Recipe: Bloody Mary Chicken Wings (Guest Post from Fearless Grill)

Recipe Source Eggtoberfest 2006 Cookbook  Submitted by drbbq (Ray Lampe) p. 11

To go with the bourbon pit beef that I made for our Labor Day barbeque, I decided to try out some other alcohol-themed recipes. I wanted to make some smoked chicken wings as an appetizer, since they always come out really good, and because I wanted to use up some that were in our freezer. Some of the people we invited find my regular Buffalo wing recipe too spicy even at its mildest strength, so rather than just making fun of them like I usually do, I tried to find a wing recipe that was mild, flavorful, and that fit with my theme. I discovered this one in a compilation of recipes from the 2006 Eggtoberfest, a get-together for owners of the Big Green Egg smoker. If you own a smoker of any kind, these compilations are a great source of inspiration – you can find them from several years here - http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=93&Itemid=134

I made a few modifications to this recipe. First, I doubled all the rub ingredients, as the amounts listed in the recipe didn’t seem to be enough to cover 18 wings. I was right about this, and even doubled, I had to go light on the last couple of wings. I substituted kosher salt for the celery salt, since our local grocery store didn’t seem to carry celery salt. I used Frank’s Red Hot, rather than Tabasco Garlic Sauce, since that’s what I had, and I left out the optional horseradish, since we forgot to buy it when we picked up our supplies. I used apple wood rather than cherry wood, since I didn’t have any cherry on hand, and I cooked the wings using indirect heat, rather than cooking them direct and having to turn them frequently. I tossed the wings and sauce in a large bowl to coat them once I took them out of the smoker, which is how I normally do my Buffalo wings, rather than cooking them in the sauce as recommended in the recipe. We also forgot to serve the celery sticks along with them.

These came out really good. The smoky flavor from the apple wood really came through well through the relatively mild flavor of the sauce, and the combination of sauce and rub really did taste like a Bloody Mary (I drank a Bloody Mary to compare). I’ll definitely make these again, and would like to try cooking them in the sauce as described in the original recipe to see if that gives them a better flavor.

Bloody Mary Chicken Wings (Serves approx. 20; Approx. Cost Per Serving Not Available)

18 whole chicken wings (36 wing parts, when split)

Apple wood chips or chunks for smoking

Celery sticks

Chilled Vodka

For the Rub:

2 tablespoons kosher salt (or celery salt, if you can find it)

4 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons brown sugar

For the Sauce

1 ½ cup V8 juice

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons hot sauce (The original called for Tabasco Garlic Sauce – I used Frank’s Red Hot)

Juice of one lemon

1 teaspoon salt

Prepared horseradish to taste (optional)

Equipment

• Smoker or grill
• Large bowl

1) Prepare the chicken wings by cutting off and discarding the wing tip, and separating the two edible parts of the wings.

2) Sprinkle the wings with the rub on both sides

3) Prepare your smoker for cooking. I set up my Big Green Egg for indirect cooking by filling the fire box with hardwood lump charcoal, adding apple wood chunks to the fire, inserting the plate setter legs up with a drip pan in place, and setting the temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

4) Put the wings in the smoker, and cook for about 40 minutes at 300 degrees. Then open the vents and raise the heat to 450 degrees, and cook for another 5-10 minutes to crisp the skin a bit. If your smoker can’t increase temperature to these levels, you can move the wings to a gas grill and cook for about 1 minute per side on direct heat to accomplish the same thing.

5) While the wings are cooking, mix the sauce ingredients together. Simmer the sauce to warm it up until the wings are ready.

6) Pour the sauce in a large bowl. Pull the wings out of the smoker, and place in the bowl. Toss to coat. Serve immediately, with celery sticks and shots of vodka on the side.

Technorati Tags: Big Green Egg recipes,Eggtoberfest Recipes,chicken wings,bloody mary,V8 Juice,hors d'oeuvre,appetizers,bar food

Comments

[Peter]

These wings sound awesome and the name rocks too!