Buffalo Chicken Wings are a favorite for just about every omnivore out there; the spicy pepper based sauce is so popular that it is often used to flavor tofu and other vegetarian specials too. We've been playing in our home kitchen to create an elderberry based Buffalo Chicken Wing sauce and are happy to report big success! Many Buffalo Chicken Wings are fried; not ours! We use the slow cook bbq/smoke method so that when the wings are done the meat just falls off the bones. Our sauce has a bit of a kick, but is not too hot by any means. Serve with lots of napkins and a pint of good beer...Heaven!
Ingredients
- 2 - 4 pounds Chicken Wings, wing tips removed, each wing cut into two pieces by placing a sharp knife at the joint and cutting firmly.
- 1 stick butter
- 1 jar Norm's Farms Elderberry Jam
- 1 cup Sriracha Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
Directions
- Making the Sauce: Place butter, elderberry jam, Sriracha Sauce and vinegar in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan and place over low heat. Simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, until jam is melted and sauce is well blended, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Preparing the Grill: We love our old and trusty Weber Grill! Its great for any bar-b-que and works like a champ for Buffalo Chicken Wings. Get your coals going and when they are burning, push them to one side of your grill with a quarter round of oak firewood. Position the grill over the fire so that the handles are directly over your stack of coals. This will allow you to drop more briquettes on the fire if needed. Cover the grill and allow the wood to begin smoking before placing the wings on the grill.
- Smoking the Wings: When the wood is smoking you can go ahead and get your wings on the grill. The trick is to stack the wings on top of each other away from the fire on the other side of the grill. Once your wings are on the grill, cover the grill with the lid, ensuring that the vent is over the wings. This draws the heat and smoke through the wings and ensures even cooking. Allow the wings to cook for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the lid and check the coals. If needed, add one or two more briquettes, and then restack the wings. Move the wings that were on the bottom of the stack to the top, the wings that were in the middle of the stack to the bottom, and the wings that were on the top of the stack to the middle. Cover the grill and allow to cook for another 30 to 35 minutes. Repeat this process one more time, shuffling the wings so that they cook evenly, for a total cook time of 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Saucing the Wings: Take your prepared Buffalo Wing Sauce and place it in a large bowl. Take the bowl of sauce outside with you, remove the lid of the grill, and using tongs, dip each wing into the sauce so that it is full immersed in the sauce. Repeat with each wing until all are sauced, and arrange wings on the grill, this time spreading them over the cool side of the grill (away from the fire). Cover with the lid and allow to cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and sauce the wings again, repositioning each wing on the cool side of the grill for the final period of cooking. Cover the grill with the lid one more time and allow the wings to cook for 10 more minutes. Serve the wings with extra sauce. Serves 4 to 6.