St. Louis is America's No. 1 grilling city, at least according to some folks who should know: Kingsford Charcoal.
The company conducts a survey of the nation's grilling habits each year, looking at factors such as grill ownership and sales of charcoal, barbecue sauce and picnic wares, with bonus points awarded for grilling associations and tailgating skill.
St. Louis finished atop the 2006 survey, on a list that was generally dominated by southern cities. In fact, seven of the top 10 cities are south of the Mason-Dixon Line, including Tampa, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Jackson (Miss.), Memphis, Atlanta and Charlotte. The rest of the Top 10 was filled by Des Moines, Iowa, and Grand Rapids, Mich.
In tribute to St. Louis, we dug up this recipe for grilled chicken wings from Smoki O's (1545 N. Broadway; 314-621-8180), a popular take-out barbecue joint near the banks of the Mississippi.
Smoki O's grilled chicken wings
- 4 T. granulated garlic
- 2 t. red pepper
- 1 t. salt
- 1 lb. chicken wings
- 1½ c. Hidden Valley Original Ranch dressing
- 2 c. KC Masterpiece Original Barbecue Sauce
Mix garlic, red pepper and salt, and rub onto wings. Pour Ranch dressing into a plastic food storage bag; add wings. Shake bag to coat wings. Remove wings from bag; place on aluminum foil, fold into cooking pockets and seal tightly. Place pockets on main rack of charcoal grill for about an hour and a half. Remove wings from pockets and finish directly on grill over moderate flame. Turn every two minutes until wings develop a crust. Baste wings with barbecue sauce. Serves 4.
