Wings are the ultimate in party food. These beer brine chicken wings are hand held little morsels of tasty goodness. Nothing compares to a crispy, juicy wing that explodes with flavor. The sauce options are endless, but the real key is perfecting the cooking process so that whatever sizzling sauce you choose will really shine. These wings are the ultimate in moist, delectable wings and are the perfect base for whatever sauce you like.
I don’t say “perfect chicken wing” lightly, just FYI. I can safely say that I have grilled/consumed over 100 lbs of wings in the last few years. I’ve tried cooking them hot and fast to crisp the skin. I’ve tried low and slow to enhance the smoky flavor in the meat. I will tell you that these are the absolute best method we’ve found for delectable grilled wings.
There is definitely a soft spot in my heart for a crunchy fried wing, but I would still pick these flame kissed beauties every time. The beer brine creates the juiciest chicken wings you’ll ever put in your mouth. The subtle flavor from the red pepper flakes and beer in the brine adds this little extra hint of sum’n sum’n that will have people going, “oh man, what is that flavor?!”
The skin is magically crisp because I give the uncooked wings some drying time in the fridge before cooking. I learned this magic technique from my grill loving friends Sean and Mary over at Vindulge (go check them out!) and will never grill wings any other way. To see how I made their version of the perfect Buffalo wing, click HERE. The dry skin is crucial for the crisp wings that we all want.
Once you have the brine/dry/cooking technique down, you can use any sauce you want with outstanding results. I’ve included the recipe for our most favorite Sticky Sweet Buffalo sauce. I mean, come on. That one practically sells itself. But, feel free to toss your amazing wings with whatever sauce your family fancies! I actually like to have an assortment of sauced wings so everybody can get what they want.
Beer Brine Chicken Wings with Sticky Sweet Buffalo Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds trimmed chicken wings
- 2 bottles dark beer
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Sticky Sweet Buffalo Sauce
- 1/3 cup Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce (hot or regular, whatever you prefer)
- 1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- In a large glass or plastic bowl, combine the beer, salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir until the salt is dissolved in the beer and gently submerge the wings in the brine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 12 hours.
- Drain the brine from the wings. Place a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet and arrange the wings on the rack. Pat each of the wings dry with a paper towel and return to the fridge. Allow the wings to dry in the fridge for 3-4 hours. This will take some of the moisture out of the skin and give you crispy skin.
- Start your grill up and prepare for indirect grilling. Set your temperature to 375 degrees. Place the wings directly on the grill grate. If you don't have an indirect grill, you can just put the cookie sheet with the cooling rack on top directly on your grill grate once your grill is preheated. Cook the wings for 30 minutes, then flip for the final 15 minutes.
- While the wings are grilling, prepare your sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and wing sauce. Bring to a simmer (not a boil) stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter. Set aside until the wings are cooked.
- As soon as the wings are done, toss them in the sauce and serve immediately!
I absolutely love chicken wings but I have never tried making them on the grill! I’m excited to try these!
Well I hope they exceed your expectations! Haha. We can’t have them any other way now. We even prefer them to fried wings. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
What kind of beer was used?
I used a local ale, but any kind of light beer will do. Unless you really appreciate a deep beer flavor, then you can go with something darker.
Hi Susie, it sounds super delicious , but what can i substitute the beer with
What type of pellets did you use?
With chicken I try to stay pretty mild, usually a hickory or cherry or alder.
Where can you get Buffalo Sauce?
I usually find it at my local grocery store. I like the brand Frank’s
Can the wings stay in the fridge for the “drying” part longer than 4 hours? My initial plan was to marinade in beer over night. then start the “drying” technique prior to leaving for work. Then once I get off its GRILL time 🙂 Total drying time will be 9 hours. Or is that too long and I should wait to the weekend?
They will still be great if you need to dry them while you are at work!
Thank you! its on the menu this evening 🙂 Really enjoy your site!
can i use a beer like coors light? If so, will they still have the same flavor? thank you.
Coors Light will work fine with this recipe.
Followed your instructions exactly and the wings were juicy and crispy. Wing sauce was awesome. They were amazing!
Cooked these tonight on my Camp Chef SG24 they were incredible! Tweaked the sauce by cutting back on the brown sugar and adding some sorghum that I picked up on our last trip to Branson. Our 9 year old grandson declared them “good to the bone. “
Hey Susie,
I noticed in the video posted with this recipe that you put them back on the grill after you sauce? Do you put them on indirect or direct, also for how long?
Indirect, until the sauce sets.
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