Spring means maple season in the Laurel Highlands, when trees are primed to be tapped and turned into delicious maple syrup and other products. Somerset County alone has 20 maple camps where maple goodies are made! We celebrate this heritage every year with maple festivals and tours, and the city of Meyersdale shows why it is known as Maple City, USA, as it transforms into the site of the annual Maple Festival.

Brantview Farms Maple is at the heart of this tradition. Now an eighth-generation maple camp, they've been producing 100% pure (no additives or preservatives) maple products since 1832. They're also a perfect place to visit to understand the process of creating maple syrup, and tours will take you from properly tapping a tree to their iconic log maple camp for a live demonstration of how sap becomes maple sugar.

Everyone knows maple syrup is great on pancakes and waffles, but Laurel Highlands maple syrup also has a myriad of other uses in sweet or savory dishes. Our recipe this week is Bourbon Maple Glazed Chicken Wings and comes from Brantview Farms Maple. These sweet and smokey wings use their own maple along with whiskey, rosemary and just a little heat for a finger-licking delicious combination. 

Maple Bourbon Wings Brantview Farms

Bourbon Maple Glazed Wings

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs chicken wings
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 Tablespoon grated onion (or onion powder)
  • 1/2 cup bourbon whiskey (bonus points for using a local distillery)
  • 3/4 cup pure Brantview Farms Maple syrup
  • 2 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dry rosemary or 2-inch sprig of fresh rosemary
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Tabasco (more if you want extra heat!)

 

Directions:

  1. Melt butter in medium saucepan on stove. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes (or less time if you are using onion powder).
  2. Add whiskey, pure maple syrup, tomato paste, salt, pepper, rosemary and Tabasco. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from stove and let cool.
  3. Prepare chicken wings, cutting tips and separating drums from wings. Once chicken is prepared, coat them with half of cooled sauce mixture to marinate.
  4. Marinate wings for a few hours or overnight. Place in fridge until ready to cook. Place remaining sauce in separate container and refrigerate.
  5. When ready to eat, cook chicken wings on grill or griddle. Make sure your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees before eating.
  6. Coat wings in remaining sauce before eating.

 

Find more delicious maple recipes on Brantview Farms Maple's website!