When some friends came to visit, I had a bit of a challenge. One of them can’t eat onions or garlic. They could eat an oil infusion of garlic or onion but not the vegetable itself. I decided to try some Piri Piri Wings. Normally, Piri Piri Wings have a strong garlic hit so I would have to get creative.
The first thing I did was make a garlic oil infusion. I put 8 cloves of crushed garlic in 125 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil. I heated it over medium heat until the garlic just started to get golden and then added 2 ml (1/2 teaspoon) of chili flakes and heated for 1 more minute. I strained the oil off and let it cool.
This made more oil than I needed for the dish but I would use it in other parts of the meal.
I mixed 25 ml (2 tablespoons) of the garlic oil, 40 ml (2 1/2 tablespoons) lemon juice, 5 ml (1 teaspoon) paprika, 1 ml (1/4 teaspoon) cayenne, 1 ml (1/4 teaspoon) fine ground pepper.
I was worried about getting enough garlic flavour so I didn’t just marinate the wings. Instead, I injected 12 wing segments with the mixture in a bowl so any marinade that leaked out would go in the bowl.
I put the rest of the marinade in a bowl and tossed to mix.
I let them marinate in the fridge for 2 hours, tossing occasionally.
You can cook these in a smoker or rack in an oven over a tray.
Preheat to 350 F. Cook the wings for 25 minutes and then flip. Cook for 25 minutes longer.
I did mine in my Louisiana Grills Pellet Smoker.
The Verdict
These turned out wonderfully. The garlic flavour was there but less pronounced and infused through all the meat. The tart lemon and touch of spice was perfect. I may make all my Piri Piri wings this way now.
The Old Fat Guy
Yield: 12 wing segments
Ingredients
- 12 chicken wing segments
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) garlic oil
- 40 ml (2 1/2 tablespoons) lemon juice
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) paprika
- 1 ml (1/4 teaspoon) cayenne (can increase for hotter wings)
- 1 ml (1/4 teaspoon) fine ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except chicken wings together.
- Put the wings in a bowl and inject the sauce into each wing with a syringe injector.
- Pour any left over marinade into the bowl and toss the wings to coat.
- Put in the fridge for 2 hours, turning occasionally.
- Preheat an oven or smoker to 350 F.
- If using an oven, put the wings on a rack over a tray.
- Cook for 25 minutes.
- Turn the wings and cook 25 minutes more.

2 Responses
These sound so good! That’s some special friends you have to get such delicious Piri Piri Wings!
They are special people indeed. These were pretty good!