Carolina Reaper Wings with Blue Cheese Drizzle

Crispy oven wings are not a compromise, they're a method. The secret is baking powder (not soda) in the seasoning rub, which raises the skin's pH and helps it shatter when it hits the heat, and a wire rack so air moves under the wings instead of steam pooling underneath them. The Carolina Reaper is mustard-forward heat. There's vinegar snap and mustard bite underneath the reaper, so it actually has flavour, not just punishment. Cutting it with melted butter and a little honey rounds the edges so the heat lands hard and then lets go, instead of sitting on your tongue. Blue cheese drizzle on top because dairy is the only thing that turns down the heat without killing the flavour.

What you need

Food:

2 lbs chicken wings, split into drums and flats, tips discarded (or save for stock)

1 tbsp baking powder (NOT baking soda. They are not interchangeable, you will be sad. Aluminum-free baking powder works better, no metallic aftertaste, but both work.)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 tbsp TGCS Co Carolina Reaper Mustard

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp honey

1/3 cup good blue cheese dressing (or homemade, see below)

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles for garnish

2 stalks celery, cut into sticks

Optional homemade dressing: 1/2 cup mayo + 1/4 cup sour cream + 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese + squeeze of lemon, mashed together

Equipment:

Wire cooling rack set inside a parchment-lined sheet pan

Large bowl for tossing

Small saucepan for the sauce

Squeeze bottle or small spoon for the blue cheese drizzle

Paper towel

How to cook it

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F. Set the wire rack on the parchment-lined sheet pan. The parchment catches drippings, the rack lets air get under the wings, both jobs matter.
2. Pat the wings DRY with paper towel. Really dry. This is the difference between crisp and rubbery. Wet wings cannot get crispy in an oven, full stop.
3. In a large bowl, toss the wings with the baking powder, salt, and pepper until every piece is coated. The baking powder is what creates the blistered crispy skin, don't skip and don't sub baking soda or your wings will taste like soap.
4. Arrange the wings skin-side up on the wire rack, spaced apart so they're not touching. They need airflow.
5. Bake for 25 minutes. Flip with tongs. Bake another 15 to 20 minutes until deeply golden, blistered, and crackly. Total cook time about 40 to 45 minutes. (Smaller wings cook faster. Worth a peek at 35 min if yours are on the small side.) The skin should snap if you bend a piece.
6. While the wings finish, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Pull off the heat and whisk in the Carolina Reaper and the honey until smooth. (4 tbsp Reaper to 3 tbsp butter to 1 tbsp honey is moderate heat for the average eater. Hot heads will want it straight. People new to Reaper will want more butter and honey.) Taste it. If it's too much heat for your crowd, whisk in a little more honey. If you want more snap, a splash of vinegar.
7. Pull the wings out of the oven, tip them straight from the rack into a clean large bowl, pour the sauce over, and toss until every wing is glossy and coated. Do this fast. The longer the wings sit, the more the sauce softens the skin.
8. Plate the wings on a board or wide plate. Drizzle the blue cheese dressing over the top in a zigzag from a squeeze bottle or off a spoon. Scatter blue cheese crumbles. Stack celery on the side. Have cold milk ready, dairy kills capsaicin better than water or beer when the Reaper really lands.
9. ENJOY!