Today, we are going to share one of the world's rarest delicacies with you – we're talking pig wings. Where do pig wings come from you may ask? They come from super-rare flying pigs, of course! We're just kidding, and it's probably a good thing that pigs don't fly. Pig wings are a specialty cut of pork you can make from the lower shank of a hock. If you'd like to see where we cut the pig wing from, check out our YouTube video for the full breakdown.
What Part of the Pig is Pig Wings?
We cut pig wings from the lower shank. We separate the two bones and trim out the tendons, leaving a dense, beautiful piece of meat on one bone. You probably won't find pig wings in your grocery store, but you can buy the pork shanks and cut them yourself with the instructions on the video.
Cooking Pig Wings
Once you have your pig wings cut and trimmed, it's time to season and cook these tasty treats. We are going to cook these pig wings the same way we do smoked chicken wings. That means preheating the Traeger 885 Ironwood and grabbing a few bottles of Bearded Butcher Blend Seasoning. We're also going to use our Big Green Egg today in order to get the perfect crackly char that makes chicken wings finger-smacking and delicious.
Seasoning the Pig Wings
We are going to make two batches of pig wings, one with our Hollywood seasoning and the other with our Hot seasoning. While we get our seasonings on the wings, the Traeger is preheating to 200 degrees. We are using Traeger apple wood pellets for the light, sweet flavor.
Hollywood Pig Wings
If you haven't tried this blend before, you really should give it a shake. We made our Hollywood seasoning to commemorate Seth going to California to shoot a TV show. It's based on our Original, but includes brown cane sugar and molasses. It was supposed to be a limited time deal, but so many people said that we should keep it in the lineup that we couldn't let it go.
Place your pig wings on a shallow tray and liberally coat them with Hollywood on all sides. This seasoning gets a caramelized bark because of the cane sugar and molasses and it's simply one of the best flavors for pork.
Hot Pig Wings
When you season the pig wings with our Hot seasoning, don't use quite so much as you did with the Hollywood. The Hot seasoning is seriously hot. We include habanero peppers in the mix which gives you a full-mouth burn that intensifies before letting you go. The Hot seasoning has a slightly sweet, smoky flavor that gives pork, beef, chicken, and wild game a spicy kick.
A light sprinkle of Hot seasoning is all it takes. Make sure to coat all sides of your pig wings and then it's time to get them on the Traeger. Make sure to arrange your pig wings so that you don't forget which ones are which.
Smoking the Pig Wings
We preheated the Traeger to 200 degrees, so it's ready to go. You'll want to put a meat thermometer probe in the thickest part and close the lid. Smoke the pork wings until the internal temperature is about 135 degrees. Double check the meat probe with an instant read thermometer. Don't have one? The Bearded Butchers now have our own instant read thermometer you can pick up on our website. It's accurate, simple to use, and it's even magnetic so you can keep it handy in the kitchen or on the grill.
Charring the Wings
Next, we are going to wrap the exposed bone in aluminum foil to keep it from burning and we are going to place them on the Big Green Egg. We've got it preheated to 475 degrees to get a good, quick char. Place the wings on the grate and close the lid for a few minutes. Keep flipping the pork wings until they have an even char and the internal temperature hits about 150 degrees. This is another great opportunity to use our Bearded Butcher instant read thermometer.
Once the temp is right and the wings are nicely charred, pull them off the grill. We did six wings in Hollywood and six in Hot, so we are going to throw a little sauce on a couple of these. Three of the Hollywood wings are getting tossed in our BBQ sauce and three of the Hot wings are getting Rebel Red just to pump the heat up a little bit more.
Give it a Rest
Let the pig wings rest for at least 10 minutes when they come off the grill. A rest lets the meat reabsorb juices and helps the char get even better. We know it's hard to let them sit there. But trust us, it's worth it.
What do Pig Wings Taste Like?
Pig wings are something new and rare, and they definitely are not something you'll see often. But eat a few bites of a pig wing and you'll never forget it. The meat has the tender mouth feel like a chicken wing, but with the flavor of pork. It's a delicious, different cut we are thrilled to have tried. If you get the opportunity to try pig wings, you should take it!
Pig Wings Ingredients
- Pork shanks cut into wings, 1-2 per person
- Bearded Butcher Blend Seasoning, Hollywood and Hot
- Bearded Butcher Blend Sauce, BBQ and Rebel Red
- Traeger Apple Wood Pellets
- Rockwood Hardwood Lump Charcoal
Pig Wings Recipe
- Preheat smoker to 200 and charcoal grill to 475
- Coat cut pork shank in seasoning. Place on grill with a thermometer probe in the thickest part.
- Smoke pork wings until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees.
- Wrap the bones in aluminum foil to prevent scorching and place on the charcoal grill.
- Flip the wings periodically so that all sides are evenly charred and the internal temperature hits 150 degrees.
- Toss wings in sauce and let them rest for a few minutes before serving.
Pig wings are probably one of those things you haven't heard about before. Honestly, we found out about them, but had never tried them before we made our video. We are so glad that we did, and it's a cut we'll be preparing again soon.
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