Jay D's Bites: Fried & Baked Wings

by Aimee Tortorich

With LSU football season quickly approaching, wings are making their way back into our bellies, tailgating tents and our hearts (even though they never really left). Super easy to make, and a crowd favorite, we decided to create our baked and fried versions of these messy heartthrobs. These crispy wings will excite your taste buds with the perfect balance of sweet and spicy flavors. Use Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce or Molasses Mustard for a great dipping sauce!

Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub Baked Chicken Wings 

Jay D's Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub Wings

1 lb chicken wings
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub

Preheat oven to 400F.
Mix vegetable oil with Jay D’s BBQ rub, toss in chicken wings and let stand for 5 minutes.
Spread wings out on a single sheet pan in an even layer. Bake for 45-50 minutes until crispy or until internal temperature reaches 165F.

Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub Butter Fried Wings 

½ cup softened, unsalted butter
½ Tbsp Jay D’s BBQ Rub
1 lb chicken wings
Salt and pepper to taste


Melt butter in saucepan and add ½ Tbsp of Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub. Set aside.
Heat oil to 350F in a deep fryer or large Dutch oven. Add wings and cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Once cooked, toss in Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ butter

Virtual Potluck, OXO, and Bite and Booze present Cruzan Rum and Cane Syrup Brined Turkey Wings with Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce

Cruzan Rum and Cane Syrup Brined Turkey Wings

OXO recently sent me a gift pack with all sorts of amazing goodies for a Virtual Potluck Thanksgiving.  There were silicon pot holders with magnets, poultry shears, a turkey baster, a fat separator, an adjustable potato ricer, a digital thermometer, and a silicone basting brush.  Happy holidays, indeed.  So the challenge was to cook up something for Thanksgiving using a handful of the products.  Since chicken wings wouldn't be all that "Thanksgiving" of me, and since I recently re-established my love of turkey legs at the State Fair, I thought that perhaps some Sasquatch sized turkey wings could hit the spot!  I started them off in an overnight brine of Cruzan aged rum and Steen's cane syrup.

Removing Turkey Wings from Oven with OXO Silicone Pot Holders

Brine:
1 Cup Cruzan Rum
1 Cup Steen's Cane Syrup
2 Tbs Salt
2 Tbs Black Peppercorns
Water to Cover

Mix together rum, syrup, salt, and peppercorns.  Our over turkey wings in a container to brine overnight.  Add water to cover the wings, shake to mix everything together, and refrigerate over night.

The OXO Digital Thermometer

After the brine, I dried the turkey legs off and placed them in a large pan.  I rubbed the outside with my own Jay D's Blazin' BBQ Rub, then put them in the oven at 350F for an hour.

Jay D's Blazin' BBQ Rub:
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Black Pepper
1 Cup Smoked Paprika
1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Chile Powder
1/4 Cup Garlic Powder
1/4 Cup Onion Powder
2 Tbs Cayenne

Whisk all ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Store extra in a spice jar or shaker of some sort.

OXO Basting Brush is Perfect for BBQ Sauce!

 After an hour in the oven, I used the OXO digital thermometer to ensure I had reached at least 165F inside the turkey wing.  That's the "cooked throughout" temperature for chicken and turkey, in case you were wondering.  I flipped the turkey wings over to get to the under side.  Using the OXO silicon basting brush, I slathered a generous portion of Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce on the wings (you don't get that recipe!).  I put them back in the oven for 10 minutes, then flipped them over, gave the other side a fresh coating of sauce, and returned them to the oven for another 20 minutes.  After that, I feasted on my rum and cane syrup brined turkey wings with Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce!  Tasty!

Cruzan Rum and Cane Syrup Brined Turkey Wings with Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce

But wait... there's more!

Do you want some OXO goodies of your own in time for Christmas?  I've got some to give away!  Here's how you enter:

1) Share this post on your Facebook wall tagging Jay D's Bite and Booze Blog for one entry
2) Share this post on Twitter tagging @biteandbooze for a second entry
3) Leave a comment on this post for third entry giving me another boozy brine idea besides cane syrup and rum

All entries will be tallied and I'll use random.org to pick the winner!  One lucky person will receive the exact same gift bundle from OXO that I did, which means silicon pot holders with magnets, poultry shears, a turkey baster, a fat separator, an adjustable potato ricer, a digital thermometer, and a silicone basting brush! I'll keep taking entries through Cyber Monday!

Also, make sure to like OXO on their Facebook Page and follow them on Twitter too!

Cheers!