Are These The Crispiest Chicken Wings Ever?
Cold Smoked, Then Fried in Tallow
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Introduction
Smoked Low, Fried in Wagyu Tallow
What's up, chicken wing fans! These are golden brown and super crispy. Just look at that skin. They're smoked low on the Yoder YS640s and finished in Wagyu beef tallow. Here's how I did it.
The Wings
Organic pre-cut wings. You can buy whole wings and cut them up, or even keep them whole.
Lawry's seasoned salt, which is really good on chicken
Fresh cracked pepper from the Pepper Cannon (use code: RUMANDCOOK to save 10%)
Spray a rack with a little cooking spray and lay the wings on it, so the whole batch can go straight onto the grill. Season both sides. That's it. Super simple.
Heads-up on pre-cut wings: sometimes there's a little piece of bone stuck to the skin. If it's stuck to the skin, you won't eat it. If it's just hanging off the meat, pull it off so nobody bites into it.
Smoke Low
Yoder at 150°F with Bear Mountain Oak pellets.
Why 150°F? We want the most smoke possible. At a super low temp, the wings barely cook, so they soak up extra smoke. Today isn't about cooking them on the pellet grill. It's about smoking them there and frying them later.
Top rack for 2 hours. Set a timer and walk away.
They come off with nice color and good smoke flavor, but they're not crispy. We're going to fix that.
Fry in Tallow
I used a tub of Wagyu beef tallow. If you watch BBQ YouTube, you've probably seen it, and you can get it on Amazon. Lately there's been a shift back toward animal fats, and tallow adds delicious flavor.
Heat the tallow to about 385°F.
Drop the wings in while they're still warm from the smoker. The temp drops fast, so keep the heat on high.
Fry for about 5 minutes around 345°F until you get the color you want.
Let them cool about 5 minutes.
Taste Test
I didn't sauce them, which is unheard of for me, because I love saucy wings. I wanted to taste what smoke and tallow do together.
They're super crunchy. Usually, when I chase crispy skin, I have to push the temperature up and lose some smoke flavor. Smoking low for 2 hours and then frying keeps the smoke. It's not overpowering. It's just in the background, while the crunch and seasoning on the skin really pop. The tallow adds nice flavor, too. For no sauce, these are pretty darn good.
Final Thoughts
If you've never tried smoked and deep-fried wings, especially in tallow, I highly recommend it. Smoke them at 150°F for 2 hours, then fry them in hot tallow for about 5 minutes. Afterward, strain the tallow into a jar and reuse it. You'll get a lot of fries out of it.
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Thanks For Watching
Whether you're a seasoned pitmaster or a novice, these tips will enhance your cooking skills and leave your family and friends raving about your delicious, smoky creations. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more step-by-step videos, and let's together become the barbecue heroes we were meant to be!
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