Writer's Grove

You Are the Rub Upon My Wings

Dudes. Once in a while, I cook. If you are like me, then you like a chicken wing now and then, and you like some decent heat but not so much that it destroys flavor and burns a hole in your stomach. And what you don’t like so much is the royal mess of buffalo wings. Sometimes the sauce is everywhere, makes the wings kinda mushy, and ruins with its texture what should be a tasty repast. So I’ve recently discovered the joy of wings with a dry rub on ’em instead of slippery sauces, and I’m here to share the love.

I use a chipotle rub—chipotles are dried, smoked jalapenos, so they’re flavorful and fairly mild in terms of heat. Get yourself two or three dried chipotle peppers and crush ’em up, then mix with a half teaspoon of the following: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cumin, and coriander. Add a full teaspoon of paprika and pepper to taste. Melt  some unsalted butter—enough to coat a pound o’ wings—and then brush that onto the wings once you wash n’ pat ’em dry. Then you slap on your rub, deposit the lovelies on your grill (medium or medium high heat), and bam! You have tasty, crispy wings with no Sauce Apocalypse. You can pick up your beer glass without smearing it with orange goo. You can use one napkin instead of fifteen. And you can text without destroying your keyboard. It is the future of wings, my friends, and it is here! Enjoy.