How To Make Perfect Wings using a Rotisserie

I have cooked my share of wings and then some. On my Char-Broil Big Easy. And on a smoker. Sometimes, on a charcoal grill using the Vortex BBQ. Deep fried. Slow cooked. Air fried. Convection oven. Any way, any time, I do love wings. But until now I had never cooked wings using a rotisserie basket on my grill. One thing is for sure, this is not the last time I’ll be doing it, either. Perfectly crispy wings cooked up in no time, using a gas or charcoal grill. Nothing but yumminess here! This is how to make perfect wings using a rotisserie.

How To Make Perfect Wings using a Rotisserie

Simple Prep. Great Results.

There are no complicated steps involved when it comes to how to make perfect wings using a rotisserie. I just coated the wings in a just a bit of oil first. Then I tossed them with my favorite wing seasoning. That’s it. For the rotisserie all you need is a super hot indirect fire. You don’t want flame directly beneath the wings as they will drip, and that’ll cause flare-ups and burning. So keep the fire around the wings, but not below. Your wings will come out as great as my rotisserie chicken wings did.

No Peaking, Please.

Resist the temptation to open the lid to your grill while the wings cook. But I have to admit, I peaked once or twice because hey, it’s cool to see wings toss around in a basket. It’s the ultimate in food porn.

Also try my rotisserie-seasoned air fryer wings.

Perfect Wings using a Rotisserie
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Perfect Wings using a Rotisserie

Perfectly crispy wings cooked up in no time, using a gas or charcoal grill.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time25 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: grilled wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 544kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place wings in a large resealable baggie or container. Add the oil and seasoning. Seal and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Fire up your grill with a rotisserie attachment. You do not want any direct fire beneath the basket. I put a disposable pan under the basket to catch and drippings. On a charcoal grill you’ll want to keep the lit coals in front of and behind the rotisserie. For a gas grill you want any burner(s) to the left and right of the basket to be lit if your burners run from-to-back. If your burners run from left-to-right you want to have the burner(s) in front of and behind the basket to be lit. If you have an infrared burner above your basket, light it also and turn it to medium-high. All other burners should be on high.
  • Transfer the wings to the basket and place on your grill. Turn on the rotisserie and close the lid. You want high heat, so no peaking. Let the wings cook for 20 minutes before checking them. They should start to crisp and the meat will start to pull back from the bones. Mine ended up taking 25-30 minutes until they got how I liked them.
  • Carefully remove the wings from the basket and sauce and serve. Click here for our guide on how to sauce wings.

Notes

Resist the temptation to open the lid to your grill while the wings cook.

Nutrition

Calories: 544kcal | Protein: 42g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 354mg | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.

How To Make Perfect Wings using a Vortex

I cook up a LOT of chicken wings. Sometimes I make them in the deep fryer, sometimes on the charcoal grill, sometimes on the gas grill, sometimes on the smoker, and often on the Char-Broil Big Easy. I love them any way, any time. One of my favorite ways to prepare wings is using a Vortex on my charcoal grill. This simple device gets your grill screamin’ hot, perfect for making those great crispy wings we all love. So grab a Vortex and read on! This is how to make perfect wings using a Vortex!

How To Make Perfect Wings using a Vortex

The Search…

I am always on a quest for the next best wing cooking idea. Recently, I discovered the best way for making crispy wings on the Char-Broil Big Easy, which came out fantastic. But, I was still looking for the best way to get crispy wings on my charcoal grill. That’s when I discovered the Vortex and Vortex chicken wings are amazing. The Vortex is an insert for your grill that let’s you concentrate the charcoal heat, making for an incredibly hot fire. As you can see below, the wings ring the Vortex, getting super hot and in just a while, crispy. And it couldn’t get any easier.

Best Thing Ever…

I couldn’t be more happy with my Vortex purchase. I purchased the small-sized model, which works fantastic on my old 18″ Weber kettle and 22″ Weber Performer grills. But, a larger model is available for the 22″-26″ cookers.

Since I originally posting this recipe, I’ve made wings on my Vortex hundreds of times. I’ve found that rotating the lid isn’t so critical (specially when cooking on a smaller grill such as the Jumbo Joe). For a little smoky flavor, throw a nice chunk of your favor wood (I like hickory or cherry) over the Vortex about 5 minutes before you put your wings on.

The Vortex isn’t just for high-heat cooking of wings. Check out the Vortex web site for tons of other ways you can cook using the insert.

My duck fat wings made using the Vortex are crazy good too!

How To Make Perfect Wings using a Vortex
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Perfect Wings using a Vortex

Perfect wings every time.
Prep Time3 hours
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: grilled wings
Servings: 6
Calories: 93kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the wings into a large resealable container or baggie.
  • Add the oil and seasoning. Seal and shake to coat well.
  • Refrigerate for 3 hours.
  • Place the Vortex into the center of your grill. Open the bottom vents on your grill by 1/3, while keeping the top vent open completely.
  • Light a charcoal chimney full of charcoal. Alternatively, you can fill your Vortex with charcoal and light them inside the unit.
  • Let the charcoal get fully ashed over.
  • Add the chicken as shown in the picture above. For the flats have the skin side up, and for the drumettes keep the meaty part away from the fire.
  • Close the grill and cook for 15 minutes.
  • Rotate the lid 90 degrees and cook for another 15 minutes.
  • Flip the wings. Rotate another 90 degrees and cook 15 more minutes.
  • Check if the wings are as crispy as you like. If not, rotate another 90 degrees and cook another 15 minutes.
  • Transfer wings to a bowl and toss with the wing sauce. Click here for our guide on how to sauce your wings.

Notes

I’ve not found that rotating the grill has an affect on how great this wings turn out. So don’t sweat it if you forget to do it.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 2216IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.