Baked Wings w an Epic Dry Rub and Sweet & Spicy Sauce

Crispy wings that start with an epic dry rub, are baked NOT fried and end up slathered in a sweet and spicy hot sauce that is killer!

I’m thinking that by now you all have a pretty good sense that I LOVE wings.   And with the biggest football game of the year in less than 7 days I knew I had to get these wings in your arsenal.

Let me tell you a little about these wings so yours will turn out as great as mine did.

1. First off, I did not use frozen wings.  I went to my market and got about 4 lbs of wings and they de tipped them and halved them so I had equal parts wings to drumettes.  I’m not saying you can’t use frozen, just simply that I did not.
2. Next I patted the wings dry with some paper towels and this next part is critical, I put the wings on a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and placed the wings in the fridge for about 1-2 hours UNCOVERED.  This will help the wings dry out and give them a nice crispy skin (a tip from Alton Brown)
   
3. Then I grabbed a BIG stainless bowl and coated the wings with the dry rub.  You might want to grab some throw away gloves too so you can really rub the rub in  (hee hee).
4. Preheat the oven to 425° F.   Put the wings back onto the cooling rack on the baking sheet.  I also lined the baking sheet with parchment paper for an easy clean up.
5. I baked them for 45 minutes turning halfway through.

Now you can stop right here. These wings are delicious with just the dry rub.  However, we have upped the anty with a homemade bbq sauce to slather them in.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE WING SAUCE

1. As the wings are cooking, melt some butter in a small saucepan and add the Franks hot sauce (not wing sauce).  Add the remaining ingredients listed below and simmer the sauce until thick.
2. Wing sauce is a very personal thing so my suggestion would be to continuously taste it and if it’s too hot add another tablespoon of butter.  If it’s not hot enough, add more hot sauce (or even a dash of cayenne pepper).  You get the idea.  You can also add a clove of garlic if you like garlic.
3. Pour the wing sauce all over the wings and serve with some of your favorite Ranch or Blue Cheese.

And that, my friends, will give you some of the best darn wings I’ve created thus far.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I (and my SuperBowl guests) will on Sunday!

Baked Wings w an Epic Dry Rub and Sweet & Spicy Sauce

• Author: Debi

Ingredients

4 lbs. Organic Chicken Wings

DRY RUB:

• 1/2 Tbsp ancho chile pepper
• 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried ground thyme

WING SAUCE:

• 1/3 Cup Franks Red Hot Sauce + 2 Tablespoons Franks Hot Sauce, separated
• 1 tsp Cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 cup honey (overflowing)
• 1 Tablespoon molasses

Instructions

1. Put wings on paper towels and pat dry.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put cooling rack on top for airflow underneath the wings.
3. Add the dry rub to a large Ziploc bag (or large mixing bowl), and add the wings (in batches if needed).  Rub the bag with your hands to evenly coat the wings.
4. Place the wings on the baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered for at least 2 hrs.
5. Sprinkle with a little more dry rub (if there is any left) and bake at 425° F for 45 min, turning halfway through.  Then pop them under the broiler to desired crispiness.
6. Coat in sauce and serve with carrot and celery sticks and dressing.

SAUCE:

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, add 1/3 cup hot sauce, honey and molasses.  Stir and heat through.
2. Combine the remaining 2 Tablespoons hot sauce with organic arrowroot or cornstarch, add it to the saucepan and bring it to a boil, then turn the heat to a simmer and simmer until the sauce is thickened.