Uncle Henry's Hot Legs

Now, I'm pretty sure that everybody has been exposed at one time or another to hot wings, sometimes known as Buffalo wings, and most have probably enjoyed their spicy heat. I'm just as sure that everyone who prepares these... er... delicacies on any regular basis has a favorite recipé, which may or may not diverge from either the traditional one - or even common sense...

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My own favorite doesn't involve wings at all, and I've certainly never understood the whole "wrap it in breading and soak it in hot sauce" mentality. If you're going to do that, just make some cornbread muffins and douse them liberally with your favorite incendiary mixture. You won't miss the chicken at all.

Anyway, I like to use drumsticks rather than wings, simply because there is a reasonable amount of meat on a drumstick; and rather than turn them into Southern fried chicken drowned in hot sauce, I marinade them overnight. The recipé is pretty simple:

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Suggested Equipment:

• Piercing tool (for the chicken)
  
• Zip-top storage bag
  
• Skillet or grill
  
• Basting brush
  
• Tongs
  

Ingredients:

1. Whatever brand you deem safe and tasty. Tyson's is most commonly available around these parts.
   
2. Works well on thigh portions too!
   
3. For this kind of recipé, I generally prefer Texas Pete®. My homemade sauces are a bit too intense for marinating.
   

Item		Amount
Chicken1	Drumstick portions, uncooked2	5-7	ea
Sauce	Pepper, hot3	12	floz

Directions:

1. Remove the drumsticks from packaging, then rinse with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Pierce the meaty part of the drumsticks with an appropriate tool, between 16 to 24 times - depending on the size of the drumstick. I use a cheap, two-tined stainless steel cocktail fork. Make sure to put half of the punctures on each side of the drumsticks.

3. Place the pierced drumsticks into an appropriately-sized zip-top food storage bag, and pour the hot sauce into the bag. Express the air from the bag and seal the zipper, avoiding spillage, as much as possible.

4. Place the bag in your refrigerator, ensuring the bag will remain upright, and leave overnight. I usually put the bag upright into a mixing bowl, sized and shaped to keep the zippered opening higher than the marinading meat. Those zippers are not foolproof!

5. The next day - usually while preparing for lunch - remove the drumsticks from the marinade, reserving the liquid for further use. Place the pieces on a hot grill, or into a fry pan on medium heat. Some juices will cook out of the meat. If you are cooking in a fry pan, discard these juices, once they stop forming.

6. Cook the drumsticks until lightly brown, then baste the upper side of each one with a heavy coating of the reserved marinade. When the marinade baste dries well enough, turn the drumsticks over and baste again. Repeat this process as many times as desired.

7. When you are satisfied that the meat is thoroughly cooked, and that it has enough of the marinade to satisfy your desire for spicyness, remove the meat from heat, platter it, and serve.

There is no "perfect" recipé for this kind of cooking that will satisfy everyone's palate, but if you experiment with this one - trying different sauces, cooking times, etc. - I have no doubt that you'll find the perfect combination for you!

A word of warning: when cooking Uncle Henry's Hot Legs indoors, make sure that the cooking area is well-ventilated! Fumes from cooking these marinated bits of chicken have been known to have severe respiratory effects!