Beer Brined Chicken Wings
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Another chicken wing recipe? You bet! If you’ve watched any of my vids you know I love wings and enjoy playing with their flavors even more. Thus far, I’ve introduced you to
- Buffalo Garlic Parmesan Wings
- Cherry Pepsi Wings
- Hot Honey Lime Wings
- Nashville Wings
- Sweet and Spicy Wings
Just to name a few.
Why Brine?
Today, we’ll add beer-brined wings to the list. Why should you brine with beer? Well, while you’re enjoying a cold one yourself, the beer tenderizes the wings. Dark ale also saturates the wings with a malty wonderfulness. More importantly, brining helps with juiciness since wings can dry out quickly on the grill.
This recipe is as simple as 1, 2, 3!
- Brine the wings
- Add dry rub to the wings
- Grill the wings
Ingredients - Brine
- 3 lbs chicken wings (drums and flats)
- 2 bottles Imperial Stout
- 1 tbsp pink or kosher salt
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dill
- 1 tsp peppercorns
Ingredients - Rub
CusoCuts has several all-natural spice blends perfect for chicken wings. Which one you choose depends on your personal tastes
- Hot Honey Seasoning: A layer of sweet and heat
- Smoky Garlic Buffalo Seasoning: This goes well with the sauce suggested here
- Tequila Lime Habanero Seasoning: A nifty twist on wings with a Mexican flare.
- Roasted Garlic Onion Seasoning: These flavors are light on the palate for those who don’t like “hot”
Ingredients - Sauce
A traditional Buffalo-style sauce is nothing more than ⅓ cup Frank’s Hot Sauce and a hardy tablespoon of butter (melted and mixed). For a sticker sauce, add a cup of brown sugar, or some molasses.
Instructions
- Put together your beer brine in a container with an air-tight lid.
- Add the wings to the brine (make sure they’re covered)
- Refrigerate the wings for 8 hours, shaking every 2 hours to mix up the spices
- Drain the brine
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel. If you want extra crispy wings, leave them on a cookie rack for 3 hours in the refrigerator.
- Set up your grill for 375F
- Spread the wings, leaving room between them
- Grill for 15 minutes, then flip for 15 minutes more
- Remove them at 165F, allowing them to sit for 5 minutes which will increase the temperature internally for greater flavor
- In a small pan, melt the hot sauce and butter together. If you want any additions to the sauce, now’s the time to put them into the mix.
At this point, your treatment of the wings can go one of three ways
- Toss the wings in the sauce
- Leave the sauce on the side for dipping
- Toss some; leave some, keeping enough sauce for dipping
PitMaster’s Memo: Why Does Brine Work?
The salt in a brine helps with osmosis. In other words, the wings absorb liquid, and if applicable, additional flavors. Some people use only water and salt for their brine, which seems rather dull. You can use any liquid foundation, including wine, juice, and soda pop.
Sides
Mini bratwurst bites
Oven-fried potato wedges
Pizza rolls
Seven-layer dip with chips
Turkey and Swiss sliders
Desserts
Butter tarts
Fried dough
Lavender cookies
Lemon sorbet
Torrone
From the Bar
American Lager
Dry Reisling
Fireball whisky
Mojito
Sweet tea
