Spicy Bourbon Barbecue Wings

"Wing in the New Year" continues with a homemade twist on a sweet favorite.

The ingredients:

The chicken:

• 10 chicken wings

• 2 tbsp. garlic salt

• 1 tbsp. cayenne

• 1 tsp. black pepper

• 1 tsp. potato starch

The sauce:

• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes

• 2 ounces prosciutto

• 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

• 2 tbsp. dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp. tomato paste

• 1 c. dark brown sugar

• 1.5 tsp. onion powder

• 3 tbsp. garlic salt

• 2 tbsp. cayenne

• 1 tsp. black pepper

• 1/2 c. bourbon

• 1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke

The process:

For sauce, fry prosciutto (can replace with bacon!) then deglaze with vinegar. Note: you do not need to remove the prosciutto. Add in mustard and tomato paste and combine. Add in crushed tomatoes and blend with a hand blender until smooth. Add in sugar and spices, bourbon, Worcestershire, and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 30 minutes. Toss chicken wings in dry spices and starch, then air fry at 365 for 13 minutes. Flip, then air fry at 400 for 5 minutes. Toss wings in sauce.

The story:

This recipe is an anti-love letter to my brother, Casey, who I adore. That said, Casey loves ketchup, and I think it tastes like acidic sugar. Reading that back, that sounds kind of delicious, but it simply isn’t. Growing up, I remember Casey putting ketchup on everything, like a freakin’ criminal. Eggs and french fries and hamburgers, and for some reason, the smell of it alone could send me over the edge. I wouldn’t say either of us were particularly picky eaters as kids, but we had our lines in the sand. I didn’t do ketchup (or mustard for the longest time), and Casey didn’t do mashed potatoes. Weird, I know.

As my palate has settled into adulthood though, I do like ketchup-adjacent things. That said, I struggled to find a barbecue sauce that didn’t require mounds of ketchup, so I set out to make one on my own. Something that was both an ode to barbecue, but would also be Casey-approved. This one gets at the same sweetness (see: all that damn brown sugar) without going over the top. I like that it hinges on the tomato more than the sugar, and it has a smokiness from the prosciutto and liquid smoke that hits the tongue correctly. Fun fact: my partner and I were literally sweating after eating these, so perhaps adjust the cayenne accordingly.

Life is too short to be eating ketchup, masquerading as something else. Make it on your own dammit. And keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks.