(09/08/13)
These Are A Few Of My Favorite Wings
With the start of the 2013 NFL season kcomes my bi-annual list of my favorite smoked wings at a baker's dozen different barbecue joints in New York and New England. In order to make this list, the wings have to be smoked, they have to be offered regularly and I had to have tried them within the last two years. Here goes:

13. Ducks Eatery, NYC 
Yes, that wood plank the wings are served on looks like a ping pong paddle, and that's intentional: the chef is a
former ping pong pro and a previous incarnation of the restaurant was located within a ping pong club. The crisp, tender, aggressively rubbed unsauced wings also get a squeeze of lime that
give them a refreshing brightness that contrasts the significant smoke. I like that these aren't representative of any one style but have elements of the billed jerk
among the expected Southern and Asian flavors. www.duckseatery.com


13. Taino Smokehouse, Middletown CT 
There's a deep roster of wings here. So far I've only tried the Cajun dry rubbed ones, which packed a lot of flavor onto those crispy skins without obscuring the meat within. A good contrast between the crunchy exterior and juicy interior, with smoke that never tries too hard but constantly lets you know it's there. More exploration is inevitable en route to Taino's looming PigTrip review. www.tainosmokehouse.com


11. Scratch Kitchen, Salem MA 
This downtown Salem sandwich shop with smoked fare held the #1 slot last time and slipped a few notches more recently with some fall-off in the moistness and smokiness departments, but these are still some of the best wings in the region. Although lighter now, smoke is still there and nicely contrasted by the thin coating of a sweet and tart glaze. And don't forget the bacon, available as a side as well as in a sandwich. www.scratchkitchensalem.com


10. Pit Stop Smokehouse, Westmoreland NH 
This is another joint that dropped a few slots from last time, but they're still very much in the converstation when the conversation turns to smoked wings. The racing-themed joint pumps out wings that are smoky (light most recently, more potent previously) and fairly simple otherwise, with chicken flavor a major component thanks to a light saucing that can barely be seen in this photo. www.pitstopsmokehouse.com


9. SoulFire, Allston MA 
If you like your wings to pack just a little more sweet than heat, SoulFire's spicy honey wings are what you're looking for. These smoked-then-fried wings bear light smoke, crispy skin and a perfect coating of tangy accent. I don't order these as often as they warrant, because I'm so smitten with SoulFire's Southern fried wings that they're my defacto first course before diving into Boston's best ribs. You can try a few different flavors, including an experimental flavor of the night, at SoulFire's all-you-can-eat wings special every Monday. www.soulfirebbq.com


8. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, NYC and Stamford CT |