Brown Sugar Barbecue Chicken Drumettes

Brown Sugar BB1 Chicken Drumettes

I really don't want to tell you how much take-out we eat. It's just that I'm busy, y'all. I know you understand.

I'm a newspaper copy editor. A dying breed of journalists. A sometimes misunderstood bunch.

Did you know that the Newseum doesn't even have a section in it devoted to copy editors? Sure, we're invisible in the newsroom, but I didn't expect to be invisible to the world. I suppose it's God teaching me a lesson about my ego, but I have no doubt that you can find almost any reporter and they've thanked (some unnamed) copy editor for saving their butt once upon a time.

But wait. I'm totally off-topic. Where was I again? Take-out. Yeah. It's what's for dinner.

BBQ drumettes

Wings are best made in big batches, and I prefer the ones that are deep-fried, which makes them that more difficult to cook at home. Or so I thought. These wings were so good and so easy to throw together! I'm telling you guys — Everyday Food rocks. (Edit: RIP.) I've only had one failed attempt with their recipes, and I still think that was because the dish didn't play nice with my tastebuds rather than the recipe being bad.

In this economy, which cross your fingers is improving and all the talk isn't just political drivel, we should all be cooking more. And a lot of studies show that Americans are cooking more — restaurant profits are down and grocery-store profits are up. We can cook at home, save money, and spend time with the ones we love. And they'll love you even more if you serve them these wings. I promise.

BBQ drumettes

Brown-Sugar Barbecue Chicken Drumettes
Adapted from Everyday Living (again, RIP)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 pounds chicken wings, patted dry
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees; line two rimmed baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Divide the sauce, saving 1 cup for raw chicken, a half-cup for half-baked chicken, and the remaining half-cup for the fully baked chicken.
  3. Toss raw wings in one cup of sauce and divide them evenly between sheets.
  4. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and toss chicken in half-cup of sauce. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 
  5. Right before serving, toss fully baked wings with remaining half-cup of sauce. Serve immediately.