Every once in a while, I get a hankering for some wings. Teriyaki wings. Sticky, lacquered, finger-linkin' yum. They take some doing but I think the results are pretty darn tasty.
Teriyaki Wings
Serves 2 piggy people for dinner
13 whole wings or 3 pounds with wing tips - separating each piece, saving the tips for making stock
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons sake
1-1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon grated garlic (about 2 cloves)
generous pinch of Japanese togarashi or crushed red pepper
ground white pepper or black pepper
toasted sesame seed, for garnish
Put all the chicken wings into a large zip-topped plastic bag. Put aside.
In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except wings and sesame seeds. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Pour over wings and move the bag around so all the wings get coated with marinade. Seal up the bag, trying to remove as much air as possible. Let the wings marinate for at least 4 hours, preferable overnight.
Heat oven to 450 degrees, moving one rack to the middle, one under the broiler. Place wings on a wire rack over an aluminum foil lined, rimmed cookie sheet, saving marinade. Place sheet pan on the middle rack and bake for 15 minutes. Pour marinade into a small saucepan. Reheat sauce to a boil, skimming the top of solids and foam.
After the 15 minutes are up, take wings out of the oven, turn each one over and baste with the cooked marinade. Put back in oven and cook for another 15 minutes, repeating the flipping and basting two more times for a total of one hour cooking time. After the fourth basting, set your oven to broil. Put the wings on the top rack and broil until your wings start to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, flip and baste once again, returning wings to the top rack for a final 5-minute broiling.
Remove wings from oven, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with moistened paper towels. Enjoy!