Grilled Chicken Wings

I am a quirky girl.  There's no denying it.  I have more than my share of undeniable, irrational and unexplainable quirks.  I don't like to watch people brush their teeth.  I park in the exact same aisle every time I go to the grocery store.  I eat my dinner, one food at a time.  And don't even get me started on the sounds that people make when they're eating and drinking. 😬 Quirky is an understatement.

One of the many quirks that most of you don't know about me is my aversion to eating meat off of the bone.  I am a huge chicken lover but the thought of holding a chicken bone in my hands while eating the meat, makes me cringe.  I'm convinced that my weird chicken eating animosity is directly related to the bone because I'm not at all opposed to holding food in my hands.  I love burgers, tacos, crab legs and sandwiches.  I can eat an apple out of my hand but for some reason,  I can't bring myself to pick up a drumstick or a spare rib and eat it. 🍗

Wing eating purists would say that cutting the meat off of a chicken wing with a knife and fork diminishes the experience of eating them.  I disagree.  For starters, it takes a great deal of time to actually carve the meat from a tiny chicken wing and it slows my abnormally rapid eating speed to a more normal pace.  I'm also not a fan of chicken skin (another quirk) so I can eliminate the skin and excess fat from by chicken by using utensils.  And most importantly - I can coat every bite with wing sauce for maximum flavor and kick.  Isn't that why we eat chicken wings after all?

So whether you're a chicken wing carver or a normal person without bone quirks, you will want to give these Grilled Chicken Wings a try.  The brine makes them super tender and juicy.  The grill adds that nice smoky flavor and the sauce - well - it's just awesome.  These might just be the most flavorful and delicious chicken wings that I've eaten.  

Grilled Chicken Wings
Brine
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar

Wings
3 pounds chicken wings
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/4 teaspoons pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups wood chips, soaked in water for 15 minutes

Sauce
4 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1/4 teaspoon salt

Dissolve brine ingredients in 2 quarts cold water.  Submerge wings, cover and refrigerate 1-3 hours.

Combine paprika, chili powder, oregano, pepper, garlic powder, 1 t. sugar and cayenne.  (Set aside 1 T.)

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add reserved spice mixture and cook 30 seconds.  

Add vinegar.  Bring to a simmer. 

Remove from heat and stir in ketchup and salt.  Cover and set aside.

Remove wings from brine and pat dry.  Sprinkle with spice mixture. 

Add wood chips to charcoal grill.  Place wings, fatty side up on grill grate.  

Cover and cook until 180 degrees.  (about 40 minutes)

Transfer wings to a platter.  Reheat sauce and toss with wings.  

Please tell me that I'm not the only person in the world who doesn't like to eat meat off of a bone.  There must other people who share this weird quirk.  I'm trying to convince my family that it's so common that it's even been given a scientific diagnosis like "bone phobia."   So if you're a knife and fork kind of wing eater like me, please let me know.  I need your support. 

​Ciao!

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