Name: Calgary Hot Wings
Yield: Makes 12
Ingredients: 12 whole chicken wings (about 2 pounds); 2 cups wheat beer; 2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea); 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon celery seed; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; Cooking oil spray; 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted; 1/4 cup Sriracha (Thai hot sauce); 1/2 cup Crystal hot sauce or Tabasco sauce; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Barbecue without beer is, well, too depressing to contemplate, and I'm not just talking about to drink. Beer's malty sweetness and pleasantly bitter edge of hops make for an interesting marinade. These Calgary Hot Wings were inspired by the Big Rock Brewery, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I taught a memorable cooking class at Big Rock—memorable not only for the impressive assortment of interesting beers on tap but also for the fact that it snowed 3 inches during my outdoor class, a first for this Miami-based grill guy.

NOTES:

•Big Rock Grill chef Klaus Wöckinger uses a wheat ale called Grasshopper. If you live in many parts of Canada, California, or the Northwest you'll probably be able to find Big Rock Grasshopper. Otherwise, use an imported or domestic wheat beer like Capital Brewery's Weizen Doppelbock or Celis White.

•Sriracha is a sweet Thai hot sauce—think turbocharged ketchup, rather than tongue-blistering hot sauce. If you'd like sweeter wings, you can use sweet Thai chile sauce.

Recipe notes

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