Buffalo Garlic Pig Wings

If you love some good game day food like us, you will love these Buffalo Garlic Pig Wings.

No that was not a typo.

In my adventure to explore different flavors of chicken wings, I discovered another great game day food that is an alternative to chicken wings aka “Pig Wings.” 

These delicious cuts of pork provide a much meatier bite and can be a great alternative to chicken wings if you are looking to feed a crowd. 

What are pig wings?

Sorry to disappoint you, but pigs are not actually flying anytime soon.

Pig wings are pork shanks that come from the hind leg of the hog.

The pork shanks have been french trimmed, and as you begin cooking the pig wings, you will notice that the bone starts to show and the meat will move to one side of the bone. This allows the meat to take on more heat while still remaining a juicy tender bite.

Where can I find pig wings?

Unlike chicken wings, you are not going to find these in every grocery store you go into.

You may have to do some exploring to find them.

We got our pork wings from Porter Road, which also has a great variety of delicious meats that can be shipped right to your door.

If you’ve checked your local grocery store and they don’t have them, you can also stop in at your local butcher who may have them in stock or be able to do a special order for you. 

How to make Buffalo Garlic Pig Wings

1. Fire up your grill for direct high heat searing

Today I am cooking with our Nomad Grill, which is a super versatile smoker/grill that is portable but is also perfect for quickly whipping up some food for home.

This grill is built with two heavy-duty diecast cook boxes and provides you with up to 425 square inches of grilling space.

A pellet grill or even a gas grill are great alternatives for this recipe since we are grilling with direct heat. 

I used Fogo Charcoal which is by far one of my favorite brands out there. It produces a really good flavor, and also burns really hot, and lasts a long time.

To ignite our charcoal, I used a Charcoal Chimney, which takes about 15 minutes to get the charcoal ready for a hot and fast cook. 

You want to heat your grill to around 400°F.

2. Season pork wings

Start off by using avocado oil as a binder to help the seasoning adhere to the meat then generously season them with a salt, pepper, and garlic blend (SPG).

Our honey garlic rub would also work great on these.

You can also easily use whatever your favorite pork rub is for this cook.

Something to keep in mind – when grilling over direct heat, which is about 400°F+, sugars can easily burn.

I would recommend either trying to avoid a rub with a lot of sugar, or you can easily just cook over less heat resulting in a little bit of a longer cook. 

Once the pig wings are seasoned up, I used my MEATER Plus to monitor internal temperature by inserting it in the deepest part of the meat – near the bone.

As you begin cooking, their technology will give you an estimated time on when your meat will be done cooking which is always nice.

3. Make the buffalo garlic sauce

This step is super easy to do. All you need are four ingredients; Frank’s Buffalo Sauce, freshly minced garlic, butter, and honey. 

Combine all of the ingredients in a pan and cook them down for about 3-4 minutes over medium-low heat until they come together as one sauce.  

Once your sauce is ready, set it aside, as you will be basting the pig wings with it towards the end of the cook.

Another great alternative flavor option would be to use your favorite bbq sauce to sauce them up at the end, just like you would with the buffalo garlic sauce. 

4. Grill over direct heat 

When your grill is around 400°F place the pig wings on the grates for about 15 minutes and continuously flip them every 2-3 minutes to cook them evenly, but also build up some delicious grilled flavor.

Once the internal temperature reaches around 135°F, begin basting each pig wing, then flip them over and baste the other side.

Continue to flip them every 2 minutes to allow the sauce to caramelize and create more flavor on the meat.

When the pig wings reach an internal temp of 145°F in the deepest part of the meat, remove them from the grill and let them rest for 2-3 minutes. 

Serving your pig wings

Once your pig wings are done cooking, you can garnish them with green onions or blue cheese crumbles to add additional flavors.

Another great option is to dip them in blue cheese or ranch sauce, depending on your preference. 

Looking for more game-day inspo?

• Smoked pretzel bites with beer cheese
• Smoked shotgun shells
• Smoked fried wings with honey garlic sauce
• The best smoked buffalo hot wings