Making the Best Chicken Wings

It's my opinion that BBQ chicken recipes are one of the most underrated BBQ foods that are available when considering what to cook on a BBQ. In fact I think that chicken wings, no matter what method of cooking is used, are often overlooked. Paradoxically ask anyone if they like to eat chicken wings and most people will tell you that they love them.

Obviously I'm writing this from my own experience and point of view and I can honestly say that I've eaten lots of barbecue food, but I've never attended a barbecue where anyone has ever served chicken wings, in any form. I'm discounting restaurants; I'm talking about private events as well as where barbecue food has been served as part of an evening's entertainment. Most of us have been to these occasions when on holiday and the hotel has a BBQ themed night.

I've discounted restaurants because chicken wings are an ever popular starter item on the menu of many restaurants. It's not too difficult to see why either. Most restaurants will buy in whole chickens and then joint them on their premises. They'll be left with the carcass which they make stock from, and chicken wings. If they can sell the chicken wings its profit for little cost.

Of course putting an item on the menu doesn't mean a lot if no one buys it, but they do. I've been carrying out an informal survey noting who does and who doesn't sell BBQ wings. I visit a couple of restaurants regularly as well as a couple of local pubs and also order in food occasionally. Guess what, they all serve barbecue chicken wings. That tells me that their customers must be buying them in quantities that make them worth offering on their menu.

During my travels as well I've found that barbecue wings are on the menu what appear to be most restaurants. I'm not just talking about barbecue restaurants here; I visit Chinese and Italian restaurants mainly. From what I've seen barbecue wings are served in about 70% of the restaurants and take-away food places that I've visited, which is considerable.

Have chicken wings always been popular? I don't think so, I think that they are a relatively recent phenomenon and I consider them to be similar to lamb shanks and ox tails. They were once very cheap to buy but as they became popular the price increased. Don't get me wrong, chicken wings are still relatively inexpensive but their price has increased disproportionately over the last few years.

Well, enough said, what about a BBQ wings recipe?

When you buy your wings they'll usually have the wing tips attached and you can cut these off if you want. I cut them off and use the wing tips with a chicken carcass to make chicken stock; there's no real meat in them

Place the wings over hot coals and grill for few minutes, turn over and grill for another few minutes; while they're cooking heat up some BBQ sauce. When cooked through put the wings on a serving plate pour over the sauce and serve. You're after wings which are cooked through and have a crispy skin but are not dried out or burnt.

Chicken BBQ

There is nothing better than succulent barbecued chicken, but just what are the best BBQ chicken recipes. It should be pretty simple, coat the chicken in BBQ sauce and cook it on the grill, but all too often it ends in charred dry chicken that really does not taste very good at all. I have put together some tips on making very tasty BBQ chicken that will not disappoint.

The main key to great chicken recipes is to initially cook it over a low heat, this will ensure the meat is cooked thoroughly and not result in charred skin. Once it is practically cooked, approx 20-30 minutes, move it to a higher heat and baste with BBQ sauce to finish it off. If you are using a charcoal barbecue you will need to pile your charcoal one end of the grill and cook the chicken at the other end for the first step. If you have a gas BBQ grill you can control the heat via the burners.

So that is the best way to cook the meat, but what about the taste? I always use a dry rub to season my meat prior to cooking. This can be done up to a day before you need it and just kept in the fridge. The main ingredients that I use for the rub are salt, pepper, garlic powder, mustard powder, sugar, chilli powder and cumin. But it is really a personal choice what you put into it, some like hot and spicy others don't. Do not be afraid to experiment and try different combinations. Just mix all the ingredients together and sprinkle over the chicken. I usually put it all in a food bag and toss the chicken in the bag to make sure it is fully coated.You can then leave the food bag in the fridge until needed.

Then all you need is BBQ sauce. I am always seeing people cover their meat in the sauce before they put it on the grill - this should be avoided at all costs. It will dry out your meat and can lead to burning. Any sauce you want to use to baste meat on a barbecue should be added towards the end of cooking to ensure the flavour is preserved. There are some very good BBQ sauces that can be bought in your local stores or you can make your own. I always use a ketchup base and then add mustard, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar in varying quantities until I like the taste. Just boil it up and then let it simmer until it thickens.

So the key points to remember are:

Season your meat prior to cooking

Cook the chicken over a low heat for 20-30 minutes until browned

Transfer to high heat and baste with your BBQ sauce