Pickle Brined - Smoked & Grilled - Chicken Wings

Embrace The Flame BBQ welcomes you to the first blog for backyard grilling/smoking enthusiasts that have a passion for great food. 

This first blog was created April 4, 2020 as the Coronavirus is spread around the globe most people are confined to their homes. Most of us that like to BBQ are looking for ideas to grill and smoke some food and I wanted to share a cook I did that came out really good. 

If you have time - take this and make it your own. 

All links are Amazon affiliate links and generate a couple of bucks to support this blog and my family - so we thank you for your support. 

Today’s cook is done on thePit Barrel Cooker (PBC) - this is a smoker that can also grill. I wanted this to be my first smoker to learn the basics of smoking meat with and also have the flexibility to do a variety of different things including grilling. 

I filled the charcoal basket with lump coals and got the chimney going for about 13 minutes and dumped the lump into the PBC and put the lid on to get it regulated for about 20 minutes and then added a chunk or two of Cherry wood for some amazing smoke. I found B&B at Ace Hardware but you can also useTHIS wood (from Amazon). 

I like to get the basket going in the pit for about 15 minutes then I add a couple of chunks of wood and wait another 5-10 minutes. THEN I put on my food. I am not a fan of that first smoke starting up as it can put on a residue that is bitter for me and is somewhat acidic to my digestive system. 

I have never used a brine before - always thought my wings were just fine as is - but, I am a research freak and learned that the best discoveries of methods you discover are by mistake and just by chance I finished my last Grillo’s Pickle with a roast beef sandwich & kettle chips and I remembered to save the juice for a brine. 

I cut those annoying tips off the wings - as they just get snagged on the grill grate when I flip them around. I know some of ya’ll like to gnaw on them for eating but I can live without them. Don’t worry - I saved them for a future stock. 

I let them sit in a freezer bag for 4 hours. You can go longer, ya just gotta be careful of any brine as it can start to break down the protein and change the texture. When I go to the NC State Fair the smoked turkey legs are just about the same as a ham on a bone...I still eat it but its not a smoked turkey leg....its a form of ham on a turkey bone. 

After 4 hours I drained them in a colander and pat dry with paper towels and applied my rub and let sit out to ‘temper’ - which is just letting them get more to room temp vs putting them in the Pit cold. I do this with all protein - let them temper before cooking. 

I seasoned up with wings with a brisket rub...yup, I like it so I use it. 

I set up the PBC as the wings are tempering - so then when the coals are starting to regulate I can put on the wings and let the PBC do its magic. 

The smoke from Cherry and Lump together make for an easy cook - the air is regulated by holes on the sides that you put rebar’s in and also at the bottom of the PBC is an air flow vent that you keep open depending on the altitude you are at - I keep mine open about 1/4 inch. 

I flipped them after 30 minutes - and at 60 minutes I crack the lid to generate more air flow and this means more heat. 

Nothing worse than eating a soft mushy pliable chicken wing skin - so to have smoke flavor AND a crispy skin ya gotta increase the heat. 

You can open the lid about a couple of inches to increase air flow - or just remove it. I do a bit of both as you can set sauce better with the lid on as the air circulates around the wing.

I like to set the sauce with lid on for a bit then take lid off and flip the wings to increase heat so I get a bit of char on the wings with the set sauce on them.  

I get that Organic Ville at our local Publix or you can find it here onAmazon. There is no HFCS in the ingredients - my wife likes this brand - this is the first time we tried the Tangy version - I like to apply only 1 coat, let it set with lid ajar, flip and coat other side. I do this again to make for 2 flips on each side to get a thin sauce coating and then I remove the lid to get some heat to char the wings.

We do not like really coated sauce on the wings all the time...sometimes we do and this time it was about having the rub flavor, along with smoke as a flavor and then a finish with sauce AND char to make for an amazing crispy wing.

I think a lot of sauce takes away from that crispy skin you work hard to create. 

My wife Janey made a great salad and we also had some golden baked potatoes on the side. I do love a fresh salad with about anything. 

There are so many ways to grill and smoke - add in all the rubs, brines and sauces makes for taking your wings to another level to make them however you want. 

My goal for this blog is to give you some tips here and there to add to your grilling and smoking experience - so that once you Embrace The Flame - you expand your BBQ experience to put that smile of good food on your family’s face.