear juices if you look closely.