One of my favorite childhood memories is of the backyard BBQs our neighborhood would have. A charcoal grill, chicken, and BBQ sauce. Oh sure there were things like potato salad and chips, too, but even as a kid I was all about that BBQ chicken. Well, nothing has changed really since then. Except now, instead of legs or chicken quarters, I lean towards grilling chicken wings. And lots of them. There’s still nothing fancy going on here. Prep time is minimal. Cook time is fairly short. But these old school backyard BBQ wings hit the spot just like the chicken off the grill oh so many years ago!
Don’t Over-Think It.
Like I said, there’s nothing fancy going on with these old school backyard BBQ wings. There’s no need to some $10/bottle wing seasoning. Or a high-fallutin’ BBQ sauce. Get that cheap stuff that’s been around for decades. There’s a reason it’s lasted that long. Get that. I went with Kraft BBQ sauce because that’s what there was when I was a kid. And it’s still around now. Why? Because it’s good. A sauce isn’t going to stay around that long unless it’s good. It’s the right price, too. Grab some. Grab a lot!
Get That Char
I really like to put my sauced wings directly over the hot coals just before removing them. I like to ‘set’ the sauce and get a little char on the wings. A little crunch. Not too much, I don’t want to burn them and get that burned taste. But a little char is good. It adds a bit of crunch. It adds a bit of caramelization.
I think that char thing kinda comes from the backyard BBQ days. Seems like there might have beers involved by the grownups then. And I think sometimes the already-sauced chicken spent a little extra time on the grill. Maybe a little more than expected. Well, I happen to like that so I still do it today! Yeah, the beer part too!
- Heavy-duty BBQ Basting Brush by HQY – Silicone…
If you’re looking for extra-crispy wings from your charcoal grill, I can’t recommend using a Vortex BBQ enough!
Also try my delicious chili crisp wings made on the Vortex!
Old School Backyard BBQ Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings flats and drumettes separated, tips saved to make stock
- 3 teaspoons Your favorite wing seasoning or more, to taste. Salt and pepper are fine, too!
- Kraft BBQ Sauce or your old-school favorite, to taste
Instructions
- Sprinkle the seasoning over the wings. Using your hands, toss the wings to coat.
- Load up the charcoal chimney about 3/4ths of the way with charcoal and light. Once the charcoal is all lit and lightly covered in ash, dump the coals into the grill along one side. This will create two zones: a hot direct heat zone over the coals and a cooler indirect heat zone for the wings.
- Add the charcoal grate and close the grill. Oven the top and bottoms vents all the way. Let the grill preheat for 5.
- Place the wings on the indirect heat side of the grill. Close the lid and turn so that the vent is above the wings.
- Cook until the wings are lightly browned and crispy, usually 45 minutes.
- Brush the tops of the wings with BBQ sauce the last 10 minutes of cooking. Close the lid and cook another 5 minutes.
- Flip the wings and brush with more sauce. Close the lid and cook another 5 minutes.
- If desired, place the wings directly over the coals to get a little char on them for 1-2 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate and will not include any store-bought wing sauce or seasoning nutritional values.
- MIld Sauces
- Made for wings and more
