Grill Smoked Spicy Chicken Wings

Here we have some bold, spicy, and smoky chicken wings that will forever change what you accept as a proper wing!  Deep fried wings are a thing of the past now.  Cut out the fat and add flavor!

These are always a big hit at our family cookouts.  While standing under the hot sun sipping a cool drink, this is the perfect addition!

Grill Smoked Spicy Chicken Wings:

Ingredients:

• Chicken Wings
• Any Day BBQ’s Spice Rub

Directions:

You can put your wings on whole but then you’d just be a weirdo.  I prefer to separate the drums and flats.

First, place your knife at the bottom of the drummette.  You’ll feel where the joint is at and cutting threw should be easy and not require much force.

Separating the wing tip is similar.  Place your knife where the flat and wing tip meet and feel for the joint.

Prep all of your wings and then pat them dry with a paper towel.

Grab your dry rub and apply liberally to your wings.

Put your wings into a Ziploc bag, place in the fridge, and let them marinade for 3-4 hours.

Setup your grill for classic indirect heat.  If using charcoal, setup your coals on one side of the grill, leaving the opposite end clear.  If using propane, only light the burners on one side or one half of your grill, depending on the size.  Throw your wood chip box or foil smoke on the grates directly over the coals.  If you’re not familiar with using wood chips on your grill, click HERE to find out how.  It’s very easy!

Let your grill heat up to and maintain a 350 degree temperature.  Place your wings opposite the heat, ensuring they are not directly over any coals or flames.  Keep your grill lid closed!

Check your wings after about 45 minutes.  They may take another 15 to get crispy, but this all depends on how well your grill holds in the heat and smoke.

Remove from the grill, serve, and become a juke box hero (with stars in his eyes).

Enjoy!

Spicy Dry Rubbed Chicken Thighs – Crispy, Juicy, and Delicious!

If you’re looking for an easy recipe that is (almost) impossible to botch – then you’ve found the right one!  This chicken is tender, juicy, packed full of flavor, and so simple to do!  BBQ Chicken is just simply one of my favorites and thighs are not only very inexpensive, they’re so packed with juice and fat that they can slowly cook and let that fat render and baste without drying out.

Spicy Dry Rubbed Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:

• Chicken Thighs
• Any Day BBQ’s Dry Rub

Directions:

Take your chicken thighs and trim off any excess skin that is hanging beyond the meat.  This is not only unpleasant but also serves as an eyesore when serving these up.  Hey – I’m a perfectionist and presentation is key.

Pat your chicken thighs dry with a paper towel.

Liberally apply Any Day BBQ’s rub.

Setup your grill for classic indirect heat.  If using charcoal, setup your coals on one side of the grill, leaving the opposite end clear.  If using propane, only light the burners on one side or one half of your grill, depending on the size.  Of course I throw on a smoke pack for that added flavor.  If you’re not familiar with using wood chips on your grill, click HERE to find out how.  It’s very easy!

Let your grill heat up to and maintain a temperature of 350 degrees fahrenheit.  Place your chicken thighs on the opposite end of the grill and close.  This will allow your grill to act as an oven and cook these slowly to perfection!  And I don’t mean perfection like those cheesy cheap restaurant menus claim – in this case, it’s true!

There are two reasons that we cook these indirectly – (1) So we do not burn our thighs, particularly the skin.  There is a lot of fat in chicken thighs and placing them directly over our heat source will cause a lot of flare ups along with burning the skin.  Not to mention there is sugar in our rub which will caramelize and burn which will cause an unpleasant flavor.  THAT.  IS.  NO.  BUENO!  (2) Slowly cooking gives our smoke pack a chance to roll around our chicken, enhancing that rich and spicy flavor from our rub!

After about an hour, open your grill and check your chicken.  The thighs will be tender, crispy, and juicy!

Serve and let the high fives roll in!

My Raised Garden – Great BBQ begins with fresh ingredients…

Along with my undying affinity for great BBQ – I also have a passion for gardening.  Not only does it make me (dare I say) proud to be the hand to help these incredible plants flower and bear deeply colored beautiful fruit; I also get to reap the benefits of fresh, delicious, organic ingredients that will take any dish to a whole new level!

