Jumbo Turkey Tailgate Wings

Notes before you begin…

For best results, wings should be tossed in the Turkey Wing Seasoning the night before and stored in the refrigerator until ready to grill.

If your grill cannot accommodate all of the wings, cook them in batches.

The wings can be grilled ahead of time, refrigerated, and then slowly reheated on the grill over low indirect heat. Do not toss the wings in a sauce ahead of time; wait until ready to serve.

Make Turkey Wing Seasoning

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Prepare the Wings

Use a knife to separate the flats from the drumettes and remove and discard the wing tips.

Toss flats and drumettes in the Turkey Wing Seasoning. While you can cook the wings immediately, for best results, place the seasoned wing parts on large baking trays so that they are not touching, then cover the trays and refrigerate for 12 hours to, ideally, 24 hours.

Grill the Wings

When ready to cook, preheat your grill to 325°F, setting up as large an area for indirect cooking as your grill can accommodate.

Oil the grill to prevent the wings from sticking: fill a small bowl with canola oil; ball up a few paper towels and use grill tongs to dip the balled-up paper towels into the canola oil; once saturated, drag the paper towels over the grates of the grill.

Cook the wing parts on the grill over indirect heat at 325°F for 75-90 minutes, flipping every 15-20 minutes. Cook until the internal temperature of the wings is 180°F and the outside of the wing is crispy.

If the wings come to temperature before the outside is sufficiently crispy, place the wings over direct heat, flipping frequently for 5-10 minutes to crisp them up.

Remove the wings from the grill and serve them as is or immediately toss them in your favorite sauce.

For Buffalo Wing Sauce

Combine ingredients in a pot over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until the butter melts completely.

Once the butter has melted completely and is incorporated into the sauce, remove from the heat. The sauce will remain warm for about 20-30 minutes. If you’re not going to use the sauce in that timeframe, you may need to reheat it slightly so that it coats the wings properly.

To toss the wings, place them in a large bowl, pour the desired amount of sauce and toss or gently mix. You will need to do this in batches.

For Garlic-Parmesan Variation

When ready to serve the wings, melt the butter. Remove the melted butter from heat and carefully stir in the garlic and pepper. Allow the butter to cool for one minute.

You will need to toss the wings in batches. To toss, place the wings in a large bowl, pour enough butter to coat the wings and toss or gently mix.

While tossing, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese and parsley over the wings.