Grilled Cumin Turkey Wings (燒烤孜然火雞翼, Siu1 Haau1 Zi1 Jin4 Fo2 Gai1 Jik6)

This recipe was updated on 01 Nov 2015. The Chinese name, and some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Turkey wings were on sale and I decided to get them instead of chicken for a change. Since turkey wings are larger than their chicken counterparts, the turkey wings parts are separated before grilling. You can choose to not grill the wing tips (and keep them for stock), or you can grill and eat them as I usually do. The marinade uses cumin, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorn to give the wings its spicy flavor.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

6	6	Turkey wings (火雞翼, fo2 gai1 jik6), separated into individual parts
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Whole cumin (孜然, zi1 jin4), ground
2	2	Whole star anise (八角, baat3 gok3), ground
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Sichuan peppercorns (花椒, faa1 ziu1), ground
½ in.	5 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
6 cloves	6 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
½ cup	125 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
½ cup	125 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

 

Equipment

		Coffee or spice grinder
4 qt.	3.8 L.	Covered bowl
		Tongs and an oil coated paper towel
22.5 in.	57 cm.	Covered charcoal or gas grill (or larger)

 

Turkey Wing Marinade

Instructions

1. Prepare the turkey wings by removing any excess fat and remaining yellow skin. Ideally all the yellow skin was removed during the vendor’s turkey cleaning process, but some always remains and will prevent the marinade from penetrating the skin. Use your fingers and rub any remaining yellow skin from the turkey under cold running water.
2. Toast the cumin, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns in a small pan. Cool the spices and then grind in a spice or coffee grinder. Place the ground spices into a covered bowl that will be used to marinate the turkey wings. Add the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil to the bowl. Mix the marinade ingredients together. Marinate the turkey in a covered container up to 48 hours, turning every 24 hours, in the refrigerator. Take the turkey out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Prepare the charcoal or gas grill for indirect cooking following the manufacturer’s instructions. Light the charcoal or preheat the gas grill accordingly. Soak the wood for smoking (pecan goes well with this dish) for one hour if desired. I use dry and not soaked wood.
4. If using a charcoal grill, arrange the lighted coals on one half of the grill. The side of the grill with the coals (the “hot” side) will not be used and the side without the coals (the “cool” side) will be used for cooking the turkey. For a gas grill, follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to which burners to leave on for indirect cooking. Clean the grill grate and then, using tongs and a paper towel coated with oil, lubricate the grate to prevent the turkey from sticking. Put the smoking wood onto the coals or as per the instructions for the gas grill.
5. Place the turkey on the cool side of the grill and cook for 15-20 minutes covered. Remove the turkey from the grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. The temperature of your fire and previous experience with your grill will determine the total cooking time for the turkey.