Written by: Roscoe |  Print this post and share it with your buddies!

Ingredients:

Chicken wings, jumbo size – at least a dozen
red spices – Cholula powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, Old Bay, chili powder

For Marinade: Olive oil, Worcestershire, chili Lime Cholula

For Glaze: Cherry jelly or preserves, Bourbon, Red pepper mustard, Pepper jelly

Sharp knife
Hot grill

This Ain’t No Hockey Team

Like hockey fans (especially in Detroit), when it comes to wings (and Red Wings), real fans tend to get serious. And serious for Club Roscoe means grilling.

Forget That Deep Fryer

You’ll only make a mess and your wings won’t be as good as they can be.

The Grill Is The Way To Go

Slow, on the top rack. Don’t be impatient, the wait will be worth it. Your wings will be tender and juicy, the way God intended them to be, before some Frenchman invented the deep fryer and dried them out for all eternity. His name was probably Francois, and he had good intentions. He was actually frying some potato sticks (frites in French) to serve with his chicken fois gras, when he slipped on some grease and knocked the chicken into the fryer. Disaster for anyone else, but Francois was different. Instead of trying to get the chicken out right away, he poured a glass of wine to think about it for a while. Typical French: couldn’t make a decision. But when those potatoes were done, he had no choice, he lifted the basket and got everything out at the same time, and oddly enough, the chicken was done, too. The first thing he tried was a wing (the wing being the easiest part to rip off), and as soon as he did, he knew he was onto something, but being French, he kept it to himself. In fact, the wings were so good that he threw the rest of the chicken away, and it wasn’t until a fat Southern guy named Sanders came along that anyone really tried to market fried chicken.

So Leave The Frying To The Colonel

And leave the breading in the bag. Roscoe’s wings aren’t breaded or coated with anything but spice, then covered with a Bourbon Fruit Glaze. And it’s all red, in honor of the Detroit Red Wings: only red spices: Cholula powder, smoked paprika, cayenne; Cherry jelly or preserves mixed with red pepper mustard and bourbon).

You Don’t Have To Be A Hockey Fan

Hey, wings work, no matter the occasion, so even if you’re not watching the Red Wings beat the Penguins, you’ll be having a good time.

Here’s What You Do:

Get some wings at your local butcher (or market, or Costco), a dozen or so to start, depending on your crowd. Cut off the wing tips (that third part that has no meat on it – sometimes it’s already cut off, so you can put the cleaver away).

Sharpen Your Boning Knife

Or a pairing knife, or a pair of sheers. This is the part no one likes, and you can skip it if you’re lazy, but it’s really worth doing:

Trim Off Some of the Skin

Yes, you read it right. Who needs all that chicken fat? Less fat means more meat taste. We’re not saying to take it all off, just some of it: that skin between the drummett and the smaller piece. It’s easy to get off, just pretend you’re a surgeon. And snip away anything else that hangs out. See? Finished already (well, maybe not, so open a beer, a few sips can make any task go quicker).

Rub and Marinate

Get out the red stuff: your Cholula powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, Old Bay, Chili powder, any red spice you like, and rub it into the wings. Then throw the wings into a plastic bag with some olive oil, Worcestershire, and Cholula Chili Lime, seal it up, and put it in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, overnight is best.

Now For The Grill

Let the wings return to room temp, then set them on the TOP RACK of your grill. We don’t want them too close to the fire because they’ll burn up. But if you cook ‘em slow, the reward will be great.

Baste With The Glaze

A couple heaping spoonfulls of Cherry jelly or preserves, a couple more of some red pepper mustard (if you can’t find it, use dijon, or any favorite mustard), a scoop of pepper jelly (Mrs. DeVaney’s is really good) and a couple gluggs of bourbon. Mix or whisk it all together, then simmer it for a few minutes over a low heat, just until it all blends together. Then baste it onto your wings after the first turn, and after every turn after that.

When the Wings Are Crispy

You know they’re done. Pull them off and serve on a heaping platter with some more of the glaze. Turn on the Red Wings and eat your red wings and drink some good beer (is there any bad beer?) and you can’t help but be happy, especially if the Wings win, ’cause you’ve already won when…

You’re Cookin’ With Roscoe