Are you looking to make some delicious homemade BBQ wings? Check out this guide to learn how to make BBQ chicken wings.
When the temperatures rise and it’s sunny outside, your taste buds may be craving some good barbecue. It’s already hot enough inside, so you don’t want to turn on the stove or oven and make it even more stifling inside.
A great way to have a tasty meal and enjoy the good weather is to grill! With a little bit of preparation, you can have an easy yet delectable dinner while spending some quality time with your friends and family.
In this article, we’ll give you tips on preparing BBQ wings and some recipes so you can expand your repertoire.
Table of Contents
Preparing BBQ Chicken Wings
The key to a good barbecue is investing some time and thought into the preparation of the meat. The two most important components are the BBQ sauce and the rub. Below, we’ll explore your options and what you should do to get the best results.
Premade vs Homemade BBQ Sauce
If you’re hosting a party and need some BBQ wings to grill on short notice, the easiest way to go about this is to check your local grocery store. Many marinate the meat for you so all you have to do is put it on the grill. However, while this will do in a pinch, it’s definitely not the best quality barbecue you can do.
Another option if you want to save time is to use premade BBQ sauce from the bottle. Combined with a good rub, this can give you a pretty decent barbecue, so this may be an avenue to explore.
The best option is to make your own BBQ sauce, especially if you have a secret family recipe. You can use bottled BBQ sauce as a base and add other ingredients to make it sing more; for instance, you can add more ketchup, mustard, or honey.
Or, if you’re up for a challenge, you can make your sauce entirely from scratch.
The key to making a mouthwatering BBQ sauce is to taste, taste, taste. Keep experimenting with the ingredients until you’ve got that million-dollar sauce.
Premade vs Homemade BBQ Rub
The difference between premade and homemade BBQ rub isn’t as massive as with BBQ sauce. Although each premade BBQ rub has its own ratios of different spices, the ingredients used are pretty standard.
If you already have those spices in your cupboard, consider making your own rub to save on a little cash. Plus, you can tweak those ratios to make it your own.
BBQ Sauce Placement
If you have a really great rub, then you may want it to be the star of the show. In that case, you can just grill your BBQ chicken wings with the dry rub, then serve the BBQ sauce on the side so people can dip the meat they pull off.
Otherwise, you’ll want to baste the wings with the sauce in the last 10 minutes of grilling. You can also take all the wings off the grill, toss them in a bowl of BBQ sauce, then place them back in a covered grill for 10 minutes, flipping them once midway.
Proper Marinating
The more patient you are, the better the outcome will be. Marinating for an hour or two will do when you’re in a rush, but for your BBQ wings to really shine, you need to marinate them for at least 24 hours.
In general, you’ll want to keep your marinades separate. For example, if you want to highlight the dry rub, only use that. And if you want to make the BBQ sauce stand out, use just that for the marinade.
Use Metal Skewers
Since the bones in chicken wings naturally fold in on themselves, it can be a bit difficult to manipulate the parts so you can get every bit of meat. A good way to combat this is to use metal skewers.
After you’re done marinating the wings, place a metal skewer through each one to stretch out the entire piece of meat into a straight line. Not only will this make them easier to handle (for basting and flipping), but they’ll also cook faster.
Get these BBQ chicken wings off the grill and into people’s stomachs within minutes by utilizing skewers. Another plus side is they’ll get to enjoy every bit of the wings you grill.
Grilling BBQ Wings Outside
When grilling BBQ wings outside, the key thing you want is charring; this can add some flavor and texture to your meat. Get your grill to medium heat, load up the wings, and grill them with the lid closed for a few minutes.
Then, open the lid to check on them. If any are getting pretty charred, then turn them over. You’ll want to repeat this process until they have an internal temperature of 165, which can take around 25 minutes.
Once they’re thoroughly cooked, you can take them off the grill and toss them in a bowl of BBQ sauce before serve. Make sure you serve up your BBQ wings with some great beer pairings!
Baking BBQ Wings in the Oven
Maybe it’s storming outside, or your grill’s currently in disrepair. This doesn’t mean you have to wait it out to enjoy some BBQ chicken wings; you can still make them in your home’s oven!
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and lay out your chicken wings on a baking sheet. Make sure there’s plenty of space in between each one. Lining the tray with parchment paper can help with stubborn stickiness after they’re done.
Bake the BBQ wings for 45 minutes and flip them halfway through. The wings are done when they have an internal temperature of 165.
If you want them to be crispier, use the broiler feature for the last 5 or 10 minutes. You can also baste them in BBQ sauce in this period.
Below are a few recipes you can try out for your next barbecues.
Honey BBQ Wings
This recipe doesn’t require any marinating. Just toss the wings in a coating, then bake, and cover with BBQ sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
- 20 chicken wings
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup honey
Method
- Mix together all the dry ingredients and toss the wings to coat them.
- Cook your wings in your preferred method, grill or oven.
- While cooking, mix together the wet ingredients.
- When done, take the chicken wings and toss them in the BBQ sauce mix.
- Put the wings back into the oven or grill. They’re ready when the sauce becomes caramelized.
Easy BBQ Wings
Are you short on time and just need to throw together something on the plate? No problem. Use this recipe!
Ingredients
- 32 chicken wings
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup BBQ sauce
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce (optional)
Method
- Preheat your oven or grill.
- Place the wings on the baking tray or grill, then brush each one with the vegetable oil.
- If you want spicy wings, then brush each with some at this point.
- Cook the wings until they’re browned and have an internal temperature of 165.
- Remove the wings and toss in a bowl with BBQ sauce.
- Return the wings to the oven or grill and cook for 5 minutes more.
Buffalo Chicken Wings
Love spicy wings? Then you’ve got to serve these up at your next barbecue!
Ingredients
- 15 chicken wings
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Method
- Preheat your oven or grill. In the meantime, season the wings with salt and pepper.
- Grill or bake the chicken wings until they have an internal temperature of 165 degrees. They should be crispy and golden.
- While you’re waiting for the wings to cook, melt the butter in the microwave. Then, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
- Once the BBQ wings are done, toss them in the BBQ sauce and serve.
Korean BBQ Chicken Wings
If you love eating kalbi, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy these wings. Try this Asian-styled BBQ wings for a change from Western-style barbecues.
Ingredients
- 20 chicken wings
- 1/4 cup Gochujang
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons onion (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Method
- Mix together all the ingredients to make the marinade, excluding the wings. Marinate them for at least 2 hours.
- Grill or bake the chicken wings until their internal temperature measures 165. Flip them halfway through.
- Serve with garnishes of sesame seeds and scallions.
Enjoy BBQ Wings in a Number of Ways
BBQ wings are a versatile type of food that everyone is sure to love. Whether you’re baking or grilling them, eating them as a snack or as a meal, wings are a morsel no one can refuse.
So for your next meal or special event, consider sticking a tray of BBQ chicken wings into the oven or on the grill. You’ll be everyone’s hero when they see you present them with a hot plate of juicy wings.
Find out everything you need to know about barbecues, grills, and smokers by reading this blog article.