I started by building a raised garden.  I did this for two reasons:  1)  To aid in keeping those pesky critters from getting into my garden.  2)  So I don’t have to bend over as much.  Number 2 is very important.

2x6x12 boards, 4×4 posts, screws, 6 yards of soil, and a few beers later…

I don’t claim to be a purist by any stretch of the imagination, so I had filled the box with several starter plants.  If you care to start from seed – more power to you good sir/madam!

After 6 weeks – these plants are growing faster than ever and dying to become fresh Pico De Gallo!

Along with my 5 tomato plants, I have an assortment of peppers ranging from sweet and mild to very hot.  I.  LOVE.  PEPPERS!  Not only do they add such an arrangement of beautiful colors to your garden and help keep insects and rodents out; THEY ARE DELICIOUS!  Anywhere from stuffed and smoked peppers to salsa, the possibilities are vast.

Some of my pepper plants are finally starting to tease me with their growth.  I can hardly contain my excitement!

A baby Cheyenne Pepper!  Once this plant sprouts these deep red and amazing peppers – we can dry them out on the window sill and use them as hot pepper flakes on pizza or we can add those dry flakes to our next spicy BBQ rub!  You KNOW I’ll be doing each of these…

A baby Pablano Pepper – Just waiting to mature and become stuffed, smoked, and topped with cheese!  If you haven’t seen it yet – check out my Smoky Stuffed Pablano recipe!

Expect some exciting, new, and SPICY recipes to follow!

BBQ Rub – Great on Pork and Chicken!

If you’re looking for a GREAT spicy and smoky aromatic rub – then you’ve gotta check this out!

Any Day BBQ’s Spicy Pork and Chicken Rub:

Ingredients:

• 1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
• 2 tblsp Smoked Paprika
• 2 tblsp Cumin Powder
• 1 tblsp Chili Powder
• 2 tblsp Garlic Powder
• 2 tblsp Onion Powder
• 1 tblsp Fresh Cracked Pepper
• 2 tblsp Salt
• 2 tspn Curry Powder

Directions:

Mix thoroughly and enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers!

Smoky bacon and creamy filled hot peppers go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly…or a Wendy’s Frost and Fries…  Hey – It’s a Midwest thing!

If you’re looking for a good way to SPICE UP your next BBQ – you definitely should check this out!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients:

• Jalapenos
• Cream Cheese
• Bacon

Directions:

Set your pepper down so it lays flat on your cutting board.  About halfway down the pepper, cut up toward the stem, making sure to NOT cut the stem off.  We just want to cut into the side so we can clean it out and stuff it without having to worry about our stuffing falling out.

Take a smaller knife and carefully cut out the seeds and ribs.  We need space for that cream cheese, son!

Grab some cream cheese and stuff these bad boys like you mean it!  However – be careful to not break the pepper open.  You don’t want your friends to quit liking you – right?

Take one slice of bacon and wrap your jalapeno.  If you’re using a regular fatty piece of bacon, a toothpick normally isn’t necessary, as the bacon fat holds like glue.  In this specific example, I used thick and meaty bacon which doesn’t hold as well – hence the toothpick.

Setup your grill for indirect heat.  If you’re using a charcoal grill – setup the coals on one side of the grill.  If you are using gas – turn your burners on on only one side.  Let your grill heat up to a temperature of 350 degrees.  I throw a smoke pack on over the coals to get some of that extra smoky flavor!  If you are unfamiliar with how to do this, check out my Tips and Tricks section for a quick walkthrough!  EASY!

Place your Poppers on the end of the grill opposite the hot coals/heat source.  Shut your grill lid.  Your grill will now act as a smoky oven of glory.  Let it work its’ magic!

After about 45 minutes, your poppers will be done and the bacon will be brown and crispy!

Serve and enjoy!

