As the weather warms up and transitions from spring into early summer, my mind wanders to cooking outdoors. I dream about it when walking in our neighborhood and the aroma of other people's grills waft through the air. What are they cooking? What are they going to tuck into at their tables?
Looking forward to a long season of grilling, we all need some easy stuff that's relatively easy. One of my go-to sources for inspiration is Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby’s book, The Big-Flavor Grill: No-Marinade, No-Hassle Recipes.
Chris and John are grilling masters and have collaborated on many cookbooks. The subtitle of their 2014 book hits the spot on so many levels. We all want good food with little hassle. I never promise "no hassle" because cooking at home is a luxury for many people. You still have to clean up! That said, it means unfussy deliciousness.
Right now with my husband's school teaching semester coming to an end and all that keeps swirling around us in the news and our busy lives, I want easygoing food that's fun and a little indulgent. We all need to treat ourselves to a mini party.
Cue party wings, a.k.a. chicken wings. They're always festive and the drumettes remind me of mini chicken legs. Chicken wings are typically fried but Schlesinger and Willoughby have a grilled wing recipe that promises yowza flavor. There’s been discussion on Serious Eats about making non-fried chicken wings that taste kind of fried. Lord knows, I've enjoyed fried wings like this Vietnamese-Thai take from the now defunct Pok Pok restaurant.
Grilling chicken wings is a simpler and lower calorie approach to snacking. I figured that I’d initially cook the wings over direct heat then turn off one of burners to settle into indirect heat grilling, which allows the fat to render a bit and crisp up the skin a bit.
At Whole Foods, you can buy “party wings” which are just the meatier two joints of the wing. I halved the original recipe in the book for dinner for the two of us, or a snack for four people.
Interesting cookbook format
The Big-Flavor Grill is organized as chapters focused on one single protein that cooks can then vary with a bunch of different seasonings, sauces, or garnishes. If you master grilling one thing, you can dress it up many different ways. This may seem like freshman level cooking but I found the approach to be a relief.
Each recipe is designed like a flowchart, perhaps to appeal to macho cooks who love to man the grill. For me, the design reminded me of the flowcharts I used to draw in 1980s high school computer class. (I was a geek.) It took a little getting used to but made sense, given the book's approach. Otherwise, you'd read the same instructions over and over.
Grilled wings recipe anatomy
The basic idea behind Schlesinger and Willoughby’s grilled wings: Salt and pepper the wings, heat the grill (I use a gas grill) and meanwhile, measure out the seasonings. After the wings are cooked, throw them in a bowl and one by one add the seasonings. It’s a nifty trick to layer on flavors.
The authors gave several options for finishing the wings, but I chose one of the Asian ones with the least number of ingredients to chop. My lazy day approach paid off. At first the flavors were shocking on my palate. But after I let the wings sit for 5 to 10 minutes, the seasonings mellowed and were agreeable. We ate them for dinner with a salad and drank a cold dark beer. It was an easy and tasty midweek celebration.
Hoisin-Glazed Grilled Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds | 675g chicken party wings
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
Glaze mis en place
- ¼ cup | 60ml hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons regular or gluten-free soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion white and green parts
- 1 ½ teaspoons black peppercorns pounded to a coarse texture
Instructions
- Wash and pat the chicken dry. Lightly salt and pepper the wings and set aside. Heat a gas grill to medium-high or light a charcoal fire, leaving one side free of coals. The grill is ready when you can hold your hand 6 inches (15 cm) over the grill for 4 to 5 seconds.
- As the grill heats up, assemble the seasonings in small containers. Arrange them so you remember what order to add them later on.
- Grill the wings for about 15 minutes, initially over direct heat until they start to sizzle and brown. At that point, turn off or lower the heat of one burner to low and cook the wings over the cooler spot; on a charcoal grill, move them to the cooler side. Turn frequently and move the wings around to avoid flare ups. Check for doneness by nicking with the tip of a knife.
- Put the hot wings into a bowl. One by one add each seasoning, tossing with tongs as you work. Save a bit of the green onion to garnish on top. Eat hot, warm, or room temperature.
