Cave Tools Wing Rack & Drip Pan for Barbecue Grilling Wings and Other Parts

Wing Rack with Drip Pan by Cave Tools Company

I had never thought about getting a chicken wing rack. I grill some wings and the chicken drumettes, but I've also been old school, turning and turning. Cave Tools got in touch and asked if I'd test and write about a product if they sent one out. I am pretty over my rain forest fall and leg injury, so I thought I check it out.

The chicken wing rack which will also work for really everything but the breasts which you might cut down and still try turned out to be quite sturdy. The rack part does fold flat, but it is solid and has a connection that holds it in place really nicely.

 Chicken Wings from the IGA - Still Scratching my Head

I ran down to IGA (the only store closer than say 1/2 hour) and grabbed a bag of chicken wings. Some pieces did look like the dumette part of the wing. Other parts . . . I just don't know. The flavor was fine, and the price was good. I do like to do pretty displays. My boys don't care on the displays, so we'll coin toss that next time.

I just slipped the small pieces and parts of chicken into the Cave Tools rack. The rack was rock solid. It was easy to load it up and cook on the rack. I also used a glove and tongs to turn the pan rack around a couple of times for more even cooking.

Saucing Up the Chicken on the PK Grill

When the chicken was down to about 5 to 6 minutes left to grill I  sauced them up, since we wanted hot wings. You can see that sugar based sauce will burn in the pan which is normal. If you want drippings for gravy, for example, do not sauce or pour off your drippings and be ready to use them later as you finish up the saucing.

Yum. Those Were Some Yummy Chicken Wings!

Using the rack which will hold up to twelve pieces was really handy. I enjoyed not having to watch close and turn the small pieces of chicken. For a group, I'd suggest a couple of racks. We ate 8 of 10 here - and the other 2 for a snack.

I'm not used to saving drippings, but this pan will make that super easy. Even if I don't want gravy or drippings on a grilling night, I can free and use those tasty bits and fat for later. I'm trying to do better about no waste grilling and no waste living.

Wing racks were an item I was ho-hum on. I knew I could do it fine without them, but it was so much easier. The juice dripped down through the wings, keeping them very moist. Clean up of the pan was easy, and I'm not ready to getting me some drippings.

Cave Tools has a lot of nice looking tools. I can say for sure that the wing rack is well made and works great. Those were the easiest wings I've made. Add in drippings, and this one is certainly thumbs up.

If you shop at Amazon, then you can pick up the chicken rack there. It would make a great gift for a home griller who does not own one yet. 

And . . . a deal for you! Use code WING15 for 15% off on your very own easy chicken wing rack.

Best Chicken Hot Wings or Buffalo Wings Recipe Plus Tips

I do my fabulous hot chicken wings inside on the stove. Buffalo wings could be made outside over a gas burner similar to what you use for a turkey fry, but grills do not really provide the heat needed to do a good fry on chicken. And, hot wings or buffalo wings start out with fried chicken - or the really good ones do.



I first cut off the wing tips which really have no meat to speak of and take up too much room in the skillet.

Then I put flour with a little salt and pepper in a brown paper bag and drop the chicken wings in there and shake them up good.

While I am heating up oil in a cast iron skillet which holds heat better and also makes perfect drippings for hot wings, I put the paper bag with the wings in the refrigerator. This helps the flour stick on better.

When the oil is around 350 degrees give or take, I put the wings in to fry. The oil should be hot enough to sizzle but not splattering. So, adjust the heat as needed.

As the chicken wings get done, I put them on a plate covered with paper towels to drain and soak off some of the extra grease. It's not like Southern hot wings are healthy, but there is no reason for them to be drippy greasy either.



Before saucing the wings, I dump out the oil. But, I do not wash the pan or even wipe it out. Those drippings are critical. That is what thickens the sauce and makes the wings really good.



No. Pan drippings do not look yummy, but this is the key to great hot wings. And, cast iron skillets are the best for having great drippings.



I drop the heat on the stove burner or even turn it off and then add butter. I use real butter and use from a half a stick of butter to a full stick depending on how many wings I am making and also on the heat I want on the wings.

Tonight I am going a full stick of butter with really big and meaty wings. This is a base for rather mild wings, unless I add a whole bunch of hot sauce or wing sauce.



Once the butter is melted or close, I add my hot sauce. Most often I use Louisiana hot sauce, but tonight I have some Game Day Eats chicken wing sauce. I love their barbecue sauce, so I wanted to check out their wing sauce. As it turned out, Game Day Eats makes a really great wing sauce. I was impressed as were the boys. This is a homemade tasting sauce and gives a nicer punch to the wings.

I used half the jar of Game Day Eats chicken wing sauce which would be around a cup to the full stick of butter. That makes a mild hot taste.



To heat things up, then go like a half stick of butter and more on the hot sauce.



Once the butter and hot sauce are stirred up, then put the wings back in and roll them around in the sauce. Do a few at a time and put on a platter or in a bowl. Continue until all wings are sauced.



You can also do a mild version and sauce some wings and then add more hot sauce and do the last wings hotter. Just use a different bowl or platter so everyone gets the heat level they expect and like.



Yes. My Southern buffalo wings are as tasty as they look. The boys are always thrilled when I make hot wings. These hot wings were for my son's birthday, and he was really excited that I broke out the cast iron skillet and made one of his favorites.

If you follow all the steps, then you will have great hot wings. Even the little things make a difference on making killer hot wings.