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| Grilled Wings |
Here’s a recipe for finger-licking chicken wings made
without any fancy rubs or sauces.
Nor are they batter-coated, deep-fried, baked, or smoked
(this time).
These are brined, dried in the refrigerator, and grilled
over low heat.
While simple in ingredients and preparation, it requires at
least an hour of babysitting over the fire.
This is the kind of cook you do when you want to relax
outdoors and listen to the peaceful calm of the rustling leaves and cooing
doves.
Or the braying of four alpacas, in my case.
Completely unnerved me. Think: Jurassic Park velociraptors.
(Thank goodness, I wasn’t walking through a cornfield at
the time!)
This slow/low technique resulted in perfectly seasoned
chicken that was sticky and tender, with a hint of caramel flavor.
Be sure to have a stack of napkins on hand if you try it.
You’re gonna need them.
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| Chicken Wings See how sticky they look? That's collagen from the low/slow method. |
Serves 4-6
Brine:
2 TB Salt
2 TB White Sugar
1 Cup Very Hot Water
2 Cups Ice
2 Pounds of Chicken Wings
Additional equipment: cooling rack, sheet pan.
Create brine by adding salt and sugar to water. Stir to dissolve.
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| Yes, I bought ice - don't judge. The water here is rife with sulfur and iron. |
Add ice.
Place liquid and wings in a gallon-sized plastic storage
bag.
Remove as much air as possible, seal, and rotate to make
contact with the wings.
Place in a container (in case of a leak), refrigerate. Rotate
every 4-6 hours.
After 24 hours, remove wings and move to rack placed over
the cookie sheet. Return to refrigerator
another 4-6 hours.
Preheat gas grill to medium-low.
Add wings, cut-side down for 5-8 minutes. (Cover down.)
They will form char-marks and sizzle.
Raise cover and turn the heat down lower.
Move wings around the grate every 3-5 minutes until the skin
browns.
Turn, and repeat on the opposite side.
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| Turn, turn, turn |
Turn onto edges to crisp and render, then stand joint down, use
tips to stabilize.
Wings are finished when juices run clear. Enjoy!
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| Wing at front center, skin peeling away at the joint. |
Tip: if skin is
shrinking or peeling, the heat is too high.