Smoked Wings
Inspired by Scholz Garten - Austin, TX
With as much barbecue found in Texas it’s no surprise that sometimes, instead of frying, you just throw chicken wings right into the smoker. There’s plenty of great places you can find smoked wings but, by pure nostalgia, I always think of Scholz Garten in Austin, Texas. Situated right next to the University of Texas, I’ve found myself there on a few occasions cheering on the Longhorns on a hot Texas fall afternoon, gorging myself on liters of beer and smoked wings before joining the inevitable celebration on 6th Street. These wings may not be exactly as found at Scholz but they have the smoky flavor you’ll be looking for along with a chipotle wing sauce I’ve created that has proven to be quite popular amongst a crowd. Hook em!
This recipe is inspired by the smoked wings served at Scholz Garten in Austin, Texas. Scholz Garten is an historic German biergarten with a claim as a the oldest operating biergarten in America and oldest operating restaurant in all of Texas. If you love college football, it’s a great place to tailgate, watch the game, and enjoy a wonderful day with fellow fans.
INGREDIENTS
MARINADE:
24 chicken wings (cut into wingettes and drumettes - should be about 4 ½ lbs)
1 cup lime juice
½ cup olive oil
2 jalapeños, chopped
2 chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup honey
1 TBS salt
HONEY CHIPOTLE LIME SAUCE (makes 1 ¼ cup):
½ cup honey
⅓ lime juice
Can of chipotles in adobo sauce (use same can from the marinade - a 7oz can will cover both)
¾ stick of unsalted butter (6 TBS)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp corn starch
Salt to taste
ADDITIONAL NEEDS:
Wood/wood chips of choice (I used hickory, Scholz uses oak - mesquite is great too)
Grill
Smoker (see notes)
Canola oil
GO FOR IT
MARINADE:
In a bowl, combine lime juice, olive oil, chopped jalapeños, chipotles in adobo, minced garlic, honey, and salt
Put chicken wings in a bag or bowl and cover with marinade
Marinade in refrigerator at least 3 hours (preferably overnight)
HONEY CHIPOTLE LIME SAUCE:
In a food processor or blender, puree chipotles in adobo sauce
In a saucepan combine honey, lime juice, 5 TBS of chipotle in adobo sauce puree, garlic, corn starch, and butter
Cook over low heat until butter is melted, then cook at a simmer for 5 minutes
Taste and add salt as desired
(Add remainder of butter stick for less heat or additional 1 TBS chipotle puree for more heat)
FINISHING STEPS:
Heat a smoker to 225°F
As smoker heats up, remove wings from marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off before discarding marinade
Smoke wings for 60 to 85 minutes (they should be tender and near fully cooked)
Heat grill on medium heat and brush grates with oil
Grill wings 4 to 5 minutes per side, brushing with honey chipotle lime sauce as they finish cooking
Remove from heat and serve hot
NOTES:
Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Not everyone has a smoker but if you have a grill of any sorts, then you can find a way to work this out. If you have a gas grill, soak your woodchips in a foil pan, place the pan directly on burner on one side of your grill and put your wings on the other side with no heat. If you have a charcoal grill you should still place your wings on the cool side, but your wood can go directly on the coals. I made these using a barrel charcoal grill with a smoker box using both soak chips and coals. You can easily look up the best method for your personal grill. Just don’t go thinking you can’t smoke meat without a barbecue grade smoker.
Feel free to use your own sauce as well. I absolutely love my creation here but you are surely able to do what you want. Scholz offers a variety of sauce options that include BBQ, Buffalo, Lemon Pepper, and dry rubbed. Do as you wish but if you like some spicy chipotle, then I think you’ll love my sauce.