Outdoor Cooking & Charcoal Oven Recipes / Chicken

Smoked BBQ chicken wings with Irish whiskey glaze

Cooked in the Charlie Charcoal Oven

Smoked BBQ Chicken Wings with Irish Whiskey Glaze

A gentle smoke first, a hot finish for the skin, then a sticky apple and Irish whiskey glaze. These wings get flavour at every stage of the cook in Charlie. Eat them hot, with extra sauce close by. Fingers will be involved.

Tara QuickCo-founder, Charlie Oven
Smoke
Prep15 minutes
Cook1 hour 45 minutes
Serves4 to 6
DifficultyEasy
Oven temperature120°C (250°F), then 220°C (430°F)
RackCharlie Oven Cooking Rack in the upper half of the oven, then the middle rack for colour
CharcoalAbout half a football of good quality lumpwood charcoal, plus about a quarter of a football more to raise the heat if needed

Charlie Oven — https://charlieoven.com/en-us/blogs/charcoal-recipes/smoked-bbq-chicken-wings-with-irish-whiskey-glaze

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Ingredients

4 to 6 servings

For the chicken wings

For smoking

For the apple and Irish whiskey BBQ sauce

Equipment

Everything used in this recipe. Already have Charlie? Add the accessories in one go.

  • Charlie Charcoal Oven$6,400.00Choose your oven
  • Charlie Oven Cooking Rack$300.00
  • Argentine Parrilla V Grill Rack$390.00
  • Charlie Oven Tongs 55cm$46.00
Charlie Oven Cooking Rack, Argentine Parrilla V Grill Rack and Charlie Oven Tongs 55cm $736.00 together

Method

Setting up Charlie
  1. Light half a football of lumpwood charcoal, banked to one side for indirect cooking
  2. Add a handful of dry wood chips (applewood or oak) directly onto the hot coals for smoke
  3. Place a small bowl of apple cider vinegar or water inside the oven for moisture
  4. Let the oven settle at 120°C (250°F) with the door closed for 10 minutes before adding the wings
  5. After 45 to 60 minutes of smoking, add a quarter football more charcoal and open vents to raise temperature to 220°C (430°F) for crisping

BBQ sauce

  1. Reduce the apple juice and whiskey

    Pour the apple juice and whiskey into a saucepan and simmer over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until reduced by about half.
    10 min timer
    Why this mattersReducing the juice and whiskey on their own first cooks off the harsh edge of the alcohol and concentrates the apple, so the finished sauce tastes rounder and thickens faster.

  2. Simmer the sauce

    Add the remaining sauce ingredients and stir well. Simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce is thick and glossy.
    18 min timer

  3. Taste and set some aside

    Taste and add a little more vinegar if it is too sweet, or a little more sugar if you would like it sweeter. The recipe makes around 400ml. Set aside about one third of the sauce for the table.

Season

  1. Dry and season the wings

    Pat the chicken wings thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Put them in a large bowl with the salt, pepper, paprika and garlic granules and toss until evenly coated.
    Why this mattersAny moisture left on the skin has to steam off before it can crisp. Drying the wings well now is the biggest single help towards crisp skin later.

Smoke

  1. Light Charlie

    Light about half a football of good-quality lumpwood charcoal in Charlie. Open the vents, close the door and bring the oven up to 120°C (250°F). As it gets close, partly close the vents so it holds steady. There is no need to wait for the charcoal to burn down.

  2. Add the wood chips

    Once Charlie is holding steady at 120°C (250°F), scatter the dry wood chips directly onto the charcoal. Add them dry, straight from the bag.

  3. Smoke the wings

    Arrange the wings on a Cooking Rack with a little space between them so the smoke and heat can move around each one. Place the rack in the upper half of the oven, close the door and smoke for 45 to 60 minutes.
    50 min timer
    Why this mattersUpper racks are gentler and lower racks are hotter and more direct. Keeping the wings high at a low temperature gives the smoke time to flavour the meat before the skin starts to firm up.

Crisp and glaze

  1. Turn up the heat

    If the fire has burned low, add about a quarter of a football more lumpwood charcoal. Open the vents and bring Charlie up to 220°C (430°F), leaving the wings in the upper half while the temperature rises. Keep cooking, usually 15 to 20 minutes once Charlie is up to heat, until the skin is golden and crisp. Move them to the middle rack if they need more colour. The thickest part of the wings should reach 80 to 85°C (175 to 185°F).
    18 min timer
    Why this mattersWings are safe well below 80°C (175°F), but taking them a little higher melts the connective tissue around the joints, so the meat pulls away from the bone and eats more tenderly.

  2. Glaze the wings

    Toss the hot wings in a large bowl with enough of the BBQ sauce to coat them well. Return them to a middle or upper rack for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling, sticky and beginning to caramelise. Watch them closely because the sugar in the glaze can catch quickly.
    8 min timer

Serve

  1. Serve

    Serve the wings straight away with the reserved sauce on the side for dipping.

Tips

  • Do not soak the wood chips as dry chips produce better, cleaner smoke in the Charlie Oven
  • Use applewood chips for a sweeter, fruity smoke that pairs well with chicken
  • The apple cider vinegar bowl adds moisture and a subtle tang to the wings during smoking
  • For extra crispy skin, pat the wings completely dry before seasoning
  • Make the Apple and Irish Whiskey BBQ Sauce ahead of time so it is ready to toss with the hot wings straight from the oven

More recipes

The cook

Tara Quick

Co-founder, Charlie Oven

Tara Quick is co-founder of Charlie Oven, a lifelong foodie who loves to cook and bring people together around the table. Her approach is simple: start with great ingredients, let the oven do the hard work and cook with love. Food made with love just tastes better.

More recipes by Tara Quick

Frequently asked questions

  • Can I make the BBQ sauce in advance?

    Yes. Make it up to a week ahead and keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge. Warm it through before tossing the wings so it coats them evenly.

  • Should I soak the wood chips?

    No. Add them dry, straight onto the charcoal once Charlie is holding at 120°C (250°F). Dry chips give a cleaner smoke.

  • Which rack should I use in Charlie?

    Smoke the wings in the upper half of the oven, where the heat is gentler. Upper racks are gentler and lower racks are hotter and more direct, so move them down to the middle rack only if they need more colour at the end.

  • How do I know when the wings are cooked?

    Use a probe thermometer in the thickest part of a wing, away from the bone. You are looking for 80 to 85°C (176 to 185°F). The skin should be golden and crisp before the glaze goes on.