Grilled Wings with Vodka Sauce

I can't really take any credit for this next recipe. I learned how to grill the wings online and my good friend, Alan Moorhouse, showed me how to make the vodka sauce, but it's just too good not to share, especially now with grilling season in full swing.

I must make mention here again of BJ's Wholesale Club. This place is just, well, pretty darn awesome! The amount of savings is well worth the membership fee. If you are the type of household that enjoys entertaining guests, this is the place to shop. I got a bag of 30 whole wings for just $14.00 and bag of 30 chicken thighs for around $10.50. I'm not a huge advocate of freezing meats, but at these prices, I make an exception.

The wings.

Unless we are cooking for guests, I only use 15 of the 30 wings, and if I'm not going have them again for a couple of nights, the rest go in the freezer. Start by washing the wings in cold water and place on a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Dry the excess water from the wings by patting them with more paper towels. Once dried of excess water, coat the wings with a light layer of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle on a light dusting of kosher salt and then add on some fresh ground black pepper. You don't need a picture, right? Good because I didn't take one. I figured you've all seen enough pictures of raw chicken laying on trays at this point! Next, pre-heat your grill and set for low heat. You want to make sure you don't get any flare-ups as chicken grease is highly flammable (I've already had 3 grill fires this year!) Once your grill is up to temp, around 300, place the wings skin-side down. Turn the wings every five minutes for a total of 25 to 35 minutes. Start brushing on the sauce during the last 5 to 10 minutes of that time.

If you are uncertain how to tell when wings are done, there are many indicators. I go by look and feel, as you can feel a distinct firmness to them as they start to approach readiness. You will also see less smoke rising from your grill, an indicator that your starting to burn off meat as opposed to grease. As with the steaks, it took me several tries to get them just right, and as you learn your grill and your own technique, you will perfect wing cooking as well. I found that cooking when I am hungry produces the best results because I don't want to screw up my food, therefore I pay extra close attention to it! Also, there are countless websites out there that can tell you different ways of grilling wings. It's totally up to you how you want to go about it. Just remember the basic philosophy; it's better to over cook chicken, than to under cook it.

The Sauce.

Prepare the sauce well before you begin the wings as it takes about 30-40 minutes in itself.

In a medium sauce pan add:
1 cup plain vodka
1 quart ketchup
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tbs ground cumin
1/2 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs chili powder
1 tbs cayenne pepper
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup salt
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

Mix and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes. This recipe makes about 3 cups of sauce so make sure you've got some Tupperware handy to store it in your fridge for later use.

This sauce is great for all kinds of chicken parts and goes great on ribs as well.

Everybody say, thanks Al!

To Build a Better Lime Press

You know, I learned something today: Baby limes make a better margarita! I also learned that a stainless steel press is the way to go. So forget that bright yellow one pictured in my earlier posts. It fails, and the reason being that the paint begins to peel off, flecking your fruity drinks with shards of what just can't be that good to ingest - flakes of paint. Hence, I show unto thee the stainless steel lime press! You can order your own at the following link: Norpro Stainless-Steel Citrus Juice Press It's easy to use and is large enough to accomodate any size lime and even lemon halves.




Of course if you want to go all out, you can buy one of these bad babies.

It's just like the one you see them using at lemonade stands, and although there are a few different models to choose from, I personally like the stainless steel model.

Next up, the baby limes I mentioned. I had been paying $2.00 for 3 measly limes at my local supermarket before getting our much-anticipated BJ's membership (totally worth it btw) when I discovered this lovely little bargain.



Yup, it's exactly what it looks like: a giant bag of baby limes! The price: $3.79! The best thing about the baby limes is that they juice much better than the larger ones, and the juice is slightly sweeter, making for a much better margarita. Speaking of which, I do believe I prefer the Cointreau version over all else; however, I do suggest that you try all 3 of the posted versions I have written about. Just be sure to try them with the baby limes. I use 2 per drink.

Enjoy!