Barbecue Chicken Wings - 4 Cooking Methods

Next to sausages and burgers I've found that barbecue chicken wings are probably the most popular dish to make; they are always one of the first things to go. Surprising considering that they consist mostly of skin and bone with comparatively little meat. The fact is though that they are very tasty and fun to eat, nibbling away at the crispy skin and the meat between the bones.

The question I'm often asked, "is how long to grill chicken wings?".

And the answer is, "that depends on how you're going to cook them".

There are four methods that I use:

Before I get to the wings recipes, there are a couple of other things to consider.

Do you cut off the wing tips?

Many recipes, whether for grilling wing tips on the BBQ or indoors, call for the wing tips to be cut off. Well, this can make the chicken wings look neater, but I like to leave them on most of the time; it's up to you.

Tuck the wing tips in or not?

If you leave the wing tips on then you need to decide whether to fold the wing tips up behind the rest of the wing to make a good shape, or to not.Some recipes call for the wings to be folded while others state that you should spread them out to get more of the wing in contact with the grill and therefore heat. Personally, I leave them untucked most of the time. If I'm doing something 'special' I'll fold them up.

Do you marinate the chicken wings?

Most of the time I'll use a marinade with the wings but it's fine just to brush the wings with a liitle oil prior to grilling.The skin of the chicken prevents that marinade from getting to the meat itself, so if you want, make 2 or 3 deep slashes in the wings prior to marinating.

How Long To Barbecue Chicken Wings.

The times below regarding how long to grill chicken wings are basic instructions and don't include any marinading times, etc. More detailed receipes are included at the bottom of the page.

Direct Method of Cooking Barbecue Chicken Wings.

1. Rinse the wings under cool water, drain and blot dry.
2. Lightly oil the wings.
3. Oil the grill over a mdium hot barbecue and cook the chicken wings for 14 to 18 minutes, turning 4 to 5 times, until cooked through.
4. Serve.

Indirect Method (you'll need a hooded barbecue grill) of Cooking Barbecue Chicken Wings.

1. Rinse the wings under cool water, drain and blot dry.
2. Lightly oil the wings.
3. Set-up your grill for indirect grilling with a drip pan in the center.
4. If using a gas grill, put wood chips in a smoker box and place on the barbecue. It using a charcoal gril, throw wood chips on the charcoal.
5. Using a medium heat, oil the grill over the drip pan and cook the chicken wings, covered, for about 1.5 to 2 hours until cooked through and tender.
6. Serve

Indirect Method Finished Off By Direct Method of Cooking Barbecue Chicken Wings.

1. Use the Indirect Method as shown above but at step 4 cook for about 1.5 hours only.
2. Move the chicken wings directly over the coals and cook for about 5 minutes per side. This method makes the skin more crispy than the Indirect Method alone.

Smoking Barbecue Chicken Wings

1. Rinse the wings under cool water, drain and blot dry.
2. Lightly oil the wings.
3. Place the chicken wings on the smoker grid and smoke for about 1.5 hours.

Barbecue Chicken Wings Recipes