Barbecued wings are probably the most difficult type of wing to execute well: the cooking process inherently means that there is a good chance of the skin getting rubbery, the meat not being tender, or the whole thing ending up a giant burnt mess.
However, when it is done right, it results in a wing that is hard to beat. The Original Q Shack in Durham, NC is one of those places that gets it right. I had the opportunity to try this place – mainly for the barbecue – on a recent business trip to the Raleigh-Durham area. The 'que was great, but the wings were downright incredible. A group of about 10 of us went to dinner that night and the next day at least four of us were still talking about how good they were.
They represent everything that is good about a great barbecued buffalo wing: smokey, tender, juicy, and flavorful. The layers of flavor that come from smoking the wings makes for a much more interesting flavor: the sauce itself is good, but most of the interesting aspects of it come from picking up the roasted and smokey flavor of the wings. The sauce provides some fresh pepper flavor and what I consider to be just the right amount of heat for this type of wing: spicy, but able to let the other flavors sing.
If you are: a) a wing fan b) a fan of barbecued wings and c) find yourself in the Durham area, then I would highly recommend going out of your way to get the wings at the Original Q Shack!
RATING: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS!!