Tea-Smoked Chicken Wings

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02

Title: Tea-Smoked Chicken Wings
Categories: Appetizers, Poultry
Yield: 6 servings

3 lb Chicken wings; (16 wings)
3 Cl Garlic
1 tb Ginger root; grated
1 tb Honey
3/4 c Soy sauce
1/2 c Sherry
1 c Brown sugar
1 c Lapsang souchong tea; (loose
Sesame seeds; for garnish

Recipe by: The Tea Book by Sara Perry and Judith Ann Rose
1. Using a knife, separate the mini drumstick end of the wing and
slice through between the joints. Cut the wing tip off and
discard. (any good butcher will dot his for you.) Wash the chicken
thoroughly and pat dry.

2. Using the metal blade of your processor, finely chop the garlic.
Add the grated ginger root, honey, soy sauce, and sherry,
processing for 20 to 30 seconds to blend. Pour the marinade in a
9-by-13-inch baking pan, and add the chicken wings. With a spoon,
drizzle the marinade over all the wings. Cover and refrigerate for
at least 2 hours, rotating the chicken wings at least once.

3. To smoke the chicken, choose a heavy steel or cast iron roasting
pan or skillet with a tight fitting lid. Line the bottom of the
pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Sprinkle the brown sugar and
tea on top of the foil. Place a cake rack in the skillet, over the
sugar and tea mixture, and arrange the chicken wings on the rack.
Cover the pan or skillet with a lid (or heavy aluminum foil if the
lid does not fit snugly). Turn on your kitchen exhaust fan. Turn
the burner on high, and leave chicken on high heat for 30 minutes
(see Note). Do not remove the lid to check. Turn off the heat
after 30 minutes, and keep the chicken covered another 20 minutes.
Smoked chicken will keep for several days if well-wrapped and
refrigerated.

Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer.

Note: As with any recipe requiring a dish to be cooked at high heat,
use caution. Since this dish does produce smoke, it is imperative to
use your kitchen exhaust fan, and to have a pan or skillet with a
tight fitting lid.

NOTES:

Smoking with tea is a traditional Chinese approach to preparing
chicken. To the Western eye, the darkened skin resembles Cajun-style
cuisine. These flavorful, bite-size chicken wings make a delicious
appetizer when served plain, or with your favorite mustard, peanut or
teriyaki sauce.