Inception Balls – Food Within Food…

This is another HUGE crowd favorite at our weekly cookout.  With anywhere  from 15 – 30 guests on average, you cannot please everyone…or can you?
These are a great finger food that will keep everyone wondering “What was this magical experience?  What’s happening to me?”.  They are always the first item to go…and I always get requests for more.  Follow me, and you’ll get the same!

Inception Balls:

Ingredients:

1lb Ground Chuck

3 Mozzarella Sticks – cut into 16 bite sized pieces

16 Small White Button Mushrooms – Stemmed and hollowed out with a spoon, removing the gills.

16 Strips of Bacon

Garlic & Herb Cream Cheese

BBQ Sauce

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Instructions:

Preparing your balls

Take about an ounce of meat and sprinkle it with a little Salt, Pepper, and Garlic.  Take your bite sized mozzarella and wrap the meat around it, forming a meatball and leaving the cheese inside the center.  Create all 16 balls and set aside.

Grab your stemmed and hollowed out mushroom caps and spoon in some cream cheese into the center.  Do this for all 16 mushroom caps.  Be liberal…but not TOO liberal.  We want to be able to set our meatball down into this pocket.  However, you are the Isaac Newton of your Inception Balls!

Grab your meatballs and set them into your cream cheese filled mushrooms.  They should sit right up.

Grab your 16 slices of bacon and cut them in half.  Grab one half slice and wrap it around your Inception Ball from under the mushroom to over the top of the meatball, making sure for the two ends to create a seam on top.  Turn 90 degrees, grab another slice of bacon, and wrap it around the other exposed side, making sure that our bacon is covering all of the mushroom and meat.

Cooking

Setup your grill for indirect heat.  If you are using charcoal (what I use and prefer), setup your coals on one side of the grill.  If you are using propane, turn on the burners for just one side or one half of your grill, depending on the size.  Let your grill heat up to and maintain a temperature of about 350 degrees.

Set your inception balls on the opposite side of the grill, so no direct heat is under them.  If you put these over direct heat, you have disgraced us all!

Keep your grill closed!

Let your Inception Balls cook for about 45 minutes.  Open your grill and glaze each Inception Ball with your favorite BBQ Sauce.  Close the grill and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Pull them off the grill and let them set for a few minutes before serving.  These will be molten lava on the inside if you eat them right off the grill.

Now – sit back and enjoy the praise!  VOILA!

Spicy Sriracha BBQ Meatballs

If you’re looking for a delicious appetizer for your next BBQ, you definitely gotta check this one out!

Spicy Sriracha BBQ Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb Ground Chuck
• 1/2 lb Chorizo
• Mozzarella Sticks cut into bite size cubes
• 1 Cup Bread Crumbs
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Cracked Black Pepper
• 2 tsp Salt
• 6 tbsp Sriracha Sauce
• 1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce

Instructions:

Combine Ground Chuck, Chorizo, Bread Crumbs, Egg, Pepper, Salt, and 3 tablespoons of Sriracha in a mixing bowl.  Mix thoroughly.

Cut your Mozzarella sticks up into bite sized cubes.

Roll a meatball into the size of a golf ball.  Then take a mozzarella cube and push into the meatball, then resealing so the cheese in the center of the ball.

Repeat until you have a SLEW OF BALLS!

Setup your grill for indirect heat.  Place the coals on one side of the grill – or if you are using gas – turn on the burners on one side.  Let your grill heat and maintain a 350 degree temperature.  Place your balls on the opposite side of the grill, ensuring you are not placing them directly over the flames.

*I added a woodchip pack to smoke these bad boys!  I highly recommend this!  If you are uncertain how to do this, read my post for setting this up!*

Take your BBQ Sauce and the remaining 3 tbsp of Sriracha and mix together for a spicy BBQ Sauce!

After 25 minutes, open you grill and glaze them lightly with your BBQ Sriracha mixture.  Close the grill and cook for another 5 minutes.

Pull them off and let them rest for a few minutes.

Serve and enjoy one of the best treats around!  Your guests will hoist you upon their shoulders in such a triumphant success!