How to marinate (salt) chicken wings for smoking: hot, cold, in a smokehouse

Content

1 Features of marinating wings for smoking
2 Choosing a marinade for smoking wings
3 How to marinate wings for smoking
4 How to brine wings for smoking
5 Duration of marinating
6 Conclusion

Smoked wings are a popular and beloved meat delicacy by many. It's not difficult to buy a ready-to-eat snack at the store, but everyone will probably agree that it doesn't compare to a homemade product. You can smoke semi-finished meat using hot or cold methods. It is recommended to pre-marinate chicken wings for smoking using a variety of brine and marinade recipes.

Sawdust and branches of fruit trees will give smoked meats a pleasant taste and appetizing brown color.

Features of marinating wings for smoking

There are several options for marinating, involving soaking in a special brine or rubbing with a variety of dry seasonings. Chicken meat is quite soft in structure, so it does not require any special salting or lengthy preliminary preparation.

In order to get a tasty dish at the end, you need to carefully select the raw materials. The priority is to use fresh or chilled meat products. If you marinate frozen wings for smoking at home, the prepared product will turn out to be too dry and tough. Also, do not smoke wings that are too small, as there is a high risk of getting a burnt, dried out dish.

Comment! Most often, during smoking, the edge of the wing burns or gets too fried, so it is recommended to remove its thinnest part, the wrist.

Choosing a marinade for smoking wings

Smoked chicken wings taste pretty good without the original seasoning. But with spices it becomes much brighter. You can marinate wings for cold and hot smoking in two ways - dry, wet or mixed. It is necessary to select a marinade recipe based on personal taste preferences. Also, when choosing, you should definitely consider how the smoking will be carried out.

How to marinate wings for smoking

A properly carried out marinating procedure performs two functions. Firstly, thanks to brine, spices penetrate deeper into the meat, thereby enriching the taste of the prepared dish. Secondly, the main components of many marinades for smoking wings in a smokehouse are various types of salt and vinegar, citric acid, citrus juice, tomato and soy sauce.And they are known to have the ability to break down meat fibers.

Advice! If you don’t have time to marinate for too long, you can add citric acid, juice or vinegar to the brine.

How to marinate chicken wings with honey for smoking

For example, you can marinate wings for hot smoking using lemon juice and honey. If desired, add spices such as ginger, cumin, coriander, thyme.

To prepare the marinade you will need:

water (can be replaced with unfiltered beer or strong tea leaves) – 200 ml;
lemon juice – 45-50 ml;
honey (any) – 60 g;
soy sauce – a few tablespoons;
sea salt, pepper mixture - to taste.

Wings that are over-salted after marinating can be washed or soaked a little in water.

Garlic brine for smoking wings

To marinate chicken wings for smoking in brine, you need to mix the following products:

boiled water (chilled) – 0.2-25 l;
table vinegar – 20 ml;
sunflower oil – 20 ml;
rock salt – 1 tbsp. l.;
allspice – 6-7 peas;
bay leaf – 2-3 pcs.;
garlic (chopped) – 3 cloves.

Place the wings for hot smoking in the prepared brine for 1 day. Place the dish with marinated meat in a cool place.

Marinade with garlic will give the finished dish a piquant taste and bright aroma.

How to marinate wings with tomato for smoking

You can prepare a marinade for smoking wings in a smokehouse using the following ingredients:

onions (red or white);
liquid honey;
lemon juice;
tomato paste;
salt;
granulated sugar;
ground pepper (black or red).

Tomato paste in the marinade can be replaced with ketchup, mayonnaise or soy sauce

Marinade for wings with soy sauce for smoking

If you marinate chicken wings for smoking in a smokehouse with soy sauce and garlic, you can get an incredibly tasty snack. The garlic aroma mixed with smoke will not leave anyone indifferent.

To prepare this original delicacy, you will need the following products:

wings – 1.2 kg.

For the marinade:

garlic – ½ head;
salt – 1 tbsp. l.;
sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
allspice and black pepper (peas) - several pieces each;
coriander (ground) – 1 tsp;
bay leaf – 1-2 pcs.;
lemon (slices) – 1 pc.;
balsamic (wine) vinegar – 200 ml;
soy sauce (classic) – 3 tbsp. l.;
Worcestershire sauce (optional) - 1 tbsp. l.;
Provençal herbs, black pepper.

Marinade with spices and soy sauce will help you prepare an Asian-style dish

Marinade for smoking chicken wings with juniper

One of the most interesting brines for marinating wings is prepared with juniper berries.

Main components for the marinade:

water – 3 l;
vinegar 3% – 2 tbsp. l.;
bay leaf – 4 pcs.;
garlic – 4-5 cloves;
juniper – 6 berries;
salt;
sugar;
pepper, coriander, cinnamon, ginger - to taste.

