We’re well into march madness season, which means watch parties full of delicious finger foods. If you’re like me, it’s mostly about the finger foods. Mmmmm!

While browsing Findlay Market in Cincinnati, Ohio one afternoon boyfriend and I found the spice mixture of the gods. It smelled mouth-wateringly good. We used it as a dry rub on baked wings and they were PHENOMENAL. Inspired by this, I’ve tried to re-create the magic spice we found in the recipe below.

This dry rub goes amazingly with meats other than wings, so don’t be shy to do some experimenting!

Sophia’s Hickory Spiced Dry Rub:

• 1 tbsp hickory smoke powder
• 2 tbsp granulated garlic
• 1 tbsp granulated onion
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp pepper

Making the dry rub is really easy! Simply mix all of these ingredients together. Yes, I know this makes way more than called for in the following recipe, which means you will have a bunch to sprinkle on other meats and play with. You’re welcome.

For added fanciness, you can make the dry rub in a small grinder or food processor to equalize the size of the spice particles. That wording was a bit nerdy. I’m an engineer.

Hickory Spiced Baked Wings

Makes ~24 wings. Prep time: 10 mins. Cook time: 40 mins.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs chicken wing midsections + drumsticks
• 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
• 3 tbsp (or more if you want, the amount is really up to you!) Sophia’s Hickory Spiced Dry Rub

It’s Delicious Wings Time

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Rinse wings and pat them dry with a paper towel, placing the dry wings in a large bowl
3. Add the oil to the bowl and mix to ensure the wings are coated
4. Add the dry rub a little at a time while mixing the wings so that they are all coated fairly evenly.
5. Line a baking sheet in aluminum foil and place a baking rack on top. Place the wings on the rack.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, flip, and bake for 10 more minutes
7. Turn on the broiler and bake for 10 additional minutes to make them nice and crispy
8. Let them cool a little and enjoy!

 

BONUS: Puppy wants wings.