Crispy Charcoal Chicken Wings

Method

1. Dry and dust with baking powder

   Pat the wings bone dry, then toss with the salt, baking powder and spices. Baking powder raises the skin's pH so it browns and blisters into crackling. Use baking powder, not bicarbonate of soda, which tastes soapy.

2. Rest uncovered if you can

   An hour, or overnight, uncovered on a rack in the fridge dries the skin further. This step is the difference between crisp and flabby.

3. Indirect first

   Two-zone fire at around 190°C (375°F). Wings on the cool side, lid on, for around 30 minutes. This renders the fat under the skin, which has to happen before it can crisp.

4. Crisp over the coals

   Move the wings over the bank for eight to ten minutes, turning, until the skin is deep golden and blistered. Watch them, wings burn fast once the fat is rendered.

5. Sauce off the heat

   Pull at 85°C (185°F) (wings, like all dark meat, are better well past 75°C (165°F)). Toss in sauce in a bowl off the grill, or leave them naked with just the rub if you want the skin to stay crisp.

Notes worth knowing

• Never sauce wings before the final crisping. Sugar in the sauce burns and wet sauce steams the skin soft.
• 85°C (185°F) to 90°C (195°F) is right for wings. The connective tissue needs it, and there is no dry-out risk on a wing.
• For dry wings, toss in the rub again straight off the heat.

Common questions

How do I get crispy skin without a fryer?

Baking powder plus a dry surface plus rendering the fat gently before crisping. That combination gives you crackling skin from a charcoal grill with no oil at all.

Flats or drums?

Flats have more skin and crisp better; drums have more meat. Cook them together, they finish at about the same time.