Cooking method:

To boil water.
Add salt, sugar, spices, vinegar, garlic.
Crush the juniper berries and add to the brine.
Boil for 5-10 minutes.
Cool.
Place meat in marinade.
Place oppression on top.
Place for 3 days in any cool place, for example, in the refrigerator.

Chicken wings in the marinade must be turned daily to ensure they marinate better.

Marinade for hot smoked wings with orange juice

The original marinade can be prepared not only using vinegar and lemon. Alternatively, you can use cherry or orange juice to soften the meat fibers.

Required Products:

orange juice (freshly squeezed) – 700 ml;
soy sauce (classic) – 2 tbsp. l.;
salt – 1 tbsp. l.;
seasoning for chicken (any) – 1 tbsp. l.;
bay leaf (ground) – ½ tsp;
cloves – 3 pcs.;
red pepper - to taste.

All ingredients must be mixed, coated with meat, placed under pressure and left to marinate in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

Meat marinated in orange juice will surprise you not only with its appearance, but also with its exquisite taste and juiciness.

How to marinate chicken wings in beer for smoking

One of the main components of the marinade can be unfiltered (live) beer. At the same time, its type does not matter - it can be either a light or dark intoxicating drink. It is also quite acceptable to mix different varieties.

Required ingredients:

wings – 1 kg.

For the marinade:

beer – 500 ml;
sunflower oil – 2 tbsp. l.;
salt - 1 tbsp. l.;
black pepper – ¼ tsp;
red pepper – ¼ tsp;
garlic – 3-4 cloves;
mixture of spices (savory, oregano, coriander, nutmeg) - 1 tsp.

You can use any beer for the marinade, as its taste will not be felt in the finished dish.

Step-by-step preparation:

Remove any remaining feathers from the wings by burning them with a torch.
Rinse and dry.
Make a puncture in the fleshiest parts of the wings.
Soak in beer for 2 hours.
Mix crushed garlic with pepper, salt and seasonings.
Remove the preparations from the beer and dry.
Sprinkle the prepared aromatic mixture on top.
Stir and leave for 15-20 minutes.
Place the meat under a press and place in a cool place.
Refrigerate for several hours.
Take out the wings, pour in sunflower oil, stir.
Place under pressure and place in the refrigerator again for 24 hours.

How to brine wings for smoking

Dry marinating can significantly reduce salting time. You can use a wide variety of spices for this - salt, sugar, pepper (red and black), citric acid, meat seasonings. This set is considered classic, but it can be diversified by adding garlic, coriander, nutmeg, soy sauce or Tabasco.

A simple recipe for dry salting

You can salt chicken wings for cold smoking in a fairly simple way. To do this, they must be rinsed under running water and dried thoroughly with a paper towel. Then the meat is simply rubbed with salt and black pepper. If desired, you can add chopped garlic. The salted wings are left at room temperature for approximately 1 hour.

The wings will absorb the flavors much faster and better if you wrap them in cling film

With citric acid

The dry marinade mixture may consist of the following components:

salt;
sugar;
pepper (red, black or mixture).

You need to take them in equal quantities, adding garlic, nutmeg or coriander if desired. An important ingredient in the marinade is citric acid. The required amount is equal to ½ the volume of salt.

Rub the prepared mixture onto the wings and leave to marinate for 3 hours. The pickling container should not be oxidized. This marinade recipe is suitable for preparing hot smoked wings.

You can dry the wings before smoking by hanging them on a wire or nylon rope in a warm place

With cardamom and paprika

You can prepare cold smoked wings at home. This process will not take too much time. To prepare raw smoked wings you will need:

chicken wings;
salt;
dried or fresh garlic;
red pepper;
spices (cumin, paprika, cardamom, marjoram) - to taste.

Step-by-step preparation:

Rinse the wings and dry.
Place in a deep bowl.
Sprinkle with salt and seasonings.
Stir, making sure the wings are coated on all sides with spices.
Place under a press.
Place in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.

A marinade with a variety of spices will appeal to all lovers of experiments and bold combinations.

With Tabasco sauce

Spicy fans can marinate hot smoked wings with the addition of Tabasco sauce. To prepare a tasty and spicy dish, you will need the following products:

salt;
black pepper;
sugar;
lemon acid;
Tabasco sauce.

To prepare a dry marinade, all seasonings must be mixed. Then they lubricate the wings, which have been previously washed and dried. Place the wings in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours. Before smoking, they should be removed and left at room temperature. It is necessary to keep the meat for several hours before placing it in the smokehouse.

In a warm place, marinating time can be reduced to 2-3 hours

Duration of marinating

At room temperature, chicken wings marinate much faster than in a cool place. The longer the meat is in the marinade, the faster it will smoke. On average, chicken wings are marinated in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours, and sometimes several days. You can keep the wings in a warm place for 1-2 hours.

Conclusion

You can marinate chicken wings for smoking at home in different ways, but the result will always be the same.The prepared dish will be environmentally friendly, with a pronounced aroma of smoke and the taste of your favorite seasonings.