Ingredients

Here is a little recipe for a marinade that my father uses on his "world famous" hot wings. I have altered it slightly to try and capture that sweet, spicy and savory goal most great recipes contain.

Needed:

Wings (You can buy as many as you like pre-cut or with the "hook" still on them. Here is a little tip, save the ends you cut off the wings and freeze them in a bag, you can use the ends later for a true chicken stock for other recipes.)


You can buy most of these next items at Sam's in large containers and trust me you won't need to buy more than once or twice a year:



Cayenne Pepper
Black Pepper
White Pepper
Garlic ( I prefer a clove per breast or in this case about every 8 wings, though minced garlic will work fine. I just prefer the fresh real deal when it comes to garlic).
Bay Leaves
Green Onion/Red onion
Teriyaki Sauce
Worcestershire (yes I had to check the spelling on that too)
Soy Sauce (instead of salt, though you can use salt if you prefer)
Liquid Smoke
Limes


If you want to sweeten the deal, add a tablespoon or two of brown sugar to the mix and try adding a juiced orange to the mix to switch things up as well.

Directions

After you have cut up the wings and have them separated from the "ends/hooks," (no I don't know the correct terminology) put your wings in a Zip-Loc style bag. Depending on how many you have I like to keep my bag below half full when it comes to wings.

After they are portioned in your bag(s) and you have your limes halved (give 'em a good roll around with your hand on the counter top with pressure before you cut them this will loosen up the juice inside), your garlic and onions cut, begin to put your ingredients into the bag on top of the wings.

You're not making a sauce or glaze or anything so it really doesn't matter a great deal how you combine the ingredients because they are going to be mixed up anyhow.

Remember your cayenne pepper is potent so go easy on it for your first batch. A good shake or two should be proficient.

A few good shakes of the black pepper and one or two modest shakes of the white pepper are all you need.

Teriyaki needs to be somewhat generous and you will want to have almost 1.5 times more of the teriyaki than the worcestiwhatever.

Soy sauce needs to be generous but we all now how too much salt can ruin a dish in an instant so don't go crazy with the stuff.

Garlic, you know the drill, a clove for every 8 wings.

I would say probably a whole onion, sliced for every bag. Stick with red or yellow onions. Or if you went the green route, a bundle per big bag is good.

2-4 bay leaves per bag depending on size of bag.

Liquid smoke can be really over bearing, so be nice, two cap fulls per bag is plenty.

Limes need to be one to two halves per bag depending on size. Before you juice the lime though, flip it over and grate the skin off in to the bag, and you don't need the whole lime and every bit of skin to do this (making lime zest.)


I also don't believe in exact measurements on something like this because its a feeling out process that each person needs to discover on their own in order to find the right taste that suits them. Flavor profiles much like wines aren't really bound anymore by old school thought, its more about what suits you and tingles your taste buds. So experiment, add, subtract and see what gets you and your family's mouths watering.

Now zip the bag almost closed, then push the remaining air in the bag out, and once its out finish the seal on the bag. Turn it over and few times and really shake it and mix things up in there.

Put 'er in the fridge and turn it over every few hours for about 24 hours. You can do this with a turn or two in just a few hours but I like to make mine the night before.

One other tip, put your bag in a flat pan or on a cookie sheet or something to help keep it away from other foods since you most likely got some of the raw chicken on the outside of the bag.

Then spark your grill and eat up!