Hickory Wings with Bourbon-Molasses Glaze

Ladies and gentlemen, I have the perfect grilled appetizer for your summer get-togethers. How about smoky, sweet, and spicy wings with the unmistakable taste of Kentucky bourbon? Be prepared to have a reputation amongst the neighbours!

I love making wings on the grill, since they're so different than what I'm used to getting in a restaurant. Once you try them, there will be no going back. Trust me, you're about to start just staying home on wing night. These wings are rubbed with a flavourful mixture of smoked paprika, mustard, garlic, onion, and chipotle before being smoked over hickory wood chips.

A glaze consisting of bourbon, soy sauce, molasses, and butter is cooked just long enough to melt the latter; therefore, you should use a bourbon that you like, since the glaze will taste strongly of it. When the wings have had a chance to get comfortable on the smoky grill, brush them with the glaze, basting them a few times until they're ready to eat.

Amazing. Serve them up with some chunky blue cheese dressing, of course (along with lots of napkins).  They'll quickly become a favourite. You may find yourself going through a bottle of Wild Turkey in no time...just a friendly warning!

Hickory Drumettes with Bourbon-Molasses Glaze: The Recipe

From "Weber's Way to Grill" by Jamie Purviance

Amanda's notes: Contrary to what you may think, this blog is not sponsored by the Weber people. What can I say? I just find myself not having to look anywhere else for great recipes for the grill. 

I use salted butter and dark molasses, and the wings taste fine to me!

Ingredients

Rub:

1 tbsp smoked paprika

2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp granulated onion

1/4 tsp ground chipotle chile

20 chicken wings, split (about 3 lbs)

Glaze:

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp bourbon

1 tbsp light molasses

1 tbsp unsalted butter

2 handfuls hickory wood chips, soaked in water for at least 30 min

Directions

In a large bowl mix the rub ingredients. Add the wings and toss to coat them evenly. Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over medium heat.

In a small saucepan, bring the glaze ingredients to a boil over high heat and cook just until the butter melts. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

Drain and scatter the wood chips over lit charcoal or put them in the smoker box of a gas grill, following manufacturer's instructions. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the wings over indirect medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the meat is no longer pink at the bone, 20 to 30 minutes, turning and basting with the glaze once or twice during the last 20 minutes of cooking. Serve warm.

Anything Goes Chicken Salad

I'm one lucky gal, because my boyfriend makes the best chicken salad in the world. Like with his marinades, Jeff follows no recipe; he just goes with the flow and follows his instincts, and the results are always delicious. He has such a talent for these things.

Some elements never change: he always shreds his cooked chicken with two forks, rather than cubing it, which I find makes a big difference when it comes to the texture of the salad; it contrasts nicely with the chunky vegetables and fruit that he also throws in. He never uses anything other than Hellmann's mayonnaise and whole grain dijon mustard to make the dressing, and he always adds his favourite chicken salad herbs to the mix: rosemary and thyme. Kosher salt and plenty of freshly cracked pepper are also required, of course.

What makes his chicken salad different every time he makes it, are the additions. Once the base of his salad is made up, he adds in any combination of the following:

-diced celery stalks

-chopped cucumbers

-chopped green onion

-cubed apples

-cubed pears

-dried cranberries

-halved grapes

-walnuts

-cashews

The more, the better!

His big secret is to let the chicken salad sit for at least several hours, or overnight if possible. It is so hard to resist (I'll admit that I steal bites from it every time I walk by the fridge; sorry, honey!) but it allows all of the flavours to meld together beautifully.

This particular version was made from charcoal-grilled chicken breasts, and contained apples, cucumbers, celery, and walnuts.

Although delicious over spinach greens, my favourite way to eat Jeff's chicken salad is on a multi-grain baguette.

I usually eat this chicken salad sandwich open-faced, to ensure the maximal filling-to-bread ratio. It might be messy, but it's so good that I can't be bothered.

Since Jeff is mine and you can't have him, you'll have to try out this amazing culinary experience yourself. It's easy; shred up some left-over chicken, load on the dressing, then open up your fridge and see what happens with the ingredients you have on hand. I guarantee that you can't go wrong.

Grilled Chicken, Potato, and Vegetable Skewers

I'm so happy that barbecue season is finally here to stay. The days are much longer, and the weather is consistently pleasant. Also, we’ve been heaving a bag of charcoal into our cart every time we go for groceries. Is there a better sign of spring?

Making skewers is a great way to barbecue. Not only is it a fun way to eat, because everything is bite-sized, but also it makes it easier to flip the food on the grill. (Note: if using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least a few hours to slow down the burning process.) Last Saturday, Jeff marinated pieces of chicken breast overnight in a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, honey, red wine vinegar, whole grain Dijon mustard, basil, oregano, rosemary, and salt and pepper. On Sunday, he marinated baby red potato slices for about three hours in olive oil with thyme, rosemary, and salt and pepper. This blog entry won’t contain a recipe section, because there aren’t any; Jeff’s style of marinating is as follows:

- Opens a Ziploc bag
- Dumps in any combination of ingredients that he likes, in arbitrary amounts
- Adds food

Although no two marinades have turned out alike, it has never failed him. Why not live on the wild side?

As I’ve mentioned before, I am picky when it comes to potatoes; therefore, I prefer relatively thin slices for maximum flavour and crispiness. However, you could simply halve the potatoes before skewering, if you like (tip: poke some holes in them with a fork so that the marinade seeps through.)

The vegetables weren’t marinated; once skewered, we simply brushed them with olive oil, and seasoned them with salt and pepper. These babies don’t need any more help in the flavour department.

The potatoes went onto the grill first, since they take the longest to cook through; up next a little while later were the veggies. Have I ever confessed that I love burnt food? Well, I do.

Just look at the char marks on these potatoes. Burnt potatoes are a must for me (other food I prefer with a bit of a burn: onions, toast, Brussels sprouts, hot dogs, marshmallows.) Delicious!

Once the veggies were done, they were placed in a 300C oven to keep warm. The chicken skewers replaced them on the grill.


Mmmmmmmmm. What more can I say?

Once the chicken was cooked through and the potatoes were fork-tender, it was finally time to eat.

Success! The chicken was bright and tangy, with a strong lemon taste. The potatoes were perfectly crispy, and woodsy from the rosemary. The vegetables were naturally flavourful, tasting almost as if they had been roasted. All three food groups had the unmistakable and delicious taste of being grilled over charcoal. Served with my ever-present coleslaw, this spring meal of skewers left nothing to be desired. What a great way to wind down from the weekend!