Grilled Garlic and Parmesan Hot Wings

What a nice appetizer: a bunch of spicy, hot, crispy, buttery wings. Nothing says tailgate more than spicy hot wings but when football season isn't upon us we are left with simply grilling them for the sake of doing so. Heck, we may not even have a football season this year, but let’s not focus on that right now! Let's explore one of the most fun spicy hot wing recipes I've ever tasted.  Summer is here so break out the grill and grill some hot wings with me!

Ingredients

• 1 bag of wings from the frozen food section
• 1/2 cup of Franks Original Hot Sauce
• 1/3 cup of butter
• 5-10 cloves of garlic
• 2 T Parmesan Cheese (and a little more for sprinkling at the end)
• Hot chili powder (I found mine in a Mexican grocery store)

I think that the most comfortable method for grilling wings is the indirect then direct method. This method essentially bakes the wings via medium/medium high indirect heat and then at the end you toss the wings over direct heat to sear and get crispy. The general time frame depending on your heat is 30-45 min indirect heat and then 5-10 min of direct grilling. Remember, indirect heat on a charcoal grill is the side of the grill where you have placed no coals (the direct heat side has the coals). On a gas grill you can turn off one of your burners for the indirect side; the direct heat side would then be the side where the gas is turned on.

To make the sauce add together 1/2 cup of Franks hot sauce, 1/3 cup of butter, about 5-10 cloves of garlic (minced), a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese, and a tsp or so of spicy chili powder. If you can't find a spicy variety of chili powder you can substitute with cayenne powder. Soften the garlic cloves in the microwave and then take the skin off and mince them into a bowl. You can either use a garlic press or just finely mince with a knife. Toss the minced garlic into the sauce pan and heat the sauce on low until you get a mild simmer (about 20-30 min). Keep stirring or the sauce may slightly separate.

Once the sauce is finished and the wings are almost cooked, move the wings directly over the coals for direct grilling. At this time the direct heat isn't that intense so you can put the wings right over the coals, close the lid, and you can give it a few minutes without fear of burning the wings. Turn the wings and crisp them to your liking. Now is also a good time to stick the wings with a thermometer. When the wings hit 165 degrees F you are ready to finish up and get the wings sauced.

I carry out a bowl to the grill and put all the wings in the bowl. Then I carry the bowl back inside and dump the sauce over top. Toss the wings around a bit and then add a couple of tablespoons of fresh grated parmesan cheese to the top. This really gives a nice addition to the wings. The Franks hot sauce and chili powder provides the heat while the butter gives that great texture. The garlic and parmesan cheese provide some nice depth to the classic spicy wing flavor. I love it and I hope you do to!

John is the author of the internet food blog grilling24x7.com. Check out more grilling recipes and tips at grilling24x7.com and follow John on Twitter at twitter.com/grilling24x7.