Ingredients
-
BBQ Wings
-
2kg Chicken Wings
-
1 pint Buttermilk
-
Juice of 1 Lemon
-
80g BBQ RubWe used Head Country BBQ Championship Sweet and Spicy
-
4 Halved Red Chilli
-
Blue Cheese Dip
-
200ml Creme Fraiche
-
2 Tbsp Cidre Vinegar
-
2 Tbsp Mayo
-
75g Crumbled plus a little extra Blue Cheese
-
To serve Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-
On the side
-
In a bowl to dip Hot SauceWe chose two from Belfast Hot Sauce Company
-
For when people can't handle the heat Celery Sticks
Directions
I’ll be honest, it took me a while to write this BBQ Chicken Wing and Blue Cheese Dip recipe after that crushing defeat Ireland suffered on their opening game of the Six Nations last week.
These juicy wings were supposed to be part of a jubilant half time buffet! But alas, it wasn’t to be and instead, people quietly sat around saying things like, “At least the wings are good!”
Before the Cooking!
I started the cooking process the night before when I packed the wings in a flavourful buttermilk mix and left to marinade. The buttermilk gently tenderises the wings and will help the seasoning get into the wings. I let them sit in the fridge overnight. Next the wings were dried and seasoned with the rub and then left to rest for around 4 hours.
The Rub
Again, I have the Twitter profile @UKRubClub to thank for the rub I used. The group helps companies and BBQ enthusiasts share and get their hands on BBQ rubs. Rubs that they mightn’t have seen or aren’t able to get their hands on. I won a generous 100g sample of Head Country BBQ’s Sweet and Spicy Championship Seasoning. It’s good.
The BBQ
Finally, they were cooked indirectly, nice and slowly on the BBQ for an hour. Sadly, I’ve no photos of this part, it’s because we were all inside with our heads in our hands!
Homemade Blue Cheese Dip
These wings were served with a homemade Blue Cheese Dip. This was pretty important because I planned to serve my wings with two different types of hot sauce. Simply mix the wet ingredients together and crumble in the blue cheese. I like to mash it up with a fork so that it isn’t totally smooth. I like the chunks of cheese so much, that I crumble in extra after I’ve mixed it. There is no chance your BBQ guests won’t know what it is. This Blue Cheese Dip works great with these BBQ wings but it also works perfectly with Buffalo Wings. Why not spread over a great, juicy beef burger for a blue cheesy twist?
Hot Sauce?
In terms of sauce, I was able to get my hands on two bottles of hot sauces from Rock-a-Doodle-Do, The Belfast Hot Sauce Company. The first was their Whiskey in the Bottle. A spicy BBQ style sauce that I also used with these Hot and Spicy Pigs in Blankets! Beside that, I (sparingly) poured out some of their Pooka Ghost Chilli sauce. This sauce is special, named for a mythological Irish shapeshifting creature which can bring good or bad fortune. The hot sauces worked perfectly with the buttermilk brined, sweet and spicy rubbed BBQ Chicken Wings.
So the first match of the Ireland’s Six Nations tour was a wash out but hey, at least the wings were good!
Steps
|
1
Done
|
First prepare your wings, remove and discard the tip if there and separate the drumette and the flat. Into a ziplock bag (or four in my case) pour the buttermilk, lemon juice, sliced chillies and 3 tablespoons of the dry rub and then toss in the wings. Close the bag and mix together well and leave in the fridge overnight. |
|
2
Done
|
The next morning, dry off the wings. I tried doing this several ways - with kitchen paper but that proved wasteful, leaving to sit on a grill with a tray underneath and hanging from a skewer. They all worked well but it took a good while drip drying. When they aren't dripping anymore, coat with the remaining rub. and set somewhere cool until you light the BBQ. |
|
3
Done
|
Set your grill up for indirect cooking. You want a temperature of around 160 degrees. When the coals are ready, gently place your chicken wings on the grill and close the lid. Cook for 20 minutes, flip and go again for another 20 minutes. They will most likely be cooked by now but you'll want to char them a little. Depending on how they look, take them off or move to the hot part of the grill for a few minutes. |
|
4
Done
|
While the wings are cooking, mix up your blue cheese dip. Mix together all the ingredients with a fork and crumble in most of the blue cheese and stir well. Leave it a bit chunky, you want to taste that nice blue cheese! Crumble the reserved blue cheese on top and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. You have to serve this dip in a shallow bowl or plate, you need to be able to dunk the wing in longways. There is nothing worse than a wee skinny pot of dip I can only dunk an end into! |
|
5
Done
|
When the wings are charred to your liking, serve in a bowl with the hot sauces and blue cheese dip all around. We can still win the Six Nations with one lose. We just need to cheer on any team playing England! |
