BBQ Chicken Wings

When my son Jacob returned home in the spring of 2021 after a winter of teaching skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado, I asked him what he wanted for his first meal. Not surprisingly, he asked for these BBQ Chicken Wings which, since 2009 when Adam Perry Lang’s Serious Barbecue expanded my barbecue world exponentially, I have made for everyday meals as well as special occasions. Wings, with their high skin-to-meat ratio, are special. The seasoning blend, coarser than usual, pops with the flavors of onion, garlic, coriander, and peppercorns. The addition of my Blackbird BBQ Sauce provides the flavors of ketchup, mustard, molasses, and apricot preserves, resulting in an insatiable desire—as Jacob, Gabriel, and any of my guests know—to gobble up every last chicken wing.

MAKES 24 CHICKEN WINGS
REQUIRES 2+ HOURS BBQING

Ingredients

Seasoning Blend

• ¼ cup mild chili powder

• ¼ cup sweet paprika

• 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes

• 1 tablespoon dehydrated garlic flakes or dehydrated garlic slivers

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed in mortar and pestle

• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed in mortar and pestle

• 1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes

• ¼ cup sugar in the raw or turbinado sugar

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

• 24 whole chicken wings or the equivalent in chicken wing parts (drumettes and wingettes)

BBQ Sauce

• 1½ cups Blackbird BBQ Sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce

• 2–4 tablespoons hot sauce, to taste

• 1 teaspoon Japanese soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Steps

1. Preheat grill/barbecue with a combination of hardwood and fruitwood (preferably hickory and apple) in an aluminum foil packet (foil wrapped around wood with holes poked in it) to 275°F.

2. Combine all the seasoning blend ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wings and toss to coat.

3. Place wings on the barbecue and cook, covered, over indirect heat for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

4. Combine the BBQ sauce ingredients, and place half of the sauce in a large bowl.

5. Remove wings from barbecue and toss in barbecue sauce. Place back in the barbecue and cook for 25 minutes.

6. Remove wings from barbecue and toss in bowl with remainder of barbecue sauce. Place back on the barbecue for 25 minutes.

7. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Advance preparation: though best when eaten right off the barbecue, these wings are also great as cold leftovers.