By Robyn Lindars - GRILLGIRL.COM
If you love Korean BBQ Flavors, then buckle up because this Gochujang Chicken Wing recipe is going to be your new favorite wing recipe! Gochujang is a fermented Korean pepper paste that is slightly spicy and full of umami flavor that makes everything have that “more-ish” taste- ie; wanting more! This wing recipe uses my super popular Korean BBQ Recipe that is great on all kinds of grilled proteins like ribs or chicken, but I prefer LoCo Kettle smoked chicken wings as my favorite vehicle for this addictive sauce!
This recipe is pretty straightforward as most of the prep is in making the sauce. I like to double the sauce recipe and use it to jazz up leftovers throught the week. Perfect pairings for a complete meal with these wings would be coconut rice or Asian slaw. Don’t forget to garnish these wings with sesame seeds and scallions for a pop of color on your plate before they quickly disappear. These wings are highly addictive and you’ll be happy you made a large batch of sauce because the family will ask you to make this recipe again and again!
- Fire starter cube
- Smoking Chips (I prefer Bourbon Barrel chunks)
- Charcoal
- Heat Deflector
- Meat Thermometer
-
2 lbs of chicken wings- tips removed.
-
1 tbsp baking powder (to enhance crispiness)
-
1 tbsp sesame seeds
-
4 scallions, finely chopped - optional for garnish
-
3 cloves garlic- crushed
-
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
-
⅓ cup gochujang pepper paste (if you can’t find it in your local grocery store, you can find it here on Amazon)
-
¼ cup Mirin (Mirin is Japanese rice wine made for cooking, you can usually find it in the Asian section at your grocery store. If it’s not at your grocery store, it is also on Amazon).
-
¼ cup brown sugar
-
1 tbsp sesame oil
-
1 tbsp soy sauce
-
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
-
1 tbsp fish sauce
-
1 tbsp avocado oil
First, make your sauce before prepping your wings and the grill. Over a low simmer, add the avocado oil, garlic and ginger and cook long enough to soften, no more than 2 minutes. Next, add the remaining ingredients and let simmer over low heat for 10 minutes to combine. Remove from heat until ready to use.
Now, let’s prep our wings. Remove wings from package and blot with a paper towel to remove all moisture. Place wings in a large bowl and add the baking powder. Toss the wings to get completely covered in baking powder. Next, add the BBQ rub and toss to coat.
Head out to your LoCo Kettle grill and start the charcoal - your final desired temp on the LoCo kettle will be 400 so set the temp on your digital controller to 200 until your coals are fully started and then change the temp to 400 once the charcoal is lit. Next, add your wood chunks for smoke flavor and place the heat deflector on the grill. Smoke the wings until they have reached an internal temp of 160 degrees. Open the heat deflector so more open flame is exposed and crisp up the wings directly over the coals (be careful not to burn over the direct flame). The final wings should have a minimal internal temp of 165 degrees as checked by an internal temp thermometer.
Remove the wings and let them cool slightly. Toss the wings in the Gochujang BBQ sauce and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. These wings are slightly spicy with an umami packed, highly addictive sauce. I guarantee there will be no leftovers!