Sadly Summer Has Come To An End In The Ozark’s And It’s Time Once Again For Our Annual End Of The Season BBQ & Pool Party

Each year I dread the end of summer as that means the grandchildren will be stopping by less often with school back in session and with the closing of the pool for the season I know I will miss sunny days lounging around the pool listening to the children’s laughter and swimming; as swimming is the one activity I can manage without any knee pain.

With my crew of 20+ family members arriving of one last hurrah, I went with foods that could be made ahead or prepped and ready to cook at the last minute. I didn’t want to spend the day in the kitchen cooking when I could be outdoors mingling with family and watching the children frolic in the pool.

Potato salad, fresh green beans, bbq wings, chicken breasts, smoked pulled pork, along with an assortment of other foods and desserts.

I prepped the green beans the day before so all I needed to do was pull them out of the refrigerator, add to the wok pan I had set upon the cooktop with the ingredients needed for the crispy green beans. Fresh Skillet Crisp Green Beans recipe found here.

The skillet crisp green bean side dish comes together in around 10 minutes, which I had simmering while I was pulling out the refrigerated goodies for the BBQ.

When the green beans were cooked to perfection I placed them in an oven safe glass baking dish* and placed in the oven on the lowest setting to keep the green beans warm until ready to serve.

For our big crowd of 20+, I purchased a big 10-pound bag of frozen wings which I placed in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Then I divided the wings into three oversized bowls, thus allowing me to coat each of the wings with Zach’s Wing Sauce; each bowl containing a different flavor hoping to please the crowd.

I salt am peppered the wings and then coated the wings on all sided with Zach’s Wing Sauce and they were ready for the smoker.

As the chicken wings and chicken breasts were cooking we sprayed them down with Zach’s Wing Sauce once or twice again.

So far my favorite flavor has been the mesquite heat!

Our end of summer BBQ & pool party was a hit if I was to measure by how everyone seemed to enjoy the food, conversation and listening to the laughter ringing out from the pool and the crowd is any indication.

Chicken Wing Grilling Advice From Zach’s Wing Sauce:

On the surface, this seems like a pretty subjective topic, but when you get right down to the eating part, the simple truth is: no one likes them overcooked, and undercooked is just scary! That stated I’d like to discuss the narrow in-between. Still thinking that the perfect grilled wing is an opinion? Let’s dig in (gratuitous use of ‘80s song titles at no extra charge)!

“It’s In The Way That You Use It.”

Grilling is an experience that shouldn’t be rushed. It’s a process that is relaxing (for me at least), and while there’s no shortage of types of grills, I have a long-standing affection for the feel and the finished product of a traditional charcoal kettle. So, for the first couple of steps of this post, I want to focus on charcoal grilling. I am certainly not a grill snob and, while I often use a gas grill (they’re supremely convenient and make it easier to control temperature), there are some nuances to using charcoal that can be tricky.

With charcoal, I want the absolute tastiest experience I can get, so I leave the lighter fluid and other chemical starters at the store. I want to taste the meat, the sauce and that’s it. Sometimes, I even take it a step further and use natural lump charcoal. Our sauces are all natural, so why not keep it clean with the cooking material, right?

“Slow And Low.”

Instead, I use a chimney or a charcoal chute. They’re simply engineered, inexpensive and absolutely genius. If you’re into charcoal grilling and use lighter fluid to ignite the coals, I highly recommend picking one up. Remove the grilling grate from the kettle, place the chimney on the charcoal grate, put your favorite charcoal into the top portion of the chute and light a scrap piece of paper under it. Allow to burn for about 15 minutes, and when the coals are gray and the flame is low, its go time.

Tip the chimney over and pour the hot coals into the kettle, onto the charcoal grate, spread the coals out, pop the grilling grate back in place and let it heat up. When the grill is hot enough (about 350° F), tongs and wings are required.

The biggest thing to remember is to take it easy and take your time.

Don’t…”Push It.”

From here, the steps are grilling agnostic. If you’re using a charcoal, gas or electric grill, the process is the same.

Once I put my wings on the grill, I’ll allow them to get slightly crispy on either side before ever saucing them. Give them about 5 minutes per side for about 15 minutes. Don’t guess at this. It’s an important step that will keep your wings crispy on the outside and seal in the natural juices.

Don’t forget to keep the flame to a minimum. Open the vents on your charcoal grill about halfway, and for your gas or electric grill, turn the temperature down and steady the heat at about 350-375° F.

“If That Is It.”

If, and only if, the wings are crispy on both sides, do I proceed to the most crucial step: the sauce. I give each wing a nice coat on both sides and allow the wings to finish cooking, turning as needed for about another 8-10 minutes for a total cook time of 25 minutes. I give each wing one more good coat of sauce and move to the coolest part of the grill for two more minutes.When that final stint is finished, I remove and serve.

That should do it. The perfect grilled wing! Impress the heck out of your friends and family with your mad skills and, with the grilling season upon us, get out there and enjoy some time creating!

Zach’s Wing Sauce in bottled up in ready to use spray bottles for your convenience and in flavors that are sure to please! Shop Zach’s Wing Sauce online at

Sriracha Lime

Better Buffalo

Sweet Heat

Chocolate Chipotle

Mesquite Heat (my personal favorite)!

Available in a convenient 4-pack Zack’s Mix Party pack

Sadly Zach’s Wing Sauce has shut down their website, at this time I do not know if this is an error on their part of if the company has cone out of business.*

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