New Way Of Smoking Wings – Pork Wings Recipe
Introduction
Tired of your usual pork shoulder and pork chops with barbecue sauce? Next time you decide on a get-together, try this awesome recipe instead. Pork wings are delicious sections of meat that offer cooks a ton of opportunities to test their best rubs, sauces, and marinades. The nature of the piece is fatty, meaty, and super tender. This is because the meat is still attached to the bone, which allows for even cooking without the fear of drying out the meat.
What exactly is a pork wing?
The pork wing comes from the ham shank. Traditionally, this portion is trimmed and smoked. The shape of the pork wing resembles that of a lollipop lamb chop or, like the name implies, a chicken wing. People normally eat them with their hands, holding them by the bone. It is a great eating experience.
Where to find pork wings?
You may need to talk this one out with your local butcher. All it takes is just a quick request for you to get your wings in a couple of days, at the most. They run at around $1.25 per piece. Make sure you state that you will smoke the wings yourself.
Section 1: What You Will Need For This Smoked Pork Wings Recipe:
There are four basic things you need for smoking pork wings:
Here Comes the Brine!
Here we'll be using pork brine instead of dry rub. The first step is making the brine to marinade the hog wings overnight.
Check out the ingredients for 6 most popular brines:
1. Salt and Pepper Brine – This brine consists on your traditional “salty peppery” brine for a traditional salty finish.
- 4 cups of water
- 2 tbsp ground black peppercorns
- ½ cup Pink Himalayan or Kosher salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 crushed cloves of garlic
- Bay leaves
2. Umami Brine – This brine satisfies your taste for umami, the 6th flavor that is found in popular Asian dishes.
- 2 cups soy sauce
- 2 cups Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- ½ cup brown sugar
3. Spicy Rum Brine - The rum in this recipe penetrates through the porosity of the meat leaving behind a woodsy, musky scent.
- 1 cup dark rum (also known as gold)
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp allspice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp fresh ginger
4. Applewood Brine – Be ready to have a feast of scents coming out of your smoker. This brine is acidic, citrusy, and woodsy.
- 2 gallons full sugar apple juice or apple cider
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 12 whole cloves
- 4 tsp ground peppercorns
- 4 tsp Himalayan Sea Salt
- Orange peel to taste
- 3 tsp crushed sage
5. Maple and Brown Sugar Brine- Who does not like the combination of maple syrup and bacon? The pork wing is a thicker, juicier piece of “bacon.”
- 2 cups regular maple syrup
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 4 quarts water
- ¾ cup Himalayan Pink Salt
- ¾ cup ground peppercorns
- 6 crushed garlic cloves
- ¾ cup soy sauce
6. Citrus Mint Brine- As you know, chops go great with a nice mint sauce.
- 1 large lime
- 1 cup Pink Himalayan Salt
- ¾ regular sugar
- 5 crushed mint leaves
- 1 lemon
- 4 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 gallon water
Section 2: Step by step instructions
I. Smoking the pork wings
There are four basic steps for smoking.
Following the basic rules of smoking is no different than following the scientific process: You won’t fail if you trust and follow the process.
II. Thawing and Marinating
- Thaw pork wings - It is preferable that the pork wings are not frozen but thawed at room temperature. It is also optimal for seasoning and brining.
- Choose an air-tight container for marinating, or a gallon-sized zip lock bag
- Prepare your brine of choice.
- Place your wings inside the container and leave in the refrigerator for 1 hour to 1 day, depending on your needs.
III. The Smoker
- Set up your smoker (charcoal or electric smoker) by heating up coals along with woodchips. Choose the wood depending on what kind of smoke flavor you want to get. Some people use hickory, others use apple wood chips, everyone's favorite flavor profile is different. The internal temperature of the smoker should be set so that it transmits at least 275 degrees of indirect heat.
- Maintain the heat levels by adding more charcoals to the mix. Most smoking for smaller pieces of meat, such as pork wings, takes as little as just one hour and 20 minutes. That’s plenty of time to take care of your side dishes and desserts!
- Place the meat on the grill, close the lid to the smoker, and let it smoke for about an hour and 10 minutes.
IV. Serve and enjoy
You can always add more seasonings to your pig wings recipe. The marinade is just part of the smoking process. The charcoal, smoke, and woodchips will also add to the final smoky flavor. It will be tender, fragrant, and absolutely delicious. Add the bbq sauce or hot sauce to your pig wings and enjoy the meal!
The biggest joy that you get out of the cooking process during smoking meats is the ability to sit down, relax, and wait for the fragrance to hit the air. Sitting around the smoker with friends, enjoying a nice beer, and waiting for the final results are some of those small moments that one truly enjoys every time.
Final note: You will not need a knife and fork for pork wings. Just grab them by the bone and bite into them. You will love them.
Section 3: Conclusion
What do you think? Will you be trying pork wings instead of your usual smoke chicken at the next BBQ? They are really easy to smoke, and there is a variety of choices available to make them taste really special. It is an interesting cut of meat cooked in a unique way to please both taste and aesthetics. This cut of meat may have to be requested by your local butcher, but you really won’t have to wait long. The price per unit is quite economical, at 1.25 per piece, approximately. It certainly beats cooking the same old steaks and chops!
Pork wings are fun to eat, will never be dry, and the smoking part ensures that they will burst in flavor, no matter which brine you choose. Have any more brine ideas? Other cooking options? Please share with us in the comments section!
Pork Wings Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- Pork wings
Salt and Pepper Brine
- 4
Cups
Water - 2
tbsp
Ground black peppercorns - ½
Cup Pink Himalayan or Kosher salt - ½
Cup Brown sugar - 4
Crushed cloves of garlic - Bay leaves
Instructions
- It is preferable that the pork wings are not frozen but thawed at room temperature.
- It is also optimal for seasoning and brining.
- Choose an air-tight container for marinating, or a gallon-sized zip lock bag
- Prepare your brine of choice.
- Place your wings inside the container and leave in the refrigerator for 1 hour to 1 day, depending on your needs.
- Set up your smoker (charcoal or electric smoker) by heating up coals along with woodchips.
- Choose the wood depending on what kind of smoke flavor you want to get.
- Some people use hickory, others use apple wood chips, everyone's favorite flavor profile is different.
- The internal temperature of the smoker should be set so that it transmits at least 275 degrees of indirect heat.
- Maintain the heat levels by adding more charcoals to the mix.
- Most smoking for smaller pieces of meat, such as pork wings, takes as little as just one hour and 20 minutes.
- That’s plenty of time to take care of your side dishes and desserts!
- Place the meat on the grill, close the lid to the smoker, and let it smoke for about an hour and 10 minutes.
- You can always add more seasonings to your pig wings recipe.
- You will not need a knife and fork for pork wings. Just grab them by the bone and bite into them. You will love them.
Nutrition
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