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The Guide to Wings

Crisp skin, bold sauces, zero sad wings.

By Ben Forte

Glazed hot chicken with pickles

Rubbery wings come from low heat and wet skin. Dry them, cook them indirect, then finish hot. Sauce goes on last.

Dry skin wins

Pat the wings dry, then toss with salt and a teaspoon of baking powder per 500 g. Leave uncovered in the fridge for a few hours.

The baking powder raises the skin pH, which helps it blister and crisp.

Indirect then hot

  1. 1

    Set up indirect

    Aim for 200°C with the wings away from the coals.

  2. 2

    Render

    Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once.

  3. 3

    Crisp

    Move over direct heat for a few minutes to blister the skin.

  4. 4

    Sauce

    Toss in warm sauce in a bowl and serve straight away.

Wing temperatures

StageTemperature
BBQ temperature200°C
Safe minimum74°C
Best texture80 to 85°C

Wings are fattier than breast meat and taste better cooked past the minimum.

Put it into practice

Recipes from this guide

Keep learning

More guides.

Ben Forte at the grill

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