Brining Chicken Wings

Brining Poultry is a great way to add moisture to chicken or turkeys before you cook them. Most people know this but many people are surprised when I tell them that I brine chicken wings. I guess most people just don't see the point, but this is a great way to not only give you a moister, more tender wing, but to add flavor as well. What I do is mix a small amount of vinegar with red pepper flakes and add that into the brine. The vinegar breaks down the heat in the pepper flakes and the brine carries that flavor into the wings.

It works something like this:

• 4 cups water
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 3 tablespoons red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar

Combine the vinegar and pepper flakes. Combine the water and the salt. Add the pepper flake and vinegar mixture to the brine solution. Add up to 1 pound of chicken wings. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. Remove chicken wings from brine and grill.

The amazing thing about this method is that the wings will be hot. Not overpoweringly spicy, but definitely hot. From here you can add your own sauce, seasoning or just leave them the way they are. It's a great way to make great chicken wings.

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