BBQ Chicken Wings 101

BBQ/Grill is one of the best (healthier) ways to cook wings as it drips off the fat but that also make it a little tricky to cook. Just follow a few tips and your chicken wings should be nicely done the next time!

1) Don't rush. Chicken wings take about 20 minutes to cook through and high heat is only going to burn the outside leaving inside raw.

2) Cook with LOW heat - you can either cook at the side of the pit where there is less charcoal or if you have a gas grill turn down the heat at one side. The key is not to cook chicken wings on DIRECT heat. It WILL BURN. Fat in chicken wings in flammable, when it is too hot it will melt off more and drip on the fire which causes a flare-up making the fire hotter causing more fat to drip off and feeding the cycle.

3) Pat the marinades off the wings before cooking - pat dry the wings and oil it a little then start grilling bottom side of the wing facing fire. Why bottom first? Less fat at the bottom so less oil to drip in so you get to cook through the bottom first. Why pat off the marinades? Simple. marinade usually have sugars, molasses, honey, soy etc which caramelize and burnt quickly on high heat and if you have marinade over 12 hours you really don't need any on the surface.

4) DON'T brush on honey or sauce until wings are cook! Same reason as point 3 above... or you are just wasting your honey... A good idea will be to buy a spray bottle and dilute honey with water. Spray over the wings once or twice over course of cooking. This method saves honey and you never worry about thick layer of honey on your wings burning to tar black.

Just observe these simple pointers and a little trail and error experience your chicken wings will turn out perfect every time. Now all you need is that perfectly marinated chicken wings from your favorite recipe or BBQ catering vendor.