Wingin' It

In Atlanta you can find a variety of chicken wings at places like Wild Wing Cafe, Taco Mac, Hooters, and the best of the ghetto, J.R. Crickets (holla!). The wings found at most restaurants are deep fried, and while that generates absolutely NO complaints on my end, it's fun to do you own wings at home using your grill. The grill method eliminates any large pots of gurgling hot oil so you can (somewhat) safely enjoy a few beers and not worry too much about burning down your house at the same time.


As you can see in my picture above, I like to have a mound of hot coals in the middle of the grill and then place the wings around the outside of the main heat source in a ring. This allows me to slowly grill a couple dozen wings (or more) over indirect heat while avoiding any flare ups. The fat renders out of the skin and crisps up wonderfully. You'll never know they weren't fried aside from the fact that they will have great smokey, grilled flavor. I've managed to squeeze in 32 wings in this grilling venture.

After they come off the grill, you'll need to apply your favorite wing sauce. I make a mixture of regular Texas Pete and melted butter, maybe with a few herbs mixed in. Texas Pete has a great balance of heat and flavor. Wings should be spicy but not overpowering. I'm not into the "I have bigger balls just because I like hotter wing sauce than you" - that's crap. I want taste, not mouth numbing heat! Here I have a mix of about 1 part butter and 3 parts hot sauce with a pinch of dried thyme added in. Toss the wings and sauce in a large bowl and you're good to go.

Add in a cheap American lager and you've got yourself a night in front of the TV. Enjoy!