Korean BBQ Chicken Wings

As long as you have the right technique to cook chicken wings, there ain’t no limit on how you can dress and sauce your wings..or eat it naked and plain. Last week, I shared a technique I learned, called the Bullseye technique, which involved putting lit coals in char-baskets in the middle of the Weber Kettle.  This high heat indirect cooking technique gets the temperature inside the Weber Kettle to reach 500+ degrees to rapidly melt away moisture and fat, and produce ultra-crispy fried-like chicken wings.

I love gochujang and soy garlic flavors when I eat Korean fried chicken and I love BBQ’ed wings on the Weber. This pairing works beautifully together to get the Korean Fried Chicken experience without all the oil plus adding a smoky twist to the wings!  It is absolutely amazing and is one of my favorite ways to sauce up bbq chicken wings on the Weber!!! It’s best enjoyed with multiple sides of pickled and fresh veggies, iced-cold beers, and with family and friends!

Ingredients:

Chicken Wing Ingredients:
3 pounds chicken wings
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Spicy Gochujang Sauce Ingredients:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Gochujang (Korean Chili Paste)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
sesame seeds

Soy Garlic Sauce Ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon corn starch slurry (2 tsp water + 2 tsp corn starch)
sesame seeds

2-ounce applewood chunk

Steps:

Season Chicken Wings – Lightly coat the chicken wings with olive oil.  Season the chicken wings on both sides with kosher salt, crushed black pepper, and garlic powder.  Let the chicken wings rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Set-up the Weber for Indirect Cooking – Light up a charcoal chimney full of charcoal.  Place two char-baskets in the center of the Weber Kettle.  Once the charcoal is fully lit, carefully pour the lit charcoal into the char-baskets in the center of the Weber.  Toss in the wood chunk.  Insert the grilling grate in the Weber.  Close the lid, open all the vents, and bring the Weber to 450-500 degrees.

Make Spicy Gochujang Sauce – In a small saucepan, combine all the spicy gochujang sauce ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring often.  Turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens up. Set aside.

Make Soy Garlic Sauce – In a small saucepan, combine all the soy garlic sauce ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring often.  Turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Mix the slurry ingredients and pour it into the sauce. Stir to allow the sauce to thicken. Set aside.

BBQ Chicken Wings – Place the chicken wings around the perimeter of the grilling grate.  BBQ the chicken wings with the lid closed for 20 minutes or until the skin is extra crispy or the internal temperature of the chicken wings reaches 175 degrees.

Finish Chicken Wings – Open the lid, Brush a thin layer of spicy gochujang sauce on half the wings and soy garlic sauce on the other half of the chicken wings.  Transfer the wings to a serving plate and sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the chicken wings.  Eat.

Tips:

• I brush a thin layer of sauce onto the wings like how Bon Chon does it after they finish off the wings before serving.  If you rather toss the wings in sauce go for it!
• If you’re about that fry life, you can check out my Spicy Korean Chicken Wings recipe.