There’s just something about the taste of chicken wings slathered in an array of sauces that warms the heart around this time of year. Football season is back and there’s a sweet aroma to the air that slowly wafts in as September wanes closer to October. People seem a bit more cheerful, as if a haze of bliss surrounds each stranger you come across. People gather together to cheer on their teams, rivals become friends, friends become rivals, and then everyone shares a meal together.
The term meal might be a stretch for what is typically an assortment of dips, nachos and other handheld snacks but if there’s one thing we’re all very passionate about it’s people coming together over food. Sports is often a proponent of that, especially since physical exertion usually requires adequate sustenance, for both the viewers and the players. No matter what’s on the table, while we hope it’s delicious and it ought to be, the most important part is the people. The ones you choose to gather round the table with. The people you share your life with.
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
— J.R.R. Tolkien
We entered to find the entryway fully dressed for autumn. Charming pumpkins and a leaf banner greeted us, really driving home that warm and cozy feel. There was an adorable arrangement of carrots and ranch for nibbling while the wings did their thing on the grill. We enjoyed chatting for the time being, catching up on the myriad of things that occurred over the week since our last meal.
Matthew tossed the chicken wings in three different homemade sauces before arranging them on plates with a side salad and macaroni & cheese. We cracked open four Cokes and dove right in. The sauces were as follows:
Lemon Garlic Honey Mustard Sauce
Classic Buffalo Sauce
Alabama White Sauce
The chicken wings were grilled to perfection, succulent and juicy with a crisp, salty skin. There were audible mm’s and ooh’s and aah’s round the table as we nibbled on the variety of choices, being sure not to forget about our sides and the homemade chocolate chip cookies Gilly thankfully made us aware of before we got too stuffed. Although, there’s always room for cookies…
Grilled Wings Three Ways
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 lb chicken wings
Classic Buffalo Sauce
⅔ cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot®)
½ cup cold unsalted butter
1 ½ tablespoons white vinegar
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
salt to taste
Lemon Garlic Honey Mustard
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup mustard
1/4 cup honey
Zest of 2 medium lemons
2 teaspoon Garlic Salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Alabama White Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup vinegar (white or apple cider)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (Dijon/spicy brown optional)
2 teaspoons creamy prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Pat wings completely dry with paper towels and season heavily with salt; let sit.
For the Buffalo & Mustard sauces, combine required ingredients in a pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer while stirring with a whisk. Set aside and reheat later if sauce starts to separate. For Alabama White sauce, combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, stir and set aside.
Preheat a gas grill to medium heat (about 350 degrees F).
Place the wings on the grill, crowding them together so that they are all touching (this goes against the conventional wisdom of giving meat room so it doesn't steam; you want them to steam so that they stay moist). Grill, flipping the wings every 5 minutes, for a total of 20 minutes of cooking.
In a large, clean bowl, toss the wings with the various sauces. Turn the heat up on the grill to medium high. Use tongs to remove the wings from sauce and put them back on the grill until the skins crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Put the wings back in the bowls with the sauces, toss and serve.