Is it too cold to grill? This is a question you might hear asked somewhere, but that somewhere is definitely not New England. I remember when I was a kid, it was very rarely cold enough to stop my dad from grilling. I have this clear memory of him coming in through our slider door with a plate of steaming charred pork chops, puffy coat zipped up, and banging the snow off his boots before coming in. I take pride in being a New Englandah — I get iced coffee in winter, and grill no matter what.
On a recent Sunday, life was good. The Patriots were playing well, and I found some organic chicken wings on sale. I have been on a huge grilled-wings kick lately, I think because of a new grilling technique I learned, which I will share with you.
Directions
First things first, marinate the wings using Italian dressing, Dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, and a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Since there is salt and vinegar in the Italian dressing, you only need to marinate the wings for two to six hours. Salt and acid can actually start cooking things if they marinate long enough. Think of it like ceviche: The acid from citrus or vinegar paired with salt makes the seafood safe to eat. Basically, it “cooks” it.
Once the chicken wings are done marinating, take them out, let the excess marinade drip off, then place them on a cookie sheet. Next, take a Greek seasoning blend and season both sides of your wings. I like to start my charcoal grill with a single layer of briquettes, filling most of the grill and leaving the outside edge uncovered. A wise man once said good things come to those who wait, and since the charcoal takes a little while to heat up, the seasoning on the wings has time to really soak in.
This next step is crucial and will take your feast to the next level. Before taking the wings to the grill, hit them with a little lemon zest, and a light squeeze of lemon juice. This will brighten them up.
Here’s the grilling technique: While grilling your wings, keep turning them over. The constant turn and flip will cause them to char nicely without burning. I like to think of it as rotisserie-style grilling. It takes a little more effort, but keep flipping them every couple of minutes, and move them around, as there may be areas on the grill that are hotter than others.
Once the wings are close to the way you like them, close the lid for a couple more minutes to get some smoke. Voilà! Grilled Greek Wings. Don’t forget to let them rest on the counter uncovered. This will lock in the juices and keep the skin crispy. My wife, Viktoriya, and I like these served with ranch or tzatziki.
So, to answer the question: It is not too cold to grill, but we will revisit this debate in January. Good eating, friends.
Ingredients
2 lbs. chicken wings
1 bottle Italian dressing
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Any Greek seasoning blend (to taste)
1 lemon