Hot and Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings and Drumettes

I was getting excited to watch a big game and thought some hot and spicy wings with a blue cheese dipping sauce would be the perfect combination to satisfy my craving. As a strong believer in food tastes better when it's barbecued, I whipped up a nice batch of wings and drumettes to enjoy.

The key to a great spicy wing is a recipe with the proper level of heat, but also provides enough time for the wings and drumettes to absorb the marinade.

Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl. Take the wings and drumettes and place them in either a brining bag or a large Ziploc bag. Add the marinade to the bag and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. The longer they marinade, the spicier and more flavorful the wings will be.

Set aside 1/2 cup of the marinade to baste the wings while they grill.

As the chicken wings absorb the marinade, massage the wings in the bag to work the seasoning in to the meat. Every hour or so, flip the bag over and work more sauce with your hands into the chicken.

Place the chicken wings on the grill over direct high heat. Grill the wings for about 20 minutes until the wings have a nice char and crispy skin. Using tongs, flip the wings every three to four minutes until the wings are finished cooking. Baste the wings as they are barbecued with the marinade that was set aside.

Depending how you like your wings, you can make them spicier by serving them with a very spicy barbecue sauce or cool them down a bit with a blue cheese dipping sauce. I actually prefer to use both sauces with my wings.

Most people think of wings as an appetizer, but the wings and drumettes are a great main course as well. It's one of our kids favorite meals. We serve them with a spinach salad, mash potatoes, and buttered garlic bread for a complete dinner menu!

Some people want really hot wings. Here are a few ways to add heat to a wing.

• Douse on Tabasco hot sauce right before eating
• Puree habanero peppers (with the seeds removed) and add to the marinade