Whether you like your chicken wings mild or spicy, we have the products you need to cook them at BBQ Québec! Oh yes, today I'm revealing my tips and secrets so you can prepare fiery (in some cases, literally 🔥) chicken wings, smoky and taste really "sick", and quickly, on the BBQ. Be careful! Some wings may even be way too spicy, so make sure you have someone near you in case you have to call the ambulance (just kidding). 😜
We're going to start off easy and continue by increasing the intensity of "spiciness" each time. I'm telling you, if you like breathing fire, you're in for a treat! (Put on gloves and get your tissues ready!!!)
First, fat and heat are what make spices lose their potency, so if you want your wings to taste spicy, they should not be cooked too long, should not have any fat, and the spices should be sprinkled on them after they are cooked. If you want a milder result, cook your wings for a very very very long time.
Now, how do you cook your chicken wings so they taste like BBQ and are perfect? You need to preheat your BBQ to 400°F (or 300°F, or even 225°F if you have more time and want to smoke them) and cook them in the indirect cooking zone (so they cook evenly and don't burn) slowly but surely until they have an internal temperature of at least 170°F in the heart. Once they have the right internal temperature, turn one of the burners on your BBQ to maximum and grill the wings on both sides so they have a nice "char" and a nice crust. You will see, your wings will be wonderful and their bones will "fall apart" all by themselves.
Of course, if you have a rotisserie, you'll enjoy the best chicken wings of your life if you cook them in a rotisserie basket. I'm telling you, wings cooked in that are magical! Plus, there's nothing better than watching them turn!
As for the chicken wings themselves, you can take whatever you want, but know that there are BBQ Québec chicken wings that are whole and absolutely incredible. There are 2 types: 1 seasoned with the Kansas BBQ Québec dry marinade and 1 seasoned with the Tex-Max BBQ Québec dry marinade . If you want wings that are hotter in the mouth, take the ones with the Tex-Max flavor; they go "on toast". You can even add Tex-Max dry marinade once they are cooked if you want something even "hotter".
Also, a little tip, if you want to take something other than a glass of milk or a piece of bread to soothe the heat that will be in your mouth (or simply to give even more flavor to your wings), there is a recipe for an amazing cheese sauce behind the boxes of BBQ Quebec chicken wings. You will see, this sauce is perfect to reduce the burning sensation. 😉
Now back to our mout— … chickens. Once your wings are cooked through, it’s time to make them explode with flavor. So I’m going to list the spices I recommend to enhance their flavor and, potentially, make you cry because of their intense heat (I warned you!).
To coat chicken wings in spices, in fact, sprinkle spices in the Napoleon Marinade Tray. This Tray is very practical, because it is made so that you can completely coat your food with marinade, brine or any delicious mixture. Yes, yes, that is what its embossed bottom is for: it lifts the food to let the seasonings or liquid pass underneath them so that they can be completely coated. Once that is done, place one (or more) chicken wing(s) on top, close the lid of the Tray and "shake" everything until your wing(s) are nicely colored.
If you want to go gradually and bite into increasingly spicy chicken wings, add increasingly powerful spices to the Tray without cleaning it between each addition. If, on the other hand, you prefer to feel the distinct effect of each spice, wash the Tray before adding another. (Of course, you can also limit yourself to just 1 spice for all your wings if you wish.)
Okay… are you ready? Let’s get into party mode and get ready to eat some delicious chicken wings (both non-spicy and spicy)! Here are the spices I suggest you use (in order from least spicy to most spicy):
1. Kosmos Q Salt & Vinegar Wing Dust
This seasoning is the one that is, for me, the least spicy. You can use it as a "rub" before or after cooking your wings (in the second case, so they have a more pronounced taste) and they will be really delicious. (By the way, I invite you to read the recipe ideas that are behind the bag, there are plenty of "solid" ones!)
2. Kosmos Q Lemon & Pepper Wing Dust
These spices are not hot or spicy, but they do warm your mouth a bit. They smell like lemon, but their taste is well balanced. They are one of my favorite spice mixes.
3. Kosmos Q Nashville Hot Chicken Wing Dust
If you like the vinegary, spicy and sweet flavor ofNashville BBQ Quebec sauce , you will love these spices, because they taste the same, but are spicier. They are really very tasty and just smelling them will make your nose burn!
Otherwise, about the same level of intensity as these, I also really like Kosmos Q's Kickin' Cajun Wing Dust . Be careful, though, it can be treacherous! It reminds me of seasoned Ruffles chips, but with a spicy taste. The result is really, really, really "solid".
4. Kosmos Q Hot! Cow Cover Dry Marinade
This rub is quite hot (my eyes sting just looking at the wings after seasoning them!); it is one of the spiciest, just like the Nashville hot chicken powder. Compared to finishing powders, however, it is better to add these spices before cooking the chicken wings. The grains are less fine, so they burn less and are more resistant to heat. I will even tell you that the Hot! Cow cover is also delicious with brisket or a whole chicken if you like spicy food.
If you want an equivalent, but less spicy, there is also the dry marinade Cow cover from Kosmos Q.
5. Kosmos Q Seven Pepper Face Lift Wing Dust
Be careful not to breathe the air when you open the bag of these spices, it will make your eyes sting and your nose heat up! In fact, I would say to avoid talking in their presence because they will have such an effect on you. Seriously, these spices are among the most powerful on the market and, I tell you, they are very aptly named; they will give you a real "face lift". Yes, yes, you will feel like the veins in your neck or face are about to explode after tasting them, they are so intense!
6. Kosmos Q Ghost Pepper Wing Dust
Just like the previous spices, watch out for the fumes that will come out of the bag of these! Honestly, one bite of chicken wings with these spices and it's hard to talk afterwards. They're so powerful that they'll literally take the words right out of your mouth. Your lips will be on fire and your cheeks will want to peel off.
7. Oakridge BBQ Crucible Ghost Chile Rub Spices
These spices are the hottest we have at BBQ Québec, in my opinion. Just opening the bag will make you want to cry, they are so hot. Made with the ghost Chile pepper (also known as Bhut Jolokia), one of the hottest peppers out there, these spices are, in my opinion, about 3 times worse than the others. They are really good, but I'll give you a tip: the less time you keep your bites in your mouth, the better you will feel.
Finally, as you may have noticed, there are a lot of Kosmos Q products in my list. We have others that are spicy, at BBQ Québec, but for real, these are "sick", super hot and warming, so I had to tell you about them. It will only take a fraction of a second before you feel the effects in your mouth!
And there, I told you my ranking, but I'm not someone who often eats spicy food, so maybe you have a greater resistance to heat and spiciness than me. If you are someone who tolerates an intensity of 12/10, for example, then don't hesitate to chat with one of our in-store advisors on the bbqquebec.com "chat" so that they can recommend some very "hot" products (and that's the word!) that you'll like.
On that note, have a great BBQ and… good luck!