Charcoal Grilled Pepsi Cola Wings
At award-winning barbecue and craft beer joint The Pig & Pint in Jackson, Mississippi, the pecan-smoked wings in Pepsi-Cola glaze get people talking. Customers love how different they taste; they say that they’re packed with flavor, and that the meat pulls away from the bone in the most delicious way. If they’re not already smoky enough for you, you’ll be pleased to know that they come with a delicious smoked garlic ranch dressing. Here is our take on that fine dish! We answer the questions: How do you get crispy skin when smoking wings? What is the secret ingredient to crispy wings? and How do you make your smoked chicken crispy?
Things to know:
What is the best cooking method for chicken wings?
It all depends what you are looking for. Are you looking for speed? Then either deep frying or air frying is your answer. Are you looking for smoke flavor? Then a smoker is the way to go, though if you are looking for crispy skin, you will need to either grill them, cuck them into a deep fryer, or chuck them in an air fryer since the temp you will smoke them at will NOT yield crispy skin.
How long does it take to cook chicken wings from scratch?
Again, this depends on the method. If smoking is involved, you are going to be looking at 2ish hours. Grilling them with the “Vortex” method? Then around an hour and 15 minutes. Deep fryer? Then you are looking at 15ish minutes to include the saucing. Direct grilling? Adding in the 25 minutes for preparing the coals and heating up the grill, 45 minutes would be a good estimate.
What is the secret to perfect wings?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it all depends on preference. An excellent sauce or rub can make a good crispy wing incredible, but put that same sauce on a wing with rubbery skin and you are talking a different story. Know what you are looking for: crispiness, heat, or flavor, then you can determine how to make YOUR perfect wing!
Ingredients:
3-4 lbs chicken wings
Your favorite wing seasoning (we used John Henry’s Mojave Garlic Pepper)
2 T butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 can (12 oz) regular Pepsi (if you can get the type made with cane sugar, even better!)
1 t olive oil
4 T minced garlic
3 T salt
3 Dried Red Chilies (Optional, we used mulatto chiles)
Cooking oil spray (we used Duck fat cooking spray)
Serve with Smoked Garlic Ranch
1. Pat dry chicken wings with a paper towel, then season with your favorite seasoning. Place with wings on a wire rack above a baking sheet and chuck them into the refrigerator as you make the glaze.
2. Prepare the glaze by melting the butter in a saucepan on medium high heat. Add the soy sauce, Pepsi, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, chiles, garlic and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer to thicken for about 15-20 minutes.
3. Set up your grill by preparing a half chimney of charcoal. After 15 minutes of burning, place them in a Vortex holder positioned in the middle of your grill, then add the grate.
4. Fully open the bottom and top vents and allow the grill to heat up for 10 minutes. After the 10 minute warm up, place a few pecan wood chunks on top of your charcoal.
5. Place the chicken wings around the perimeter of the grill. Cook for 35 minutes, ensuring you rotate the lid 1/3 turn every 10 minutes to prevent hot spots.
6. Spray cooking oil (even better, duck fat if you can find it) on the wings, replace the lid and allow to cook for 5 more minutes.
7. Flip the wings, apply the cooking oil or duck fat to the other side of the wings, replace lid and allow to cook for 5 more minutes.
8. Verify the wings have reached an internal temp of at least 165F with an instant read thermometer, then remove the wings from the grill, toss them in a bowl with the glaze and return them to the grill for 10 more minutes.
9. Remove the sauced wings from the grill, plate up and serve. ENJOY!
Equipment used:
Oil Dispenser for Kitchen, 2 in 1 Olive Oil Sprayer
Yoder YS640S Smoker
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