How to marinate chicken wings for hot and cold smoking: recipes for marinades and brines

Smoked wings are a popular and loved by many meat delicacy. It’s not difficult to get a ready-to-eat snack in the store, but surely everyone will agree that it can not be compared with a home-made product. At the same time, it is possible to smoke semi-finished meat in hot and cold ways. It is preliminary recommended to marinate chicken wings for smoking, using a variety of recipes for brines and marinades.

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

Features of marinating wings for smoking

There are several pickling options, 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 need any special salting or lengthy preliminary preparation.

In order to get a tasty dish at the exit, it is necessary 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 cooked product will turn out to be too dry and hard. Also, do not smoke wings that are too small, as there is a high risk of getting a burnt, dried dish.

Choosing a marinade for smoking wings

Smoked chicken wings taste pretty good even without the original spice mix. But with spices, it becomes much brighter. You can pickle wings for cold and hot smoking in two ways – dry, wet or mixed. It is necessary to select a marinade recipe, focusing on personal taste preferences. Also, when choosing, be sure to consider how the smoking will be carried out.

How to pickle wings for smoking

Properly carried out marinating procedure performs two functions. Firstly, thanks to the brine, the spices penetrate deeper into the meat, thereby enriching the taste of the cooked 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.

How to marinate chicken wings with honey for smoking

You can pickle wings for hot smoking, for example, using lemon juice and honey. Optionally add spices such as ginger, zira, 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, a mixture of peppers – to taste.

Salted wings after pickling can be washed or soaked in water a little.

Brine with garlic 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. Put the dishes with marinated meat in a cool place.

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

How to pickle wings with smoked tomato

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

• onion (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 smoked soy sauce

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

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

• wings – 1,2 kg.

For the marinade:

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

Marinade with spices and soy sauce for an Asian-inspired dish

Marinade for smoking chicken wings with juniper

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

The 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.

Method of preparation:

1. To boil water.
2. Pour salt, sugar, spices, vinegar, garlic.
3. Crush the juniper berries, add to the brine.
4. Boil for 5-10 minutes.
5. Cool it down.
6. Place meat in marinade.
7. Place oppression on top.
8. Put for 3 days in any cool place, for example, in the refrigerator.

Chicken wings in the marinade must be turned daily so that they marinate better.

Marinade for smoked wings with orange juice

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

Ingredients:

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

Mix all the ingredients, coat the meat, place under pressure and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

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

How to Marinate Chicken Wings in Smoked Beer

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

Necessary ingredients:

• wings – 1 kg.

For the marinade:

• beer – 500 ml;
• sunflower oil – 2 st. l .;
• salt – 1 tbsp. l .;
• black pepper – ¼ tsp;
• red pepper – ¼ tsp;
• Garlic – 3-4 cloves;
• a 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 cooking:

1. Remove the remains of feathers from the wings by singeing with a burner.
2. Rinse, dry.
3. Make a puncture in the fleshiest parts of the wings.
4. Soak in beer for 2 hours.
5. Mix crushed garlic with pepper, salt and seasonings.
6. Remove blanks from beer, dry.
7. Sprinkle the prepared flavored mixture on top.
8. Mix and leave for 15-20 minutes.
9. Place the meat under the press and put in a cool place.
10. Refrigerate for several hours.
11. Take out the wings, pour over with sunflower oil, mix.
12. Put oppression and place again in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

How to pickle wings for smoking

Dry pickling can significantly reduce the salting time. You can use a wide variety of spices for this – salt, sugar, pepper (red and black), citric acid, seasonings for meat. Such a set is considered a classic, but it is quite possible to diversify it by adding garlic, coriander, nutmeg, soy sauce or Tabasco.

A simple recipe for dry salting

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

Wings are much faster and better saturated with flavors if wrapped in cling film

With citric acid

A dry marinade mixture may consist of the following components:

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

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

Rub the wings with the prepared composition and leave to marinate for 3 hours. The salt container must not be oxidizing. This marinade recipe is suitable for making 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

At home, you can cook cold smoked wings. This process will not take too long. 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 cooking:

1. Rinse the wings, dry.
2. Place in a deep bowl.
3. Sprinkle with salt and seasonings.
4. Stir, making sure that the wings are covered with spices on all sides.
5. Place under pressure.
6. Put 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 lovers 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, previously washed and dried. Place the wings in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours. Before smoking, they should be taken out and left at room temperature. It takes several hours to age the meat before placing it in the smokehouse.

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

Marinating time

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 from 6 to 24 hours, and sometimes for several days. In a warm place, wings can be kept for 1-2 hours.

Conclusion

There are many ways to marinate chicken wings for smoking at home, but the result will always be the same. The cooked dish will turn out to be environmentally friendly, with a pronounced aroma of smoke and the taste of your favorite seasonings.