Need some help... "buffalo" chicken legs?

TonyT

TonyT

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Though I love me some deep fried buffalo wings, was thinking of smoking some legs and using a bottle of Frank's. Never cooked with the sauce (just consumed it), so had a couple questions for the brethren. Would it make a good marinade 1-2 hrs out? Does it set like a BBQ sauce would? Anyone try it with yardbird?

How would the brethren do it?

I'm probably going to be smoking 300-325ish. Thanks for the help!
 
Franks is used a lot up here in the great white north, I do not like chicken on the smoker, I cook em hot and get the skin real crispy then pull em off and put em in a bowl and then put the Franks on em, why? so the skin stays crispy. If i were you i would get some oakridge HDD and you have no need to ruin the skin with franks.. Just MHO,,
 
I hear you. I'd grill them, but I never get a good smoke flavor on it. Depending on how Frank's does with high temps, I might finish it on higher heat. I'm not concerned about making them crispy like buffalo wings, more curious about what a smokey buffalo chicken would taste like.

Looks like I may have to experiment
 
I also smoke my wings, and drop them in the fryer just to crisp the skin.

Once the skin is crisp, I toss them in Franks Hot Sauce and toss before serving.

For the sissies, I'll thin Franks with a little margarine, and toss the same as above
 
I like to mix the hot sauce 50/50 with butter and add in some garlic and cayenne powder. I have put it on mid cook like a baste. It cooks into the skin and is great. You can rub the bird first but watch the salt ad the sauce has some already.

Buffalo wing yardbird
 
Great subject. Love wings but fried. Maybe smoke then fry? I haven't done so yet but you're making me hungry.
 
I smoke wings and legs then quick fry to crisp up the skin. After that they take a little dunk in my doctored up wing sauce and are good to go.
 
I didn't like the yardbird with the wings, it was just too salty for my liking. I did the smofried with yardbird and Arthur bryants and the later was far more popular. The Franks I just heated with butter and tossed the wings right after they got out of the bubble bath.
 
I'm still working on perfecting a smoked wing. I usually smoke them with spicy rub on my pellet grill on low smoke (170sih) for at least an hour; pull them and then either put them back on the smoker at 400 degrees; or throw them on the gasser to crisp the skin.

I've had great and something less than great results both ways. Trying to get consistent results and determine my favorite way to fix them.

Wings are awesome any way!
 
I like a mixture of about 50% Franks and 50% BBQ sauce.
 
I have never tried it on the smoker either due to the skin. I have grilled them a lot. I sprinkle some Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning on em, throw em on the grill. Then toss them in some Frank's, and back on the grill for a few minutes to get the sauce to set.

I am intrigued by the smoke flavor, but they have to have crispy skin.
 
I smoke for an hour or so, then move them to the weber to crisp the skin. I ad sauce at the end.
 
TonyT said:
I hear you. I'd grill them, but I never get a good smoke flavor on it. Depending on how Frank's does with high temps, I might finish it on higher heat. I'm not concerned about making them crispy like buffalo wings, more curious about what a smokey buffalo chicken would taste like.

Looks like I may have to experiment
Click to expand...

I have done these marinated in franks and tossed in franks after ..to me the soaking pre smoke didn't do much for me or the skin. I just go hot and fast on the OTG and hit them with yardbird and franks after or HDD if (I'm not using franks) with some oak for smoke and have had pretty good results. I will say soaking boneless theighs in franks on the kettle the same way mixed with a little weber BBQ sauce at the end makes for some tasty "bbq hot theighs"
 
I have basted before i found it salty, but just a douse after cooking, is our go to. have to try it and see, I know some people marinade fried chicken in franks then bread, now that is good!
 
Tried a batch of these today. Mixed the Frank's with some butter, black pepper and garlic over the stove. Let it cool a little and used it as a marinade for 2-3 hours. Tossed it on the smoker for about 40min, basted them with Frank's and put them on a chimney (steaks and burgers were on the grill). Browned the skin, so parts of it had just a tiny bit of crunch. Some things I noticed:

1. Franks and trying to crisp up the skin doesn't work that well
2. Don't think the marinade made a difference, most of the flavor was still just where you would baste it
3. Need to put more heat in it, it was maybe 30% less spicy than when I made the sauce
4. I couldn't create layers of sauce like I can with bbq sauce

With all that said, I was cooking for some low carb people and it was a big hit for them. Opened another package of legs and was serving it straight from the grill. Though they weren't crispy and deep fried... juicy, smoked, Frank's flavored chicken is still pretty damn good. Also, be warned... if you can devour a bunch of wings in a meal, you can do almost the same number in legs! :grin:
 
Alton Brown steams his wings for 10 minutes and then puts them in the fridge for an hour before he cooks them in a super hot oven. I don't understand the process but it works wonderfully. They are very crisp and moist and absolutely perfect. I've been wanting to try them in the smoker instead of the oven but I'm not sure I can get the uds that hot. Also want to experiment with saucing them and putting them on the grill to tighten up the sauce. some of the fat renders also when you steam them and that helps with the calories.
 
I've thought about smoking them then putting them on a hot grill to crisp them up. Don't know if it'll work that well but in theory sounds like it'll work.
 
My neighbor marinates in Frank's overnight, and I can tell a difference. They taste better. I would think that the vinegar in it would cook them a bit though. But they do taste different than mine that I do not marinate.

I simply put some Famous Dave's Chikn' Wing rub on my wings or legs, plop them with some pecan wood on the Weber, dunk them then go direct with them to tighten up the skin.

For my sauce its, Frank's, butter (not margarine), garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and dried ground ghost pepper or fresh Trinidad Scorpion. I let it simmer a bit on the stove as well.

I love this mix of flavors.
 
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