Recipe: Pomegranate Chicken Wings (Guest Post from Fearless Grill)

Recipe Source: http://www.tasteoftheseacoast.com/Food-Recipes/Swingin-BBQ-Wings-with-Pomegranate-Barbeque-Sauce.html

As those of you who read this site regularly are doubtless aware, Jess is a big fan of pomegranates. She was going out for the day, and I decided to surprise her with a nice dinner. I hadn't made ribs in a while, and I get the inspiration to try making beef ribs with a pomegranate BBQ sauce as a glaze. I went online to look for a sauce idea, and ended up finding this recipe, written by a chef named Taylor Miller, for pomegranate chicken wings. "Great", I thought. "I'll use that sauce for my ribs." Unfortunately, when I went to the butcher shop, they were all sold out of beef ribs. I had already purchased the ingredients to make the sauce, so I decided to give it a try on chicken wings, as the original recipe called for.

I made a couple of changes to the recipe. First, I cooked the wings on my Big Green Egg smoker, rather than pan frying them as suggested in the recipe. I prefer how the wings come out smoked – they end up crispy outside, juicy inside, with a smoky flavor you can't get any other way, and it's healthier than frying them in butter or oil. If you don't have a smoker, you could also grill the wings on a gas or charcoal grill rather than pan frying them. Also, I added some additional hot chili powder to the sauce, as I felt it didn't have any kick at all when prepared as written. I didn't want to overpower the pomegranate flavor, but I think BBQ should have at least a hint of spice. Finally, I left out the fresh pomegranate seeds, since I didn't have a pomegranate and was too lazy to go back out and get one.

Note that the first step of the recipe calls for toasting the spices in a pan on the stove. When I did this it smoked up really quickly and set off the smoke detectors. Not really sure why, as they didn't actually burn, but make sure you have your vent hood on when you perform this step.

These wings came out pretty good. They were definitely different than any wings I have eaten before. They weren't too sweet, weren't overly spicy, and the pomegranate flavor definitely came through. These would be great to serve at a party where Buffalo style wings might scare some of the guests. Luckily, I had plenty of leftover sauce from the recipe, which I froze pending the acquisition of some beef ribs, so I can try my original idea.

Pomegranate Chicken Wings (Makes 36 pieces. Approx. Cost Per Serving Not Available)

Equipment Required

_ Big Green Egg or other smoker

 Wood chips or chunks for smoking

18 whole chicken wings or 36 separated wing parts

salt and pepper (for a rub)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 teaspoons hot chili powder

1 teaspoon ground chipotle peppers

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 1/2 cup finely diced onion

2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup pomegranate molasses

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup whole-grain mustard

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (optional)

1. At least 2 hours before you plan to serve, heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. As mentioned above, turn on your vent hood. Add the cumin, chili powder, chipotle, coriander, and mustard seed, and toast in the bottom of the pan for about 2 minutes, or until the spices begin to release a pungent, toasty aroma.
2. Add remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours.
3. While your sauce is simmering, prepare your smoker for cooking. In my large Big Green Egg, I set up for indirect cooking using my plate setter legs up, with a drip pan between the legs. I used apple wood for smoke flavor. Let the temperature stabilize at 375 degrees.
4. If you're using whole wings, separate the drumstick from the wing, and discard the wing tip. Sprinkle the wings with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Cook for about 40 minutes. Pull the wings out of the smoker, and put into a large bowl. Pour about 1 cup of the pomegranate sauce over them and toss to coat. If you decide to use the fresh pomegranate seeds, put them in with the sauce. Use remaining sauce for dipping, or freeze and save for a later occasion.

 

Comments

[Chris]

Sounds like an interesting layering of flavors. Do you put yours back on the egg after tossing, just to crisp them back up a bit?

[Sophie]

What a fabulous & very tasty dish is this!! I am amazed!!

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